Picked up a split and almost 2nd (4-6-7-10)

[boatman37]

So last night 10th frame of game 2 left a 6-8-10. Targeted the 10 (I'm a lefty) and picked it up. Pretty tough for a lefty. Later left a 4-6-7-10. Targeted the 7 and made the 4, 7, and 10. The 10 hit the side and fell into the 6 but it only wobbled. To pick up one of those in a night is pretty cool. I almost made both. Last summer I made the 7-9 split too. Wish I could be that accurate (or lucky) more often

[J Daisy]

Nice! Luck aside, that takes skill to make a shot like that. Me? I'm just happy if I make a mini-split, haha. Great job, dude.

[boatman37]

Nice! Luck aside, that takes skill to make a shot like that. Me? I'm just happy if I make a mini-split, haha. Great job, dude.

Funny thing is I have been horrible at mini splits

[J Daisy]

Funny thing is I have been horrible at mini splits
I just usually try to bowl right between the pins if I can. That usually works for me. One reason why I love my arrow-straight plastic ball, haha.

[boatman37]

2 weeks in a row 2 of my teammates put their ball right between the 3-10 without touching either. Pretty hard to do that...lol. I actually made my last 2 2-7's (I'm a lefty) but I had only been about 1/5 this year before that.

[classygranny]

I just usually try to bowl right between the pins if I can. That usually works for me. One reason why I love my arrow-straight plastic ball, haha.

Daisy....you love the straight plastic ball. How's it coming with the reactive ball you got recently? If you posted anything I might have missed it. Update us please.

[RobLV1]

So last night 10th frame of game 2 left a 6-8-10. Targeted the 10 (I'm a lefty) and picked it up. Pretty tough for a lefty. Later left a 4-6-7-10. Targeted the 7 and made the 4, 7, and 10. The 10 hit the side and fell into the 6 but it only wobbled. To pick up one of those in a night is pretty cool. I almost made both. Last summer I made the 7-9 split too. Wish I could be that accurate (or lucky) more often

Both leaves are the result of the ball hooking too hard. It's great that you made such good attempts to pick them up, but the question should be why did you leave them?

[boatman37]

Both leaves are the result of the ball hooking too hard. It's great that you made such good attempts to pick them up, but the question should be why did you leave them?

Yeah they both throw the same ball for strikes and spares except the 10 pin. Other than that they use their strike ball. Pretty much the same delivery and release too. The one throws a fairly straight ball anyway that he angles from the gutter to the pocket. The other has a fairly straight ball with a big hook at the end. He flattens his hand out a little for spares but does use his primary ball.

Why I left them? Wish I knew...lol. If you saw my scores I struggled till game 3. Ball was perfect in warmups then started coming in light. Made a small adjustment and finished game 1 in the 160s. Had 2 opens and both were 1-3-6-10. Game 2 nothing worked. Hit light, hit high, too many opens, just horrible. Had 3 splits that game (picked up the 6-8-10 in the 10th of that game and left the 4-6-7-10 in the fill.) and left a pocket 7-10 in the 7th. tried different balls, different lines, etc. Just couldn't get anything going. Game 3 was a whole new game...lol. 213. Only had 1 open and it was another 4-6-7-10. I rarely leave splits so not sure. I think I might have had too much entry angle? I was using the new Squatch pearl and tried the BWG. Maybe I should have tried the Conspiracy? Not sure but got pretty frustrated. Maybe it was me. I did notice I seemed to be getting more lift a few times as I could feel a 'soreness' in my ring fingertip that I don't get when I don't lift too hard. Been trying to work on that and don't think I did it at all in game 3

[RobLV1]

Why I left them? Wish I knew...lol. Game 2 nothing worked. Hit light, hit high, too many opens, just horrible. Had 3 splits that game (picked up the 6-8-10 in the 10th of that game and left the 4-6-7-10 in the fill.) and left a pocket 7-10 in the 7th. tried different balls, different lines, etc.

Let me guess: you never moved more than three boards to the right. "Hit high" (too much friction), and "left a pocket 7-10 int the 7th" (even more friction; ball burning up). If you want to score in 2019, you have to start thinking like it's 2019, not 1980. You need oil to save the energy for the pocket, not friction so that you can feel good about yourself because the ball hooks! I'm sorry to sound so brutal, but I feel your frustration, and see your adversity to changing the things that you've believed for so many years.

[boatman37]

Let me guess: you never moved more than three boards to the right. "Hit high" (too much friction), and "left a pocket 7-10 int the 7th" (even more friction; ball burning up). If you want to score in 2019, you have to start thinking like it's 2019, not 1980. You need oil to save the energy for the pocket, not friction so that you can feel good about yourself because the ball hooks! I'm sorry to sound so brutal, but I feel your frustration, and see your adversity to changing the things that you've believed for so many years.

Actually I did move in to the 15 board and that ball went right through the nose. Can't remember what the leave was but after that one I went back to the 6 board. In hindsight I probably should have stayed there and adjusted to it. One of my problems is not being able to figure this out at the center. After I get home and think about it I start thinking about it and wonder why I didn't try this or that. Oddly, in the summer league we rotated out every 3 weeks but I went down even on my off week. I would watch my teammates and tell them what I saw and how I would adjust and alot of times it worked but when my mind is wrapped up in what I'm doing it doesn't come to me.

EDIT: I do remember a few talking about how dry the lanes were the other night. To me, where I play, they usually are fairly dry so I don't pick up on it as much.

[RobLV1]

Remember that where you hit at the arrows is relatively insignificant. If you move at the arrows, but keep throwing to the same spot down the lane, you are going to keep getting the same result. With bowlers hitting different spots at the arrows, but all throwing to eight board down the lane, it's not the arrows that are burning up, it's the end of the pattern.

[boatman37]

Remember that where you hit at the arrows is relatively insignificant. If you move at the arrows, but keep throwing to the same spot down the lane, you are going to keep getting the same result. With bowlers hitting different spots at the arrows, but all throwing to eight board down the lane, it's not the arrows that are burning up, it's the end of the pattern.

Good point. Hadn't thought of it that way. Last week we have 4 lefties on our pair and the week before had 5. I was the only one out at the 6 board but you are right, we may all have been hitting the same board at the breakpoint. For me it's hard to see the breakpoint cause my ball goes straight until it turns in so hard to tell where it actually makes that turn. To that point, I went last Friday and practiced spares then a game practicing my strike ball. I moved forward on the approach a little and put my slide foot slightly further forward to open my hip and shoulders. I had always in my career stood square at the line. I was able to slow my speed a little and move my feel about 2-3 boards right to get more arc. I was hitting the 10 board at the arrows and getting to about the 7 board at the breakpoint. I did this the first 2 games the other night (168 and 127). The last game I went back to my old approach. I do like the newer style I used but need work on it to get more consistent. That might have been my issue.

On a positive note I was 4/5 on 7 pins and also nailed the 7 on my 7-10 and on my 4-6-7-10. Also covered a 4-7. Probably my best corner pin shooting in a long time. And I usually only leave 2-3 7's a night so definitely left more than usual.

[J Daisy]

Daisy....you love the straight plastic ball. How's it coming with the reactive ball you got recently? If you posted anything I might have missed it. Update us please.

I haven't had it drilled yet. I haven't even bowled much lately, frankly. Life keeps getting in the way. You know how it goes. I really wish there were more pro shops in my area, with better hours. Every time I find myself near the other one, it isn't open.

Thanks for asking, though, and I will be sure to let you know when I finally get it drilled. :)

[J Daisy]

2 weeks in a row 2 of my teammates put their ball right between the 3-10 without touching either. Pretty hard to do that...lol. I actually made my last 2 2-7's (I'm a lefty) but I had only been about 1/5 this year before that.
I've made both shots, but neither consistently. Still learning, haha. I'm a pretty slow learner, it seems.

[ALazySavage]

Boatman, to extend on Rob's point about the same breakpoint with different lines: and in advance this is simplified to not factor in many outside sources (essentially the ball is going to take a straight path from the laydown point to the breakpoint before making it's move), just to help with the concept.


Let's assume we want a breakpoint of 5 at 45 feet, here are a group of lines that all get to that point the same (all moves are examples of lefty):

If we do not project the ball left: 5 at laydown point, 5 at arrows, 5 at 45 feet.
If I make a 3 and 2 move right: 8 at laydown point, 7 at arrows, 5 at 45 feet.
If I make a 6 and 4 move right: 11 at laydown point, 9 at arrows, 5 at 45 feet.
If I make a 9 and 6 move right: 14 at laydown point, 11 at arrows, 5 at 45 feet.

Moves that would change the breakpoint:
If I make a 1 and 1 move right: 6 laydown, 6 arrows, 6 @ 45 feet
If I make a 2 and 1 move right: 7 laydown, 6 arrows, 4 @ 45 feet
If I make a 1 and 0 move right: 6 laydown, 5 arrows, 3 @ 45 feet

Granted many things change, including the breakpoint distance...but just something to think about when making big moves and where the ball ends up. Because of how long and thin a lane is the distance of the breakpoint doesn't drastically change the laydown point and arrows - i.e. If I wanted that breakpoint of 5 the laydown point would be 8 and at the arrows would be 7 for any breakpoint distance between 38 feet and 49 feet (with a tolerance of +/- 0.5 boards, in my model I rounded to the nearest board, if I have to be more precise I'm playing the wrong part of the lane with the wrong equipment).