Aslan's Scores (of the non-lady kind)

[Aslan]

Another good night of practicing. I usually don't practice 2 days in a row, but I had 2.5 hours to kill between work and dance lessons AND it's Mondays so it's $2 games at my usual alley (which is near where the dance lessons are)...so it was a no brainer!!

443 Series: 149-168-126
First two games were pretty good, but then I had trouble with spares in the 3rd game.

474 Series: 179-124-171
The two 170 games were VERY exciting because in one, I had a clean game through 6. And in the other, it was only 2 open frames. Thats REALLY good for me. I was getting lucky for sure...getting slow pinfalls on strikes...barely hitting pins and having them barely fall over on spares...but it still counted!! The 124 game screwed the series...missed a TON of spares...hard time striking.

428 Series: 122-125-181
Started to struggle with this series. Figured my body was just trying to tell me to quit for the night. But I knew I was on the "verge" os "something". Then...it happened!! I figured it out. I realized why I've been struggling...suddenly the game made sense. Started with a strike then a spare...then a couple open frames...then 3 strikes...a couple spares...the a strike in the 10th. I think I only got 6 pins to finish it out...but still.

The point is...I figured it out. I know what I was doing wrong. And it all makes sense now...it makes sense why I'd score better when I'd get mad and just say "screw it". It wasn't my aim or my speed or my release. It was far simpler. Balance and my overall swing motion. All I had to do was extend my balance arm...and my scores jumped up!! And it wasn't about "firing" the ball at the pins...it was the motion of "firing" my arm upwards. Suddenly the release and follow-through were just happening naturally...and the ball was hooking more and it was repeatable because I was "balanced".

Kinda upset that I missed out on a couple clean games by 2-3 frames. And it woulda been nice to get at least ONE 525+ series...but I'm happy. Yes...it's wood lanes...so I can't expect as good of results at leagues on Thursday...so I'll temper my expectations. But now that I got my swing back...I just need to make a small backswing adjustment...if that doesn't work, maybe move up a little or tweak my approach...but I think I "got it".

[Aslan]

Got to league early.

388 Series: 157-115-116
Didn't go well, but I figured I just needed to find my mark.

411 Series: 154-149-108
Felt good, but not "great". Then I dropped a 108...and was not happy...but figured I'd have a few drinks and once league started I'd get my **** together.

319 Series: 116-100-103
Disaster. League bowling...fortunately the rest of my team was great for a second straight week...because I stunk it up BIG TIME. NOTHING worked. The ball went straight as an arrow. Barely a "flare" at the end. Had to move my feet right 2-4 boards and my target in 5-6 boards just to hit the pocket. No hook...nothing. I tried slowing the ball down...tried moving closer to the foul line...even finally gave up and tried the high loft approach my coach was working on with me. Nothing worked. A complete embarrassment. I thought I'd try a deeper knee bend, but after 7 games, my left knee was shot so trying to get a big time knee bend wasn't gonna work.

361 Series: 122-102-137
Couldn't end the night on a 103...even though my knee hurt and my thumb was starting to swell. Tried releasing the ball closer to the foul line, but that didn't really work.

Looks like I'm back to square 1. I can't figure out if my style is right or the coach's style is right. I can't tell if the ball has lost all reactivity or if I've somehow flattened out my release. On wood lanes, throwing >17mph...high backswing, longer approach, slightly lower knee bend, standing about board 30, aiming at board 10...I seem to do fine. 140s-180s. Then I go on synthetics...and I'm bowling 100s-150s. I have to lower my backswing, shorten my approach, I'm standing near board 20 and I have to aim closer to board 15.

Oh well. Not sure where to go from here. A very disappointing night.

[vdubtx]

Aslan,(see I got it right this time)

Seems to me you are just over thinking your bowling. Believe me, I was at the point you are at one time too. Of course everyone wants to do well, but having so many thoughts and tweaks in mind in your head at one time is only detrimental. During your practice, don't worry so much about score as working on 1-3 things in your game at a time. First, get your approach consistent. Then, get your delivery consistent, then get your target shooting consistent. Seems that the delivery and targeting are both off if you are missing targets and in the end spares.

Using what you seem to know in small dibs and drabs can go a long way to improving your game. It's all about consistency.

Just my $.02.

[Aslan]

Seems that the delivery and targeting are both off if you are missing targets and in the end spares.
.

Yeah, it's definitely not "all ball/equipment". The advantage of today's equipment is that out of the box, you can throw right and miss...but the ball hooks back into the pocket. You don't need to be precise. But now that it's essentially a straight ball...suddenly I have to approach consistently and hit my ONE board....no room for error. And even if I DO hit my mark...when you're going in straight, like the old days, it's highly unlikely even if you hit the pocket that you're gonna strike every time. It becomes a spare game and trying to avoid splits.

But you're right...something is "off". When you're throwing and it's going across the lane and hitting the 4-7...thats not ball or lane conditions. Thats getting frustrated with the lack of hook and "pulling" the ball across my body. Same thing with my ULTRA FRUSTRATING tendency to release my thumb to early (usually due to powder causing it to slip out) and the ball goes straight in the right gutter. It's not "ball" or "lane conditions"...it's by release being bad.

So I have to fix whatever in my delivery is wrong. No doubt. But the other 20%...is I HAVE to find a ball that can hook a little. Maybe not now...now I need to work on delivery and picking up spares. But in today's game...you can't throw straight at the headpin and win. My ball hook was SO BAD....SO BAD...that my teammate in the 3rd game asked if it was a plastic ball. I almost considered throwing my conventional grip urethane just because I can control it better and what the hell...if I'm gonna throw straight...I don't need to throw fingertip/reactive resin. And I HAVE TO learn how to throw on synthetic lanes. It sounds like a BS excuse...but when I throw on wood lanes...which I do 65% of the time...we're talking a NOTICEABLE difference. I could do a t-test to see if the difference is significant...but I'm telling you...it's noticeable.

And thats what has hindered me taking another lesson. I bowl on synthetics, disaster, decide to go take a lesson. Then I bowl on wood lanes and throw a 165-169-184 and am hitting my spares...getting some movement on the backend...and I figure, "maybe I don't need the lesson". And my "lesson situation" is complicated...because my current "coach" is kinda unorthadox...and his teachings/style don't really match with me. So either I gotta drastically change my game and try to do things the way he teaches...or I gotta find a new guy to take lessons from...and the current guy gives me lessons for between $0-$20 for an hour and a half. I've seen other coaches charging more in the range of $50-$200/hour for private lessons.

Gonna roll tonight (hopefully). Was supposed to join my first (serious) league that starts tonight....wood lanes. Sanctioned, sweeps in Vegas, the whole 9 yards. But...the damn alley hasn't called me back after my last 2-3 messages...sooooo...I'm kinda in limbo. But I'll tell ya this...they don't call me back and get me in a league tonight...it'll be my last attempt to join a league there. I still might practice there or open bowl if the prices are decent on a given day...but I'll take my league business elsewhere. Also gonna roll on Saturday morning in Bunny's group lesson thing. If for no other reason than it's cheap practice time. See how the next two days go and then re-assess.

[vdubtx]

The advantage of today's equipment is that out of the box, you can throw right and miss...but the ball hooks back into the pocket. You don't need to be precise.

If it were that simple I would be bowling a 300 every night just tossing my ball out on the lanes. Fact is, you are just plain wrong about that statement. Adjustments need to be made no matter what ball you throw as the night progresses. Adjust right/left, forward/back, more hand/less hand etc. too many factors that can go into the game.

So many factors come into play when bowling at a higher level that until you learn the fundamentals and get consistent with those fundamentals, you are just shooting yourself in the foot when trying to incorporate some or too many adjustments into the game.

[Aslan]

If it were that simple I would be bowling a 300 every night just tossing my ball out on the lanes. Fact is, you are just plain wrong about that statement. Adjustments need to be made no matter what ball you throw as the night progresses. Adjust right/left, forward/back, more hand/less hand etc. too many factors that can go into the game.

It was said in a larger context. What I was saying was...if you throw a ball with a big hook...and you get that hook (which is usually greater out of the box and diminishes over time)...you have greater pin carry and greater room for error. I didn't say you didn't need to adjust. I didn't say you could just throw it blindfolded and it would knock all the pins down. I said that if you throw a straight ball, your room for error diminishes. You're not getting the same pin angle and pin carry. Thats why balls hooking is a good thing and we don't just throw plastic house balls leaving our wrists flat. I guess I didn't explain it right.

The bottom line is, whatever is going on...release, ball, lane, approach, follow-through, shoulder angle, etc... I need to find a way to make the ball go right and then come back left into the head pin. It's a fairly simple concept. Unfortunately...I'm doing (or not doing) something right...and it's making a simple concept more difficult.

[Aslan]

First night of Sanctioned League tonight.

And I bowled the best series I've ever bowled in my life. Not great for setting your average!!!

545 Series: 181-183-181

To put this in perspective...YESTERDAY...in the Thursday FUN LEAGUE....I bowled a 319 Series. In THAT LEAGUE...my average is 114. In this league...a sanctioned league...my average is 182. Don't bother checking Iceman...I don't get my USBC # until next week...so I'm just as excited to see it on there as I'm sure you are.

Now...this is where I HAVE TO think...I HAVE TO think that my problems are related to lane conditions. I simply am having a MONUMENTAL problem switching from wood to synthetics. As you can see in my signature...my lifetime average is just over 130. On wood lanes, I bowl in the 120-190 range. I have ball reaction on the back end...and a ball speed of over 17mph. On synthetics...after 3 weeks my league average is 114. My ball doesn't move...it's a straight ball. I have to shorten my backswing, my approach, lessen my speed, and I end up just lofting it 20ft hoping I can get a strike or at least a decent shot at a spare.

It has to be the lanes. On these wooden lanes...if I miss right...it'll hook back. If my release is a little off...it'll still hit the pocket. I have a 4-6 board cushion. But on synthetics...if I miss my board...even one board...or if my release is off my just a little...I'm toast. If I force it to hook...I top the ball and it crosses in front of the headpin and hits the 4-pin. If I throw it too flat, not enough hand rotation...it hits right into the 3-pin.

So...on the negative side...I can't figure out synthetics...and nearly every alley is synthetics. Also, I now have an average 51 pins higher than my lifetime average. So for the next 23 weeks...I'm not gonna be much help to my team.

On the PLUS side...I just bowled a 545. Thats my BEST SERIES EVER. I threw 3 straight games over 180. And that last game could have EASILY been a 201 had I not got my thumb stuck in the ball in the 8th frame. Ended up with a - / after a spare in the 7th. That mistake alone was 20 pins.

This is gonna be a tough league. I don't know if my 545 series was the best tonight. Easily top 5. But I saw games of 214 and 246 so I don't think I'm league leader by any means. And a lot of the better teams were at Sweeps in Laughlin tonight...so even stiffer competition next week.

[vdubtx]

Congrats on your series, very nice improvement from the prior night.

Regarding your usbc number, it won't show anything until end of the season when your final average is reported.

[Aslan]

Congrats on your series, very nice improvement from the prior night.

Regarding your usbc number, it won't show anything until end of the season when your final average is reported.

Thanks! Even though it was wood lanes...it felt SO good to be out there in a real, sanctioned league with some fairly serious and high average bowlers and not only not embarrass myself...but put up numbers that turned a few heads. I'm sure at least a few of them were like, "Dang...who's the guy in the gold shirt...he's killin it."

But yeah...I have to "temper my enthusiasm" because my usual series on those lanes is more around a 445 so even though I now know I'm "capable" of more...and my goal is to carry a 190 average by the end of the season...I can't get too disappointed if next week I roll a 411 series.

Dang...I wanted to see me on Iceman's "official website" and now he's gonna call me a fibber all season!! Bummer.

[Aslan]

Went to the instructional clinic that Bunny told me about so I can try to figure out synthetic lanes. So I bowled a lot of frames, but only 2 complete games since we were bowling on different lanes and not really keeping track.

126-129

The good news is I got some good instruction from some legitimate talent. The downside is, I have to completely tear down my entire approach and release to be effective on synthetics. I just bowled the best series of my life (545) yesterday...and not 24 hours later I'm being told by someone who is knowledgeable enough to know that:

- Push the ball out on approach (don't drop it down as previous coach told you).
- Release the ball lower (don't loft it like the other coach showed you).
- You last coach is a nice guy, but an idiot and doesn't know bowling.
- My ball is essentially crap and I need a new one.

So now, on the plus side, I can still have a decent back swing and longer approach. On the negative side, I can't aim arrows anymore. In order to release that ball so that it's hitting the lane <15ft...I need to aim at the dots at about 6ft out. No more upright stance/high loft/extension. Now it's back to knee bend, getting low, and just kinda "dropping" the ball about 2-4ft from the foul line.

Still have to throw straight. My ball speed is just too high and that ball is just to mild to really hook at all on oily synthetics. I saw a guy using one next to me and his would hook...but he was an old timer barely throwing it and he threw it along the far, far right side of the lane. I'll get 50% gutter balls if I try to hug that 3 board like that.

Actually, the 129 was BEFORE the lesson and the 126 was AFTER the lesson...but I still think the coaches learning points were valid. The trouble is...a straight ball is a straight ball. I can bowl between my legs and it'll go straight. Approach, release...it doesn't matter if you're just throwing a straight ball. I can go back to throwing my 14lb urethane if it's just a straight ball. So...I think a ball change is going to be coming. I'll work on what I learned today, try to get more consistent, make it feel more natural. But if I'm going to do anything but "spare"...I can't throw a straight ball at board 15. Granted, it takes oil patterns out of the equation...but it also leads you vulnerable (times 10) to splits. AND...you have to be a precise spare shooter, which I am not (yet).