when is it time to realize you are a has been...

[fordman1]

Well Lou I guess we are bowling in the wrong place! Pack your bags we are going to have to move. I think he described us to a tee. Old, fat, stiff and over all unfit.

[LOUVIT]

If the release, footwork, timing, or anything else is not comfortable to you then you can change it. There is no magic formula to being a good scoring bowler, I have in recent years studied the form. release and timing of many of the bowlers that average in the 200's.
If nothing else I have concluded that anything goes. I bowled yesterday against a guy who's a hard throwing lefty, I watched as he fell off his shot frame after frame, never posing in a perfect end position....he had a 267 that game. The guy I was bowling is 65 and wears a back brace, can barely bend over to get the ball off the rack, the ball was a 15 or 20 year old Fury pearl, he shot a 255 one game.
An 70 year old guy was on the lane next to me, he never bends over at all and releases the ball a good 3 feet short of the foul line and lofts it barely over the foul line, he shot a 289 265 234. Another guy on his team takes a hop step, looks like he is jumping over a small dog on the way to foul line, had a couple of 200 games. Another guy I bowl with has averaged 215 the last 10 or so years, bends over so far his back is parallel with the ground on his release, throws tons of strikes. Several guys I know including the PSO that averages 250 has late timing using a 4 step delivery doesn't move the ball forward until the second step, takes slow steps,plants the slide foot and pulls the ball through to release at the correct time.
The point being, do what you did before when you were a 190 bowler and see what you need to tweak from there instead of reinventing the whole game. Keep in mind that age, strength, condition, flexibility and everything else concerning your physical condition is a consideration, it doesn't mean you can't improve but it might hamper you a bit in some ways.

this has got to be the best response I've ever gotten.... this game has changed so much in 25 years that I try to forget when I was good and feel like a beginner again. Again this post is real and funny at the same time. Yet all points may be true. I never was a "do it this way" bowler way back when yet I am trying to do the right thing now because the new game scares me and I feel I have to....In the old day's with rubber or plastic balls I just cranked and prayed it came back. It usually did. I need to stop trying to look good and try to bowl good!!!!!

[Tony]

Well Lou I guess we are bowling in the wrong place! Pack your bags we are going to have to move. I think he described us to a tee. Old, fat, stiff and over all unfit.

Those were just the guys I bowled with on Friday, we have all kinds of characters, how about the nearly 70 yo guy, will bet anyone on a shot, regularly wins anything he enters, has multiple 300 games with every ball in his bag and all after being shot in the bowling arm, or the coach, bowls with near perfect form, wearing street shoes, he can also lay the ball up from the back of the approach and leave 10 pins 8 of 10 times to set up shots for his student to practice. I bowled with a guy for over 20 years never averaged less than 200, 2 different houses, wood lanes, synthetic lanes, over all the years with one ball, an old blue hammer. Another guy tip-toed to the foul line like Fred Flintstone, used to throw at splits between his legs, over the course of a few years saw him pick up a 7 10 and a greek church, between the legs. Had another guy who got the feeling he was going to strike and he would stand up on the approach and start chanting buck buck buck then turn around and take buck bets from any of the people around the lane and go up and throw the ball, saw him collect or payout 10 to 20 bucks many times....

[fordman1]

Not that I would ever doubt what I read on the internet but can't see a greek church or seven 10 being that way. How would you generate that much ball speed? I hope he wore a jock and cup.

[bowl1820]

Not that I would ever doubt what I read on the internet but can't see a greek church or seven 10 being that way. How would you generate that much ball speed? I hope he wore a jock and cup.

You don't need a bunch speed.

I saw a old lady roll a ball down the lane at a 7-10 split years ago. The ball was barely rolling down the lane, it was headed for the left gutter and just clipped the 7 pin.The 7 fell over and rolled lazily across the deck and just knocked the 10 over just before the rack came down.

We had a young guy here that could easily toss the ball between his legs with plenty of speed.

[Tony]

Not that I would ever doubt what I read on the internet but can't see a greek church or seven 10 being that way. How would you generate that much ball speed? I hope he wore a jock and cup.

He had fairly good ball speed, we had a team years ago where 4 of the 5 of us would throw balls like that, I still bowl with one of the guys and we can both throw between the legs with a 10 -12 mph ball speed, and still do on occasion. (We both throw 14 to 16 mph normally) generally we got good enough that we usually pick up pins and sometimes convert a split. I'm over 50 and he's over 60, it's really not that hard.
The one guy who picked up those shots did slip one time and got a little too much lift on the ball, I'm sure he wished he had a cup on, other than that we have thrown 100's of shots with no injuries.

[Aslan]

this has got to be the best response I've ever gotten....

What? It lacked paragraphs. It is therefore disqualified as best anything. PARAGRAPHS!

1) Age and fitness are a factor. I watched my grandfather go from a good bowler 150s-160s way back when...to someone who could barely throw the ball. I bowl with guys like this all the time. They have no ball speed...yet...can still bowl okay. But thats very frustrating...and I can sympathize with them. They know how to throw the ball...good accuracy...but they get splits and go brooklyn. Knee problems are brutal to a bowler...and have ended most bowling careers. Even me, at just over 40...the knee bend isn't what it could have been 20-30 years ago. Shoulder problems...elbow problems...back problems...arthritis...one of these ailments will eventually hinder you. And then it becomes a very tough decision to give up something you love that you just can't do well enough to enjoy it anymore...or keep bowling, just for fun, and with the understanding that most nights you're just gonna be a 150 bowler? There is no right or wrong answer IMO.

2) I agree with Bowl1820. I was once a 160-170 average bowler. I could have stayed a 160-170 bowler forever...bowling the way that "felt right". I didn't want to slow down, or work on my release, or fix my footwork, or shoot straight at spares. But I knew that if I didn't get out of my comfort zone and get better...I would give up bowling within 3 years if I couldn't get my average up. It was harder than I thought...it's still hard...but now I average around 180. Regardless of your age and physical condition...you CAN get better...but you have to actually want it bad enough. Don't feel bad if you don't want to...it's actually quite rare among bowlers. Most that I've come across love bowling until the point they realize that to actually get better they are going to have to work at it...then they go play golf.

[fordman1]

It is an illegal shot if you throw between your legs. Unless it is done all the time. Same as shooting the 10 left handed.

[Mike White]

Don't feel bad if you don't want to...it's actually quite rare among bowlers. Most that I've come across love bowling until the point they realize that to actually get better they are going to have to work at it...then they go play golf.

Imagine how you'll feel about bowling if you did put in all that work to not only improve, but be one of the top bowlers in your area.

Then after taking some time off, you find they have changed the equipment, and conditions such that any Tom, Dick, and Harry can score at that level.

To get back to being one of the best, more work will be required to unlearn what was achieved by all that hard work previously completed.

Meanwhile the value of that achievement is greatly diminished.

After a little contemplation, it becomes clear, it's not worth the work, and yes, golf does sound more enjoyable.

The only logical thing to do when reaching that conclusion is to give away ones bowling equipment to some sucker who hasn't seen the light yet and still thinks they love the game of bowling.

At this point in time I own no bowling bags, no bowling shoes, no bowling balls.

The only thing I still have bowling related is my gold 300 ring.

Maybe I'll sell it for it's gold value, and buy a new set of golf clubs.

In mid September I shot my last game ever as a USBC bowler.

I ended with a clean 199.

[LOUVIT]

What? It lacked paragraphs. It is therefore disqualified as best anything. PARAGRAPHS!

1) Age and fitness are a factor. I watched my grandfather go from a good bowler 150s-160s way back when...to someone who could barely throw the ball. I bowl with guys like this all the time. They have no ball speed...yet...can still bowl okay. But thats very frustrating...and I can sympathize with them. They know how to throw the ball...good accuracy...but they get splits and go brooklyn. Knee problems are brutal to a bowler...and have ended most bowling careers. Even me, at just over 40...the knee bend isn't what it could have been 20-30 years ago. Shoulder problems...elbow problems...back problems...arthritis...one of these ailments will eventually hinder you. And then it becomes a very tough decision to give up something you love that you just can't do well enough to enjoy it anymore...or keep bowling, just for fun, and with the understanding that most nights you're just gonna be a 150 bowler? There is no right or wrong answer IMO.

2) I agree with Bowl1820. I was once a 160-170 average bowler. I could have stayed a 160-170 bowler forever...bowling the way that "felt right". I didn't want to slow down, or work on my release, or fix my footwork, or shoot straight at spares. But I knew that if I didn't get out of my comfort zone and get better...I would give up bowling within 3 years if I couldn't get my average up. It was harder than I thought...it's still hard...but now I average around 180. Regardless of your age and physical condition...you CAN get better...but you have to actually want it bad enough. Don't feel bad if you don't want to...it's actually quite rare among bowlers. Most that I've come across love bowling until the point they realize that to actually get better they are going to have to work at it...then they go play golf.

First off great paragraphs!!!! I've been out of school 40+years so that isn't an issue for me...lol

As I think I stated already i came back to the sport with high expectations. As was stated everyone seems to throw a great ball and carries pins. I figured hey if newbies can do it and since I averaged 190 when the game was hard this should be a piece of cake. Funny that with a 10+ year old NVS that I couldn't get to hook I was shooting good games. Bought a new ball won another from here and guess I'm trying too hard and watching too many videos on releases and stuff. This week practice or league I'm am going to forget most of what I've learned in the past 6 months and let the ball do the work. Stay tuned.


I also know some 70 year old guy;s averaging over 200, but they didn't stop bowling for 25 years