Why do lessons go so damn well...then it doesn't translate into success!!?

[RobLV1]

If you bowl at the same house you should know were to stand and throw your ball. Unless they change the pattern, the warm up should just be to get loose and dialed in.

So true, unless... someone did routine maintenance on the oil machine, or didn't do routine maintenance on the oil machine, or there is a crown or a dip or some other topographic element that affects one of the lanes, or you are bowling an end pair that is very uneven, or the weather has changed to necessitate playing a different type of shot, or someone practiced on your pair before your league (this happens more than we would like to believe), or you notice that someone else is playing just to the left of you so that you will have no where to move, or... I guess not so true after all.

[fortheloveofbowling]

So true, unless... someone did routine maintenance on the oil machine, or didn't do routine maintenance on the oil machine, or there is a crown or a dip or some other topographic element that affects one of the lanes, or you are bowling an end pair that is very uneven, or the weather has changed to necessitate playing a different type of shot, or someone practiced on your pair before your league (this happens more than we would like to believe), or you notice that someone else is playing just to the left of you so that you will have no where to move, or... I guess not so true after all.

So what your telling me is i can't always stand on the big dot and aim toward the 2nd arrow???

[RobLV1]

So what your telling me is i can't always stand on the big dot and aim toward the 2nd arrow???

Ding, Ding, Ding... Give that man the prize! LOL

[rv driver]

For me, bowling is all about hitting the groove. If I can do that -- that is, just throw and not think -- I usually bowl pretty damn well. It's when I overthink or begin to try to "make" the ball do something that I run into trouble. For me, it's mostly a mental game.

[Aslan]

If you bowl at the same house you should know were to stand and throw your ball. Unless they change the pattern, the warm up should just be to get loose and dialed in.

True….IF they oil the lanes before the league plays on them (which they don't).

So…one night you come in and maybe three bowlers had rolled on those lanes all day….or you got a pair where 2 hours earlier "Little Jimmy" had his 8th birthday party there. Ya never know.

@others….Yeah…the release just isn't there yet. I'm not finding the spot between an end over end roller and coming over the top. And it's frustrating…because the wrist brace seemed to help put my hand in a better position…but then in BOTH of my last lessons…taking the wrist brace off and just making some minor changes…I was doing as well as I ever have. I agree with my coach…I don't want to become dependent on the wrist brace…where it becomes a crutch. I want to fix my release…so I can spend my time trying to get it consistent…rather than wasting 3 years with a 160s average because I can't seem to figure out the #1 contributer to bowlig success…the release.

I don't know. One minute things are clicking and I'm signing up for tournaments and playing in sport shot leagues…then the train derails and I'm wondering how much $$$ I could get if I sold all the bowling stuff and went back to playing hockey. Then, as the end is near…I go out and do something minimally okay…and suddenly I'm BACK!! I don't know. I might really try that "not trying" advice in the tourament Saturday. It can't hurt at this point.

[Amyers]

Good luck with your tournament and that crap hits us all especially when your making changes to your game

[Aslan]

Yesterday's lesson didn't go so well. I kinda feared it wouldn't because I just bowled my career best series the night before and was prone for a big letdown.

I guess my issues with why the lesson didn't go very well was:
1) With the wrist brace off, the release isn't always worse....it's just inconsistent. So I'm gonna have to keep that on until we can tackle the release issue...which we never got to because...
2) I had to again fix "timing". This whole dang year seems to be constantly trying to fix timing problems. Late, early, late, early...over and over again.
3) None of my coaches like my arsenal. And I don't blame them...it's not ideal. I pieced it together over a long time and didn't really know much about balls when I did. But...c'mon....YES...obviously technology is a changing...gotta stop resisting it....but if you're a 200+ average bowler...shouldn't you be at least a 180 average bowler with a urethane ball? I guess I just fear that when I finally change arsenals the coach isn't going to like that one either and try to push me into some $800 investment in this big, fancy, cutting edge bowling arsenal...which is SURE to be obsolete in 3-9 months.

To the last point....what would WRW shoot on a THS with a urethane ball? What could Rhino Page shoot with a Brunswick Strike King? I mean, pick your favorite pro...give them a new ball from 5 years ago...and you're telling me they'd be bowling in the 150s on a THS??? Of course not! I believe one of the fundamental annoyances with modern bowling is we're putting a LOT of technology into the hands of bowlers that for the most part can't get much out of it. I bowl with a 70+ year old on Wednesdays...nice guy...but he has like 16 bowling balls in his car on league night. He brings in about 8. NONE of them are lower end, mid-range, low hook balls. All are top of the line, big hook, performance/masters level lines: Guru, Hyper Cells, Masterminds, HX05, Deadly Aim, Jackal, etc... He has a bout a < 9mph ball speed and misses left about 1/3 of the time. He, despite carrying more balls than anyone else in the league, has relatively few "ball down" options...and he refuses to change his target. So how is the new technology "helping" him?

Mudpuppy cliff noting all that rambling...the best bowlers learn to bowl well, then use advanced equipment to optimize their game and take it to the next level. I am not a "best bowler". I am at BEST average. I need to bring my skill level UP....to the point that I can just use a house ball and score a 500 series. THEN...sign me up for the "ball of the month club" and WATCH OUT WORLD. But until then...giving me Radical Guru is like giving someone a .38 special to kill flies. It might work...but probably not a ton better than just using a fly swatter.

I think I gotta finally give in and set my mind free. I fear it may destroy a lot of the fundamentals I've been trying to work on...but whats the use of strong fundamentals if your own mind is blocking your ability to effectively execute those fundamentals? It's a conundrum. Where is Iceman and his sermons on "The Gift" when you really need him??

[Hampe]

but if you're a 200+ average bowler...shouldn't you be at least a 180 average bowler with a urethane ball?

Yes....and if you're a 180 avg bowler, guess what your new average will be with a urethane ball.

I guess I just fear that when I finally change arsenals the coach isn't going to like that one either and try to push me into some $800 investment in this big, fancy, cutting edge bowling arsenal...which is SURE to be obsolete in 3-9 months.

Don't you have like 15 undrilled balls sitting in your closet? Why don't you make a list and show your coach, I'm sure he could help you put together a decent 4-5 ball arsenal using the equipment you already have.

To the last point....what would WRW shoot on a THS with a urethane ball? What could Rhino Page shoot with a Brunswick Strike King? I mean, pick your favorite pro...give them a new ball from 5 years ago...and you're telling me they'd be bowling in the 150s on a THS??? Of course not!

Who exactly are you arguing with with this ridiculous straw man? Of course the pros could shoot 220+ with a 10 year old ball.....**** they could wrap a ball in a towel and throw it down the lane and average 220 on THS. They're pro's.

I believe one of the fundamental annoyances with modern bowling is we're putting a LOT of technology into the hands of bowlers that for the most part can't get much out of it. I bowl with a 70+ year old on Wednesdays...nice guy...but he has like 16 bowling balls in his car on league night. He brings in about 8. NONE of them are lower end, mid-range, low hook balls. All are top of the line, big hook, performance/masters level lines: Guru, Hyper Cells, Masterminds, HX05, Deadly Aim, Jackal, etc... He has a bout a < 9mph ball speed and misses left about 1/3 of the time. He, despite carrying more balls than anyone else in the league, has relatively few "ball down" options...and he refuses to change his target. So how is the new technology "helping" him?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that your coach probably didn't suggest you just go get 6 of the strongest balls on the market as your arsenal. The point of having more than one ball is to have different balls for different situations and patterns. It's true there are a lot of bowlers today that never learn this and just keep buying the "strongest" ball they can find, but I haven't seen anyone here suggesting (and I'm guessing your coach as well) that you should be doing that.

[Aslan]

Don't you have like 15 undrilled balls sitting in your closet? Why don't you make a list and show your coach, I'm sure he could help you put together a decent 4-5 ball arsenal using the equipment you already have.

I don't they'll like that either. A part of me thinks it's a "wanting to sell me new balls" thing. I hope not...because I don't want the lesson to turn into a sales pitch...but I fear that when you have a coach that is a pro with a pro shop selling a line of bowling balls...they are going to always have that urge to try to use the lesson as an avenue to sales. And in my opinion, the coach then loses credibility because you don't really know if they're pushing a ball because it's truly the bes in the market for your game...or if they're pushing a ball that is 'okay' for you; but gives them the best profit/bottom line.

I find the above especially problemetic with pro shops that are heavily into Ebonite brands because Ebonite has a very aggressive sales program where you get volume bonuses for selling their products. You can almost always tell a pro shop that is participating in that program because:
1) Virtually every ball on their wall is Track, Columbia, Ebonite, or Hammer.
2) They have very little positive to say about any brand not listed above even if some of those other brands have really good new releases.
3) Their prices are usually much higher than other pro shops because I think the ball price is more set by Ebonite than locally.

Shops that don't participate in that program...I go in their shops and if I want a Columbia, Ebonite, or Track...I almost have to special order it because they carry the popular Hammer stuff but don't bother with the less popular brands.

[Amyers]

Have to say I would think with all the balls you already have they should be able to put together a decent arsenal without you purchasing anything else. There are a few balls that I think are innovative and different but most of it's just putting a new surface or color scheme from year to year on the same stuff. Does anyone actually believe that there's that much difference between the "rocket" and the "sky rocket" that you couldn't do in 15 minutes on a ball spinner?

I'm not a big fan of the hard sell for whatever line they are pushing either. I deal mostly with smaller proshops here so not as much of an issue (order through distributor) but we have one that thinks if it doesn't say Hammer on the side of it junk.

Will bowling with older equipment make a pro bowl poorly especially on THS? No but I have seen bad equipment choices and not matching up well turn a 220 roller into a 150 roller pretty quick a few times.