What the pro shop guy said...

[J Anderson]

I had someone who bowls 240-290 games regularly say that leaving a corner pin is your own fault and that you did something wrong. Not sure if that's true. I would think leaving the 5 pin is more your fault than a corner pin. Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

There was a fairly long thread about what adjustment to make when leaving the ten pin. About half the posts were suggestions on how to cover the spare when you leave the ten but the rest were on the topic. My own opinion is that most of the time when I leave a ten pin, or a seven when I'm pretending to be a lefty, it is my fault. I was either a bit off on that one particular throw, or I'm not playing the right line for the conditions. Yet there are times when the pins might have been slightly off spot, or there might be a "dead" pin in the rack, and you'll get robbed on a perfectly good hit.

p.s.This is only my opinion based on 30+ years of bowling, no facts were harmed in the writing of this post.

[billf]

Wow, our class spent quite a bit of time on this; corner pins. Yes, if the rack was correct, the pins are in good shape and you left ANY pin, then you did SOMETHING wrong. Why, because the angle wasn't in the 4-6 degree area for a 'perfect' strike or the ball rolled out too soon. The ball SHOULD go into the roll phase before the pocket but if it does this too soon too much energy is depleted and it hits the pins like a marshmallow. The list of possibilities is quite long.

[J Anderson]

Wow, our class spent quite a bit of time on this; corner pins. Yes, if the rack was correct, the pins are in good shape and you left ANY pin, then you did SOMETHING wrong. Why, because the angle wasn't in the 4-6 degree area for a 'perfect' strike or the ball rolled out too soon. The ball SHOULD go into the roll phase before the pocket but if it does this too soon too much energy is depleted and it hits the pins like a marshmallow. The list of possibilities is quite long.

I think that with many of us, if we are watching anything after the ball passes our target, we are focused on a few things and don't really observe the entire shot. Probably just the way most brains are wired. With a long list of possibilities, we either need to replay the video, or retrain our brains to take in the whole picture.

[billf]

Plus at times it happens so fast you're like, did I see that right?

[Mike White]

and Mark Baker includes video taping in that lesson.

Q. What types of lessons does Mark offer?
A. Mark offers lessons in a variety of formats and venues:
Individual lessons: Mark’s home center is Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley, CA. He coaches there most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. He also goes to Surf Bowl in Oceanside every other Tuesday, and Buena Lanes in Ventura and Canoga Park Bowl every other Wednesday. The cost of a one-hour lesson is $80 per hour, which includes video.

This doesn't sound bad as a way to check it out.
Asher / Baker Weekly Clinics: The Asher / Baker weekly clinic is held most Saturdays at Fountain Bowl from 12:15 – 2 p.m. The clinic is open to bowlers of all skill levels, and each bowler will be helped by both Barry Asher and Mark Baker. The cost is only $10 per person.

http://markbakerbowling.com/coaching/

I plan on going to Fountain Bowl in the near future... After I get my feet back under me. I'll let y'all know how bad it sucks.