A Question

[RobLV1]

Today I was bowling pot games, when a very good bowler started complaining to me about his league scores. He shot 700+ in one league, and 450 the next day at the same bowling center. Knowing that the center is notorious for widely varying lanes, I asked if he was on the same pair for both leagues. He wasn't. He quickly told me that on the second day he just wasn't throwing the ball correctly.

My question: why is it that so many bowlers would always rather blame their physical game for bad scores, rather than just admitting that they didn't play the lanes correctly?

[fordman1]

For the same stupid reason the go to Vegas and expect to win money. Something just defy logic.

[bowl1820]

Today I was bowling pot games, when a very good bowler started complaining to me about his league scores. He shot 700+ in one league, and 450 the next day at the same bowling center. Knowing that the center is notorious for widely varying lanes, I asked if he was on the same pair for both leagues. He wasn't. He quickly told me that on the second day he just wasn't throwing the ball correctly.

My question: why is it that so many bowlers would always rather blame their physical game for bad scores, rather than just admitting that they didn't play the lanes correctly?

I'll assume that you knowing his abilities and guessing that he expanded on the story to you about what he did as far as lane play, gave you the information that lead you to the conclusion he played the lanes incorrectly.

If Not knowing a player and not being there to watch them as they bowled, I can't really make the assumption they didn't play the lanes correctly without further information.

But in regard to your question it could be that they lack confidence in their own abilities, So assume that's where the problem lies.

Also maybe they just don't know they played the lanes incorrectly (assuming they didn't play them correctly), so they assume it was something in their physical game that was the cause.

[RobLV1]

He gave me no more information than I related. While our physical games may vary from day to day, a 250+ series difference has to be the result of lane differences unless the bowler is injured or ill. As to the particular bowler, he's a notorious black jack bowler who never really adjusts other than by changing his ball speed.

[djp1080]

Rob, I'm an advocate for blaming my physical game for poor scores as my ability to convert spares is my weakest link; however, some of those days when I miss a bunch of spare shots it's due to poor leaves like the various washouts that might be like a 1-2-4-10 or something silly like that. I've read your various articles spare shooting and paid full attention. I've tried various routes to improve my ability to pick up spares and it comes down to my physical game must be the culprit keeping me from doing as well as I'd like. Perhaps it's that I'm getting older, but not feeble. Got a big compliment the other day from a 63 year old buy who said that I'm in much better physical shape than he was. Maybe he was just lying to me... :) I'll just keep working on it until the day I'm not able to do it anymore or just gone...
I'll get to the lanes some days and I don't miss, but as things go along those days are fewer and farther between...
Hope this helps...

[RobLV1]

Again, I would hazard a guess that the poor leaves and washouts that you are seeing is due more to playing the lanes incorrectly than to a momentary departure of your physical ability. As a husband on my 40th year of marriage, I can honestly say the not listening to the lanes is a lot like not listening to your wife... it never ends well! LOL

[J Anderson]

Today I was bowling pot games, when a very good bowler started complaining to me about his league scores. He shot 700+ in one league, and 450 the next day at the same bowling center. Knowing that the center is notorious for widely varying lanes, I asked if he was on the same pair for both leagues. He wasn't. He quickly told me that on the second day he just wasn't throwing the ball correctly.

My question: why is it that so many bowlers would always rather blame their physical game for bad scores, rather than just admitting that they didn't play the lanes correctly?

For bowlers who learned to bowl before urethane, reactive resin and synthetic lane sufaces, the idea was set in their minds that to bowl well required being very accurate and consistant in terms of speed and release. It doesn't matter that they have been bowling on much more forgiving conditions for years. They still think in terms of being consistent and accurate, and are loathe to make an adjustment off a shot that wasn’t almost perfect.

Also, for anyone who isn’t a professional, there isn’t enough practice time to be 100% confident that your delivery was what you intended. Thus, the first thought after leaving a split is,” did I throw it too slow?” or “did I miss my mark?” Not “I need change the way I’m playing this particular lane!”

I do know a few bowlers who almost never blame their physical game. They blame the lane conditions, the open bowlers who were on the lane before. They will try a few adjustment that they are comfortable with, but they have no idea how to actually read a pair of lanes if the break point isn’t within a few boards of where it usually was 25 years ago.

[Timmyb]

I always play the lane correctly. It's whether I hit my spots when it becomes a physical thing. Crappy release, shady footwork, and a whole host of other things can play into "physical" being the cause of your woes. I will give you that I've made bad decisions on where to throw the ball chasing transition, but I think it's less an issue than just flat out missing my mark, or dropping speed, or tripping over my own two feet.

Case in point. Two weeks ago, I threw a 299. Was averaging 16.4-16.7 on the speed monitor throughout the game. I threw that last shot, smoked the pocket, but left a ten. Speed? 15.9. Now, I know those monitors are not the most accurate things on Mother Earth, but I'd lean toward that speed drop (physical) being the major contributing factor in me still waiting for that f**king ring.

[RobLV1]

It just so happens that yesterday I was practicing with two friends. It was quite a diverse group. I was there to get some exercise and just have fun. Bowler A is a senior bowler who has averaged 220 in the past but is currently undergoing radiation treatments for cancer and tires very, very quickly. He was pretty much just going through the motions, as was I. Bowler B is in his forties and is the quintessential house bowler; never moves on the lane and thinks that every shot that hits the pocket should be a strike. If he doesn't strike, he assumes that he did something wrong.

We bowled three games with me and bowler A just plodding along, while bowler B was taking it way too seriously, running out shots and hi-fiving anyone within range. Finally, at the beginning of the fourth game, I said to bowler A: we need to take this seriously for a game; he's getting way too full of himself. Now both of my friends were pretty much striking at will on the left lane, and having a great deal of difficulty carrying the ten pin on the right lane. I was using a plastic spare ball to try to stay as pain-free as possible. I noticed that on the left lane, a could stand a little left and throw a little right, and even a plastic spare ball would come back to the pocket. I also noticed that every time a tried this on the right lane, I too would leave a ten pin. At the beginning of the fourth game, on the right lane I moved my feet to the right and my target to the left, playing the shim and going directly at the pocket.

To make a long story short, I was able to shoot 224 with my plastic spare ball, beating bowler A (209) and bowler B (203), for the simple reason that I was able to figure out how to play each individual lane. I won't pretend to know why the lanes were different, though my guess is topography, but the fact is that the lanes told me how they needed to be played. I'm sure that both of my friends think that they were doing something wrong on the right lane, and they are right! The thing is that what they were doing wrong was not playing the lanes correctly and had nothing whatsoever to do with how they were releasing the ball.

[chip82901]

I bowl at a 16 lane center here in Southwest Wyoming. It's the only center worth bowling at within 100 miles (there is one 15 miles away, but you better bring some cleats if you plan to stop sliding). This year, they opted to go with the same house pattern on all leagues as they are allowing up to 7 weeks of pre-bowling (wyoming runs a high-5 tournament with a 66 game minimum, we have a lot of shift workers in the area with the mines). So, that being said, I bowl both Tuesday night and Wednesday night mens, both which receive fresh oil right before we start bowling. From the very first ball in practice the lanes don't play the same from night to night. Wednesday has a tendency to start out a little slicker, but they transition a LOT faster, even bowling with the same guys from night to night. Tuesday, while it starts out with snappier back ends, tends to transition at a slower rate. The heads tend to stay much more in play on tuesday night than they do on wednesday as well. However, I have subbed a few times on our friday night mixed league and it's completely different there as well, especially the transition, which is to be expected. So, from night to night, it's a constant struggle to figure out how to play the lanes correctly. For instance, last tuesday, I felt something a bit off, but still managed a 2 open 176. The 2nd game, things started to click in my game, but I was getting a strange wet/dry reaction down lane, couldn't cover a spare (4 splits btw), and shot a 5 strike 142. Last game, move deep inside where no one had been all night, and shoot 256 with a greek church in the 3rd frame. Sometimes, you just have to battle through the frustrations and figure it out lol

[Amyers]

I bowl at a 16 lane center here in Southwest Wyoming. It's the only center worth bowling at within 100 miles (there is one 15 miles away, but you better bring some cleats if you plan to stop sliding). This year, they opted to go with the same house pattern on all leagues as they are allowing up to 7 weeks of pre-bowling (wyoming runs a high-5 tournament with a 66 game minimum, we have a lot of shift workers in the area with the mines). So, that being said, I bowl both Tuesday night and Wednesday night mens, both which receive fresh oil right before we start bowling. From the very first ball in practice the lanes don't play the same from night to night. Wednesday has a tendency to start out a little slicker, but they transition a LOT faster, even bowling with the same guys from night to night. Tuesday, while it starts out with snappier back ends, tends to transition at a slower rate. The heads tend to stay much more in play on tuesday night than they do on wednesday as well. However, I have subbed a few times on our friday night mixed league and it's completely different there as well, especially the transition, which is to be expected. So, from night to night, it's a constant struggle to figure out how to play the lanes correctly. For instance, last tuesday, I felt something a bit off, but still managed a 2 open 176. The 2nd game, things started to click in my game, but I was getting a strange wet/dry reaction down lane, couldn't cover a spare (4 splits btw), and shot a 5 strike 142. Last game, move deep inside where no one had been all night, and shoot 256 with a greek church in the 3rd frame. Sometimes, you just have to battle through the frustrations and figure it out lol

Sounds a lot like the houses around here. you never know where your going to be playing from night to night

[chip82901]

Sounds a lot like the houses around here. you never know where your going to be playing from night to night

I think our big thing is that our oiling machine is almost 20 years old. It's an older Red Kegel Phoenix S. They don't even make many parts for it any more. Our proprietor is pretty cheap as well, and doesn't use new oil or anything. He finds stuff that has been discounted down and uses that. Last year, we used oil that sat on the shelf for 4 years. It gets rough some nights, but then again, that's why our high average in the house last year was a tweener lefty at 212. Add in the fact that we have twister pins, and it's a struggle lol

[Aslan]

As to Rob's original questions: Three Reasons (in no particular order)

1) Bowlers (especially older ones) absolutely SUCK at adapting to anything bowling related. They will throw an oil soaked ball they bought in 1990 up the second arrow until the ball breaks in half...then they will buy a ball by the same manufacturer that their pro shop buddy suggests...and go back to throwing it up the second arrow until it breaks in half.

2) The sport is vanishing because the lanes are no longer standardized and the patterns are too variant and MOST OF ALL...the game is far too dependent on oil patterns for scoring. I can bowl a high 600 series 3 out of 4 nights at a given center...then go there during the day on some weekday and struggle like hell to bowl in the high 400s. Same center, same lanes...just lack of oil or oil that has been pushed around by plastic ball "fun/cosmic" bowlers.

3) Truly adapting your game to lane conditions is extraordinarily complicated and you (Rob) tend to downplay this. Most bowlers have 1-2 balls...which makes adapation a matter of changing where you play on the lanes and altering your approach/release/speed. Even pro bowlers often struggle with changes to things like approach/speed/hand position and even pro bowlers have a hard time playing a certain part of the lane (versus 2 other places on the lane). In THEORY...you are correct and the bowler in question might have benefitted from doing things differently. But in REALITY...you have 10 minutes of practice to throw 4-6 shots with a limited arsenal. If you misread the lanes or throw bad shots in practice...you might need 8 frames to figure out where you should be playing. By then, you've lost the game and likely the series. Pros have coaches, a van full of ball choices, and decades of experience...not to mention hours and hours of practice on tournament conditions so they can make the right choices. League bowlers have 2-10 shots, no coach, no ball rep, and a limited arsenal or in many cases only one ball.

So...it could be any one or combination of those.