Ten Minutes of Practice

[JCasey1992]

Hi all!

I was just wondering about this. What is the best way to approach your ten minutes of practice prior to league competition? At this point, I just take a few shots to continue loosening up. However, I feel that there must be more to it than just that. For example, a friend who has been helping me suggests I throw what he calls a "waste ball" so I can start reading the lanes. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks,
Casey

[TCJ]

My typical method is to start with my usual strike ball. If I have a good line, I throw a few of those to try to get a little rhythm in that spot. Then I practice some ten pin shooting. Occasionally I'll try to hit the seven as well. If I still have time to practice after all that (and I often do) then I'll grab a different ball and see how that reacts on the lanes in comparison to the first one. I like to know what to expect should I have to switch during competition. Sometimes I decide to switch before the game starts. Also, I always attempt to pick up any spares that I leave. So often I see bowlers who miss a strike on their first practice shot and then they come back and hit reset and let another person go. But spares are very important, so why not take the opportunity to get some practice in on them?

Some things other people do that I don't:

1. Burn a line into the lane by repeating the same shot over and over and over again. They don't practice any spares and they don't really care about getting a great result.

2. Spend practice ruining another person's line. Last year there was an entire team that would do this against certain other teams to get in their heads.

[J Anderson]

When I'm in a league where most of the people shoot their spare leaves in practice, I'll start by shooting a corner pin on the first ball and then try to find the pocket.
In a league where everyone else is only taking one shot at a time and resetting the pins so the next person can shoot at a full rack, I'll only shoot one corner pin on each lane. Then I'll try to shoot a number of balls a board or two outside the line I intend to play. In other words I try to hit the three pin, or the two if I'm playing left-handed, with my strike ball.

[GeoLes]

I was taught to try three shots and watch for the effect of lane conditions. Strike ball, flat 10-pin, and 4-pin. Now you know how your ball behaves on the lanes.

[classygranny]

My coach has suggested that first shot is usual shot for that house (or your favorite line, if new) and not quite full speed. This limbers up your swing and gets your feet in motion. Don't read the lane from this shot. Second shot is about 1/2 to 3/4 speed straight up 5 board - you will be looking for the skid end and the friction point. Third shot is straight up 10 board - again looking for the skid end and friction point. From these two shots you should be close to where you want to be. Fourth shot would be two boards outside that mark at normal speed. Any additional shots would be where you intend to play unless you don't want to burn up the line, then stay outside a few boards. If your league throws both balls, then always shoot your spares just to see what the lane conditions are doing - or better yet, no matter what you leave, shoot for the 10-pin and the 7-pin at least once each.

Be sure and do a few stretches before you begin...this is more important the older you get. Also, my coach says that if the muscles aren't warmed up, then you will be throwing the ball differently once they are warmed up and then all your practice shots just went out the window.

[JPbowl]

I find it to be a 'warm up'. 10 minutes with 8 other people, you get maybe 4 shots?
That's hardly enough to get loose, let alone start looking for the right line.

I need about a full game to warm up before i think about practice

[bowlerRob2]

I think everyone has their own approach to practice. For me the first two balls are very heavy and are required to get me loosened up. I swear that first ball feels like it weighs 30 pounds! In subsequent turns after I have "loosened" up somewhat, I find the best route to the pocket - for me usually from the outside. Then I might shoot a few spares. I'll get my spare ball out and throw a few at the 6/10 pin regardless of whether they are standing or not. That is my routine.

[Tampabaybob]

I'm in agreement with several of you. First Rob, yeah those 1st couple of shot's definitely hurt. After my body says "Ok I remember the drill" her's what I do. My 1st shot with my "starter ball" is always at my comfort/usual zone. I'll then shoot a shot 2 boards left of target and the next two boards right of target. What I'm doing here is what I call "bracketing my shot". That is, so I have a rough idea of how much area I have off of my normal starting position. If time permits, I'll throw my evil siege and shoot an inside line to see how heavy the oil is inside, incase I need to go that route. Shooting on a 5 man team league doesn't usually give you a whole lot of practice but you do need to make every one count.
As far as shooting ten pins or seven pin shots, your wasting your practice time. If you're that uncomfortable and unsure how to make a corner pin, then you need more practice. Everyone needs to have one target, one spot to stand on for that corner pin. Thats it, and you stand there EVERY shot at that pin. Don't need to be practicing it during your league.

[e-tank]

mostly just getting warmed up and figuring out the lane conditions. Sometimes theres heavy carry down, sometimes its dry or one time our secretary messed with us and put down cheetah haha. After that ill practice 10 pins and trying to play deep inside just to see what my ball will do not to mention it seems like everybody plays 5-15 board so having a strike line inside will give me my own oil

[got_a_300]

My approach to the 10 minute practice is I'll shoot at the
10 pin on the first ball and then try to find my strike line
on the second ball.

If I have enough time then I'll try different lines to get to
the pocket and try different balls but usually I'll just use
my benchmark ball first out of the bag to get a read on the
lanes.

Then I'll go from there either I'll shell up or shell down as
it just depends on what ball reaction I see out of the first
few shots with my benchmark ball.