Reply With QuoteWow is the combo of the new ball and wrist brace going to allow Aslan to develop at least some inside game. Stay tuned.
Let's get back to posting scores before Iceman drives everyone crazy…
Monday Practice: low oil synthetics
457 Series: 170-139-148
Struggled getting used to the new wrist brace and the lanes seemed drier than usual. Had to make a ball change to the Rhythm in Game 2 and then to the new Bullet Train in Game 3. Lots of changes in a short amount of time while trying to figure out the wrist brace.
494 Series: 194-124-176
Six strikes in Game 4. Then switched to the less aggressive Encounter and tried to play a little more aggressive of a line. But the Encounter was all over the map. A lot harder to control with the added revs the wrist brace was putting out.
453 Series: 151-126-176
In Game 9 I switched to the Bullet Train.
147 Game
Used the Slingshot in the final game because the Bullet Train was just too strong.
PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.10 pins
Strikes: 28% (3 turkeys, 6 doubles and 13 singles)
Spares: 46% picked up
Single Pin spares: 63% (14/22)
Most common single-pin leaves: 6-pin and 10-pin (5x each).
Never left a single 1-pin.
Multiple Pin spares: 39% (20/51)
Most common multi-pin spare leaves: 1-3-6 and 6-10 (7x each).
Splits: 0% (0/8)
Average over 10 games: 155.10.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 162.90.
Virtually no difference from last week's stats. Just a minor drop in spare shooting.
This was a tough practice! The wrist brace is amazingly effective at getting the hand in the right position and increasing revs. Even my plastic spare ball was hooking a bit. Also adding to that issue was the lanes seemed to be drier than usual. I think they didn't oil all the way down before leagues and I was playing on lanes that hadn't been oiled in some time.
Got to try out the new Bullet Train. It was supposed to be a replacement for the Frantic with similar stats and overstock…but it seems way more aggressive. The guy in the pro shop said the same thing, that even though the Frantic and Bullet Train are both Hybrids…not every hybrid is the same and the Bullet Train would not only out hook the Frantic…but probably the rest of my arsenal as well…even the Encounters which have stronger, asymmetric cores.
Spare shooting still is a problem. Still missing way, way too many single-pin spares despite hitting my targets. Gonna be the focus, I think, of the lesson on Wednesday. I gotta get this ship righted.
In Bag: (: .) 900 Global Zen Master; (: .) Brunswick Perfect Mindset; (: .) Brunswick Endeavor; (: .) Radical Outer Limits Pearl; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 196; Lifetime Average = 171;
Ball Speed: 14.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 185
Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
Wow is the combo of the new ball and wrist brace going to allow Aslan to develop at least some inside game. Stay tuned.
I am a proud member of Bowlingboards.com bowling forums and ball contest winner
Current arsenal
900 Global Badger Claw - Radical Ridiculous Pearl - Spare Ball Ebonite T Zone
One Gif is worth 1000 words!! LOLOriginally Posted by Amyers
Don't walk on Thin Ice!
Fortunately I can't see said "GIF"s at work. I suppose the one nice thing about our work's Nazi-esque internet security.One Gif is worth 1000 words!! LOL
Well, the brace is in the bag for league play tonight. And the Bullet Train has been pushed to an extreme back-up role until I have more time to figure it out. It only had a 32% strike rate so it wasn't just absolutely hammering the pins. And the aggression might have had something to do with it being new and/or the lanes being drier than usual.
I also got the VISE IT thumb-slugs installed on that ball so part of the reason could also be how effortlessly it comes off my hand.
Just too many variables right now to trust it. I'm gonna go back to the basics for league...try the Slingshot up the 11-board (standing 23) and the aggressively drilled/surfaced Encounter up the 12-board (standing 24) and go from there. I probably still can't play truly inside with fresh oil and without my brace on. Someday though! Someday. Until then, I gotta stick with what I'm used to and that is around 2nd arrow.
I had a good deal of success with the Rhythm further outside (7-8 board) last week but that ball tends to give me more splits...both last week and yesterday in practice. I can counter that by trying to move further inside...but I tend to run out of angle rather quickly...and my other way of combating it is to add loft...which I'm trying to avoid. The advantage the Rhythm gave me last week was an extra board of miss room on either side. Normally I have about ONE board to work with and with the Rhythm up the outside I had about TWO boards on either side where it would still find the pocket. I lose that as I go to the Pearl balls and move in to the middle.
But it's still really early in the season and the team is doing fine without me contributing a great deal...so struggling early is probably not that terrible of a strategy.
It's interesting that the Bullet Train and Frantic are so different when you look at their specs:
Storm Frantic: RG = 2.53, Diff. = 0.45, Hybrid coverstock, 1500 abralon
900Global Bullet Train: RG = 2.539, Diff. = 0.43, Hybrid coverstock, 2500 abralon
I mean, those numbers BY THEMSELVES...point to a Bullet Train that will go slightly longer and flare slightly less...especially with the surface differences. Both have symmetric cores so there should be no impact of a "stronger core".
BUT...when you look at bowlingball.com's "PerfectScale" rating system:
Storm Frantic: 189.5
900Global Bullet Train: 222.8
Thats HUGE!! Thats the EXACT same PerfectScale score as the Storm Zero Gravity (in terms of newer balls)!!! Putting just ahead of the Hammer First Blood and just behind the Radical Reaxx!! So if this preliminary data holds true...it really lends credit to BB.com's PerfectScale system rather than looking at all the individual ball numbers. Purely on PAPER...the Frantic should hook slightly more...but it's not even close based on initial testing and the PerfectScale system.
In Bag: (: .) 900 Global Zen Master; (: .) Brunswick Perfect Mindset; (: .) Brunswick Endeavor; (: .) Radical Outer Limits Pearl; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 196; Lifetime Average = 171;
Ball Speed: 14.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 185
Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
The numbers your looking at only consider the core not the cover stock. The frantic has an old version of the RDS cover stock which is what storm uses on their entry level balls (if you don't count the breeze line). The 900 Global Bullet train has S79 which is one of the strongest cover stocks 900 Global has used. Core numbers are important but cover stock strength still make a big difference.
I am a proud member of Bowlingboards.com bowling forums and ball contest winner
Current arsenal
900 Global Badger Claw - Radical Ridiculous Pearl - Spare Ball Ebonite T Zone
Tuesday League Night: medium-low oil synthetics
542 Seriesq: 211-177-154
Game 1 I started out with a 6-7-10 split and I chopped a 6-10 in the 5th, otherwise clean, including a 5-bagger. Game 2, another 6-7-10 in the 4th and a missed single 10-pin in the 7th...otherwise clean. Game 3 I got not one, but TWO 6-7-10s...which along with a missed 4-7...were my only non-clean frames.
PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.56 pins
Strikes: 38% (1 5-bagger, 1 double, and 6 singles)
Spares: 65% picked up
Single Pin spares: 83% (5/6)
Never left a single 1-pin, 3-pin, 8-pin, nor 9-pin.
Multiple Pin spares: 57% (8/14)
Most common multi-pin leave: 6-7-10 split (4x).
Splits: 0% (0/4)
Average over 3 games: 180.67.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 183.33.
In terms of meeting my goals:
1) 525+ Series; check.
2) Clean Games; nope.
3) > 35% strike rate; check.
4) > 80% single-pin spare pick-up %; check.
5) Team takes 3 or more points each week; check.
SO...statistically speaking it was a GOOD night. I'm disappointed that my score seemed to fall off over the course of the night...but looking at the games, I only had 2-3 open frames per game...4 of them just happened to be the 6-7-10.
Still gotta work on the plastic ball spare shooting...that will be priority #1 at my lesson tonight (if I make it...I have a killer headache and need to have a wisdom tooth removed in an hour so we'll see). Even though I was 83%, I missed a crucial single 10-pin AND I went 2 for 4 on the 4-7s/6-10s. Once the strike rate fell off after game 1, I really can't afford to miss make-able spares.
I used the Encounter (A) (A= more aggressively drilled/surfaced) for all 3 games playing up the 12-13 boards. So the strike rate increased, but splits became an issue. That seems to be the trade-off of using a more aggressively surfaced ball (Rhythm last week, Encounter (A) this week) compared to the Slingshot.
My ability to fly under the radar may come to an end. I went from an average of 148 to a 151 after last week and now am at 157. My sandbagging days are about to come to an end I'm afraid.
In Bag: (: .) 900 Global Zen Master; (: .) Brunswick Perfect Mindset; (: .) Brunswick Endeavor; (: .) Radical Outer Limits Pearl; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 196; Lifetime Average = 171;
Ball Speed: 14.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 185
Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
Wednesday Pre-Lesson Practice: low oil synthetics
198
So I spend the last 5 weeks…the first 3 pretty much stinking up the universe. 16-26% strike rate and 50-57% single-pin spare shooting. Averaged around the low 150s. So I can't wait for my lesson with single-pin spare shooting being at the forefront of my mind.
But, I get there a little early…and throw a practice game. What happens? I go 2 for 2 on multi-pin spares and 3 for 5 on single-pin spares and strike at 36%. And thats with the Slingshot! So, the coach comes over…I explain the struggles…and I didn't miss ONE single-pin spare! For crying out loud!
PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 9.00 pins
Strikes: 36% (2 doubles)
Spares: 71% picked up
Single Pin spares: 60% (3/5)
Never left a single 1-pin, 2-pin, 3-pin, 8-pin, nor 9-pin.
Multiple Pin spares: 100% (2/2)
Most common multi-pin spare leaves: 1-2-8 and 2-4-5 (1x each).
Splits: N/A
Average over 1 game: 198.00.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 211.00.
The practice was interesting. A lot more talking and strategy than the physical stuff. I got a footwork thing to work on but other than that I am going to change my arsenal progression. Rather than start with my benchmark ball and try out a couple lines, I'm gonna start with the earliest hooking ball and work my way to the ball that goes the longest. I'm still going to experiment with different lines in practice too; but now it'll be the exact same line for the two strongest balls…then Line #2, then Line #3.
In Bag: (: .) 900 Global Zen Master; (: .) Brunswick Perfect Mindset; (: .) Brunswick Endeavor; (: .) Radical Outer Limits Pearl; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 196; Lifetime Average = 171;
Ball Speed: 14.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 185
Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
Your not stinking up anything,,, SNAP OUT of IT!! Keep working on that game,, it will happen so says the wizard as long as you THINK POSITIVE!
I could give you a pint of Ice blood, when you come to bowl in the Real Men Bowl on Wood in Small Towns Tournament? A GIFT of GIFTED Blood, in your much younger but polluted, (living in CA), body,,,,,, might just do the trick!! A little gift and lots of knowledge goes a LONG WAY!
Last edited by MICHAEL; 11-06-2014 at 10:18 AM.
Don't walk on Thin Ice!
I have to agree with thinking positive. It is one of the main things I changed recently that has improved my bowling 10 fold. Before when I would throw a bad shot it would radiate for frames basically keeping me frustrated and over thinking every shot. Now when I leave a split or miss my mark instead of getting frustrated I just brush it off and tell myself "You're good! You know you can pick this up (splits I have converted in the past)! Don't think it just do it!" If you have made a shot in the past you know you can do it all you have to do is quit thinking about it being a bad shot and remember this is nothing new you have done it before you can do it again! Any athletes worst enemy is self doubt. Keep practicing and improving!
Ok three weeks away from the Sport League..
We won 4 of 5, 3 of 5, and 4 of 5.
You better hold up your end when you come back next Sunday.
How is that for applying pressure?
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