How accurate are you aiming at the arrows?

[SRB57]

I started targeting at the arrows after looking down at the foul line the first 40 years of bowling and can hit + or - a board when bowling good. Steve

[ChuckR]

While you're watching, note the last two games. Liz Johnson obviously targets at her laydown point as her eyes looking straight down at the foul line!

I am sure that many of us in our early days, I am 72, used to aim at the arrows. When I came back after a 25 year layoff, there was NO WAY I could control anything.
I started to move my eyes down the lane. That helped. After cataract surgery on both eyes, I had an even better picture of what was down lane, there are pins and not a block of wood. Anyway, looking down lane at tracer or pin shadow forced me to reach and follow through.
I tried Liz's approach once and it seemed the ball never made it down the alley with any action.
Bottom line is WHATEVER WORKS.

[Average200someday]

Up to 3 boards left. But since I'm just using a plastic ball, straight up board 10 over 2nd arrow, that amount of miss can send the ball all the way left to the 4 and 7 pins!

One coach says try to keep your head level, instead of dipping down at the bottom of the swing which causes the arm to go out of alignment and causes the severe pull to the left!

[HowDoIHookAgain]

You'll find that as you get more and more comfortable with aiming at the arrows, you will become more and more consistent at hitting your mark (your mark is the place where your ball should be if you don't know. For me, my mark is the 2nd arrow [10 board]). Missing your mark with a plastic ball really is not detrimental to your game, because you really don't get much hook off of plastic, if you are hooking at all. But once you start cranking the revs, missing by even half a board can be the difference between a strike and a 7-10 split.

[Average200someday]

But once you start cranking the revs, missing by even half a board can be the difference between a strike and a 7-10 split.

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. Since the arrows are around 15' away, and the pins 60', it seems that every missed inch can be multiplied by at least 4!

[JerseyJim]

It depends on the dominant eye. In order for me to hit the 10 board, I have to look at the 8 board. There was a book called "The Pro Approach" which explained how to find your offset. Also on Bowlingknowlege.Info. Joe Slowinski published a series on the "Quiet" eye. Check them out http://bowlingknowledge.info/index.p...d=24&Itemid=64

[Ishkabibble]

I bowled years ago (before resin balls) with a guy who didn't look at anything except his feet. He bowled more of a swing. I didn't believe him at first so after he stood where he wanted I blindfolded him. He hit the pocket everytime.

Remember you need to have 2 points to create a line. One at the arrows(or dots or whatever you use) and one further down the lane where the ball starts to break out of the oil.

[Aslan]

I've tried targeting pretty much anywhere in the first 20ft of the lane...and haven't figured out the ideal system just yet.

Wes Mallott is famous for targeting the foul line...kinda like the discussion about Liz Johnson. I've found that targeting that close gives you the advantage of getting the ball DOWN on the lane (rather than lofting/tossing it)...especially for us taller guys. The DISadvantage to targeting that early is that if your timing is off...even a little...every centimeter you miss by gets multiplied. Example;

Lets say you throw it towards the arrows and miss by 3 boards right. It MAY or MAY not hit the pocket depending on how dry it is outside. If you miss 3 boards left...you're gonna miss at MOST by 12 boards at the pindeck. However...because a miss left is in the heavier oil volumes...the ball will HOLD...until just before the pin deck...and you'll likely miss by about 5-8 boards.

NOW...lets say you target the foul line...and you miss by 1 board. By the time the ball gets to the arrows...you're off by about 3-4 boards. So, see above.

The bottom line is...a miss of 2-3 boards at the arrows is = a miss of < 1 board at the foul line.

The reason why there is not "RIGHT" place to target is because the further out you target...the more you'll miss...but the more room you HAVE to miss. Targeting closer you're more likely to hit your mark...but every slight miss is magnified. The simplest way to think of it is to compare a rifle to a revolver pistol. I used to target shoot and it was really easy to hit a target at 100-200 yards with a rifle. But a pistol...once you got past 50 yards...you were in trouble. Why? Because the bullet isn't affected by anything as long as it's being fired through the barrel. But once it leaves the barrel...it starts to move. Wind, gravity, etc... The longer the barrel....the more accurate the projectile. Same thing with a bowling ball. The longer it can stay in the air...the less impact the lanes have on it's path. The sooner the ball comes into contact with the lanes...the more the lanes will affect it's movement.

I struggle targeting close primarily because I have the tendency to abruptly shorten my swing/follow-through. I also struggle getting my shoulders square when targeting close. I've been targeting the "dots" lately as I'm trying to get the ball down and overcome my tendency to loft it...but I make better shots, more in time, when I target the arrows. I've never targeted the break point except when I've thrown balls thumbless. With my thumb in the ball, and my current arsenal, I just don't have the RPMs or ideal ball to bowl to an "area".

[bubba809]

Don't aim. Just throw it as hard as you can to the outside right.

[NewToBowling]

Or just play with bumpers