Third Game Crash

[Tampabaybob]

So this "dead zone" isn't just a place were deceased bowlers are buried in oil?
Bob, I would drive you batty with my dead zone adjustment. I usually move from 35 all the way over to 5, sometimes even the 1 board depending on who is on the lanes. During the summer it's mostly strokers so I can just stay left of them and not move all night

Usually you can get away from this "ZONE" just by moving everything about 3 boards. In rare instances, yes a huge adjustment could be called for. It's one of those things that many bowlers don't realize that's happening, and all of a sudden the great shot they had in the 1st game and a half goes away.

If you want to see the actual lane patterns check out my dead zone article (you know where) and the photos are there from my photo bucket. Still have to call them to get reprint permission.

This dead zone is a great teaching tool for many bowlers. You don't have to be a 220 shooter to be impacted by this situation and MANY people could increase their scores IF they knew what to do and when. It a phenomena created by the synthetic lanes, that we never had to deal with on wooden lanes. Hopefully (eventually), people will migrate from here to you know where, and will be able to see this AND understand what's happening when their ball starts acting crazy ! Check it out.

[dnhoffman]

If I had to take a stab, I would guess that it is the oil transition. By the third game, the oil has probably skid down further and causing more skid for your ball.
If most people are using the same line, it is going to change fast. You might have to find a spot with more friction in the later games so that your ball doesn't hit the backend oil and skid past its breaking point.

Agreed - a big change in my average came to me when I learned to read the oil transition better. For example, one house I bowl at has pretty heavy oil for THS, and I can use a pretty aggressive ball on it, but if there are more than 4-5 right handers bowling on my lane I need to change equipment by that third game or else I'm playing so far left that I don't have any room for error.

[GeoLes]

I don't think anyone mentioned the fatigue factor. Late in the series, old, bad habits can creep back into your game. I find that by the thrid game my hook begins to wain. Closer analysis reveals that I get sloppy on my release, but unaare of this, I try "tweaking stuff". Then the domino effect. I try to fix it by moving right... shortening my stride.... fixing my swing.... The more I try the broker it gets.

Solution: Back to basics on the third game. Rather than compensate, make certain the basics have not fallen off. Firm up the wrist. Snap up the release timing. Stay in the swing slot. Swing low and through your mark with longer follow through. Square up the hips and shoulders in the finish position. That' s how it works for me.

[classygranny]

I don't think anyone mentioned the fatigue factor. Late in the series, old, bad habits can creep back into your game. I find that by the thrid game my hook begins to wain. Closer analysis reveals that I get sloppy on my release, but unaare of this, I try "tweaking stuff". Then the domino effect. I try to fix it by moving right... shortening my stride.... fixing my swing.... The more I try the broker it gets.

Solution: Back to basics on the third game. Rather than compensate, make certain the basics have not fallen off. Firm up the wrist. Snap up the release timing. Stay in the swing slot. Swing low and through your mark with longer follow through. Square up the hips and shoulders in the finish position. That' s how it works for me.

I wish I had thought of this last night...good point, especially evenings - I ended the night with a whopping 101 just couldn't get my head into that game or apparently my body either!

[J Anderson]

I don't think anyone mentioned the fatigue factor. Late in the series, old, bad habits can creep back into your game. I find that by the thrid game my hook begins to wain. Closer analysis reveals that I get sloppy on my release, but unaare of this, I try "tweaking stuff". Then the domino effect. I try to fix it by moving right... shortening my stride.... fixing my swing.... The more I try the broker it gets.

Solution: Back to basics on the third game. Rather than compensate, make certain the basics have not fallen off. Firm up the wrist. Snap up the release timing. Stay in the swing slot. Swing low and through your mark with longer follow through. Square up the hips and shoulders in the finish position. That' s how it works for me.

Fatigue can definitely be a factor both physically and mentally. When I'm bowling well I tend to peak in the third game, which can be a problem in the sport league where there's still another game to bowl. On Monday my third game was a 199, the fourth only 183 because I didn't pick up on the clues that should have been telling me to adjust for the tenth frame.

Often, after bowling two good games, or even after bowling one spectacular game its hard to keep that same mental focus.

[Tampabaybob]

Lots of things affect us on bowling night, with fatigue being one of them. (It's also one reason I don't drink anymore !) Anyway, overcoming that, as mentioned, going back to basics, IF, you can realize what's happening soon enough to change. Many times we get stuck in what we're doing, you could call it stubbornness, and we refuse to make those changes. Been there, done that, and went home kicking myself in the tail for the next 24 hours ! Realizing when something is going wrong, knowing what to do about it, AND acting upon that change is something every bowler has experienced and has had problems dealing with. It can be bad enough fighting off the transition of the oil, but if you throw in other factors, such as fatigue, etc, then it's a real problem to deal with. Time, experience, and patience, and there's still no guarantee, you'll master it. After bowling 50 + years, I can show you scores from last season that reflect this exact problem. It takes a couple of days after bowling for my head to stop aching from banging it on the wall after one of those nights !! LOL