Advice on my arsenal and additons I may want to make

[actonyourown]

So I have been in non-USBC sanctioned mini-leagues for the past 1.5 years (they are 8 weeks with a playoff 4 times per year, never been part of a sanctioned league). Recently, a buddy of mine who is a better bowler joined my team because we needed a 4th and I have become obsessed with becoming better. I have purchased 1 ball last year and 3 new balls in the past 2 months for an arsenal to handle my local conditions while I am still improving. My average from last season is 161. Over the last 3 weeks of this new season I have a 169 average. I have also participated in two handicap tournaments this month and will continue doing one per month through the year when I can.

Roto Grip Halo
Brunswick Kingpin Limited Edition Pearl
Roto Grip Dare Devil (purchased used and re-drilled)
White Dot Cotton Candy (spare ball)

Purchasing the Halo picked up my score on heavy oil lanes. As I tend to have almost no revs, I'm still learning and trying to increase them with some speed. The Halo has a very aggressive drill to it according to my local pro shop. I tend to just slow down my shot to keep my same mark due to the lack of revs when I cannot create the revs required. The Dare Devil is the first ball I got and it has a mild drill to it. My unsanctioned league tends to play at old wood lanes that are very dry, so this ball does very well. I recently picked up the Kingpin LE because I saw a need for a middle of the road hooking ball and it was a very good price on bowlingball.com. It worked decently last night at the league.

I do not currently feel the need to get more new equipment until I can improve my average to the 190 range, but if I did, I am considering:

Roto Grip Idol
Roto Grip Idol Pearl (replacement for the Dare Devil which may need either refinished or replaced)
Storm IQ Tour

Do you have any thoughts on my current arsenal? Do you think I need to have any more equipment while I am still improving? What do you think of the choices for an additional ball (Idol vs IQ)?

[RobLV1]

With an average in the 170 range, you don't need more equipment. Spend the money on some qualified coaching!

[J Anderson]

So I have been in non-USBC sanctioned mini-leagues for the past 1.5 years (they are 8 weeks with a playoff 4 times per year, never been part of a sanctioned league). Recently, a buddy of mine who is a better bowler joined my team because we needed a 4th and I have become obsessed with becoming better. I have purchased 1 ball last year and 3 new balls in the past 2 months for an arsenal to handle my local conditions while I am still improving. My average from last season is 161. Over the last 3 weeks of this new season I have a 169 average. I have also participated in two handicap tournaments this month and will continue doing one per month through the year when I can.

Roto Grip Halo
Brunswick Kingpin Limited Edition Pearl
Roto Grip Dare Devil (purchased used and re-drilled)
White Dot Cotton Candy (spare

I do not currently feel the need to get more new equipment until I can improve my average to the 190 range, but if I did, I am considering:



Do you have any thoughts on my current arsenal? Do you think I need to have any more equipment while I am still improving? What do you think of the choices for an additional ball (Idol vs IQ)?

You have several balls that hook. You have a spare ball that in my opinion is the most important ball to have on the rack. You do not need another ball.

As Rob said you need coaching more than another ball. You should be able to go to BOWL.com and click on ‘find a coach’ to see what coaches are in your area. I would suggest using one who is certified at the Bronze level. If for some reason you can’t find a USBC certified coach in your area, ask the people who run your local bowling center, pro shop, or league if they know a good coach for some one at your skill level. Be wary of just taking whatever random advice on bowling from higher average bowlers. Many times high average bowlers only know what works for them and do not actualy know how to coach.

[Amyers]

With where you are now I agree with the others. You'd be much better off spending your money on a qualified coach than another ball. Later as you develop more revs you may want to consider something more along the lines of a Roto Grip Hustle for the drier lanes.

[JasonNJ]

Definitely get some lessons and learn the proper way to roll a ball. I've been bowling 5 years now and my 2nd year of bowling I averaged 190 in my first ever league but my release was terrible and my average was more a product of an easy house shot than skill. My 3rd year of bowling I went down to the Kegel Training Center for a lesson and finally saw myself on video and I was horrified how poor my release was and thinking back, I was probably never going to be better than a 185-190 average. Anyway, I took an all day lesson with Randy Stoughton and all we worked on was my release and to be honest my average has been 184 and 187 the last 2 years but that was with trying to convert to the new release and struggling to be consistent. Finally this year, things are starting to click and my release isn't something I worry about too much now and I'm carrying a 195 average but I expect to finish the year over 200 and although I'm not a youngish anymore (47) I expect to get better and better now.

[vdubtx]

Absolutely agree with getting come coaching vs. more equipment.

[actonyourown]

Thanks all for the advice. I have considered taking lessons from a coach. And this is good confirmation that I don't need to spend more on equipment just yet.

When I go to search for a coach in my area, there is no one at Bronze level that has contact information available. Is this a bad time of year to find a coach? Or is this normal?
There is a level 1 coach with an email address listed in my area.


Any advice on what I should do about that?

[J Anderson]

Thanks all for the advice. I have considered taking lessons from a coach. And this is good confirmation that I don't need to spend more on equipment just yet.

When I go to search for a coach in my area, there is no one at Bronze level that has contact information available. Is this a bad time of year to find a coach? Or is this normal?
There is a level 1 coach with an email address listed in my area.


Any advice on what I should do about that?

It shouldn't be a bad time to find a coach. It's not like there's a coach hunting season and the rest of the year we're off limits. Certain areas of the country do seem to have more high level coaches than others. I would think certain areas of Florida, Texas, Ohio, and Nevada would have lots of bronze and silver ones. There may be some bronze coaches in your area who have been dropped from the list because they no longer coach youth leagues and are no longer in the Registered volunteer program.

[actonyourown]

**Update**

The rec league I have been in had put us at a different alley for the 2019 Winter session. This alley looked like it was from the 60's and it is above a new brewery. The ball returns were strange, you had to carry your ball from one lane to the other, the approaches looked to have been re-done twice because no boards lined up with the lane boards. Needless to say, my team and others complained and we got to return to the alley that's from the 70s with carpeted walls, but it is truly a bowling alley and not a side project. Since moving there over the last 4 weeks, I have the highest average yet (569, 562, 575, 547) giving me a 187 average. Just today my friend and two other guys we have met through playing have decided to join a sanctioned league on Thursdays for a summer league. I'm really excited to gain an average. I will probably be the weakest bowler on the team but I'm ok with that for now.

I have gone to practice at a nearby lane and I work on my form constantly whether that is throwing with more hook, my approach, slowing down my steps, or spares/10 pins (I have had 2 closed games in as many weeks which is actually my goal over a high score). I watch videos on YouTube and watch bowling in general to pick up what I can. I have considered asking my pro-shop for lessons. Any thoughts on that? They are very knowledgeable and I feel that they would at least give me something outside the thoughts of myself and my buddy that helps me.

I also did end up getting an Idol solid which has made a huge difference in my scores the last two weeks.

I have continued to go to the handicap tournaments but I really struggle there. This last event, I recognized that all 4 of us on a pair of lanes were righties and two were throwing urethane. I could tell after 1.5 games that my ball could not get through the carry-down. I changed to a pearl ball and it made a huge difference, and I am going to be more cognizant of other's ball choice and where they are playing in the lane.

[boatman37]

Don't worry about being the lowest average...I speak from experience. When I left bowling in 2002 I was about 5th highest in our league at 193. I think highest was 207 or something. Granted it was a smaller league but the biggest difference was wood lanes and urethane balls back then. Now I'm at 179 and my teammates are between 193 and 203 so I'm not even close. In fact, of the 101 in our league with enough games to be official I am 71st....lol. So I'm not far from the bottom

[Amyers]

Asking the pro-shop is not a terrible idea if they aren't any silver level coaches in your area. At least my personal experience is the bronze one mostly got the certification to work with youth and aren't interested in being hired. That's what I've seen here locally. Best case scenario would be to find a good certified coach but in some areas of the country that's just not possible. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive to the closest certified coach to me. I've done it a few times and he's good but I have a guy that I work with who's a Senior PBA bowler who does a great job and much closer.

Enjoy yourself and never feel bad about being inexperienced everyone starts off somewhere. I doubt any of us started off rolling 200+ at least I didn't lol

[actonyourown]

Thanks for the encouragement!

@boatman37
I am also in Pittsburgh, where is your league located?

[boatman37]

Thanks for the encouragement!

@boatman37
I am also in Pittsburgh, where is your league located?

Sims Lanes in Beaver Falls. Bowled in a tourney at Noble Manor Lanes about 6 weeks ago

[Albundy]

Does it surprise anyone else when you hear people say they've been bowling just a few years..I started league bowling when I was 5.. though between age 25 and 35 I didn't bowl on a league
Still though I've taken a bunch of lessons over the recent years to fix what I was doing wrong

[boatman37]

yeah. we have a kid in our summer league that is about 22 or so. Said he started bowling about 4 or 5 years ago. Last year in our 16 week summer league he rolled 3 or 4 300's. He's a 2 handed bowler that is very consistent. He said he bowled in a Pro-Am and went up against one of the pros (think it was Pete Weber) and beat him. Currently his league average is 216 but last summer he was at 230. Just checked bowl.com and his sport adjusted average shows 197. Kid is good. No 300's so far for him this season yet but just about everyones average is down about 15 pins this season.

[Albundy]

Damn.. Wonder when it is my turn for a 300. I'm 40 with finger arthritis though I did get a 268 last week and it felt effortless. The 2 I missed I knew I didn't throw it right. I only get 3 chances a week so that makes it less likely too. I think I am trying too hard