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

[Aslan]

Monday Practice: (wood lanes, low oil)

506 Series: 155-180-171
Very close to clean games. Wasn't striking very much though.

464 Series: 175-113-176
Started striking a little more, but couldn't seem to run many together before getting a split or some goofy open frame. I tried playing inside in game 2 but even on low oil/wood lanes I can't get the Frantic to come back to the pocket. So I moved back to the right side and started playing the 9-10 target/board.

537 Series: 212-168-157
First game started off with a 5-bagger. Was able to keep the games "mostly" clean

I wanted to finish with another series…but I had ran 6 miles earlier in the day and was just exhausted and my back was killing me so I took a game off and let my daughter bowl as I did a little coaching. Then I bowled one more game to finish the 12. 161 the first game, 147 in the final game.

The good news is…two series over 500…and 10 of 11 games over my average. 6 of the 11 games were over my league average there. The bad news…not striking much. I was doing well picking up splits for the most part…but if I'm gonna average 190, I can't keep getting 2 strikes per game. And the 113 game was a stark reminder that I'm not quite ready for tournaments just yet.

Struggled quite a bit late leaving the 1-2-4. An easy spare to pick up, but never good to leave the headpin. And it seemed like I'd miss right…then over-correct and pull the ball. In the latter series, I had a few frames where I was pulling it big time and hitting the 4-7.

[Aslan]

Got bored and decided to go to the alley with the child and bowl a little. Glad I did!

4-Game Series of 773: 195 (clean)-220-209-149

The first 3 games were the best 3 consecutive games I ever threw in my life!! 195 clean and then a 220 game (2nd or 3rd highest of my life) that started off with a 5-bagger. In the 3rd game I was a 4-6 split away from another clean game. Then the lights went out in favor of cosmic bowling so I lost some of my vision and finished with a 4th game of 149. Lots of tough spares with sleepers/splits.

The lanes were VERY dry as is usually the case after a holiday shutdown. And I tend to do better and better as the lanes dry up.

My spare shooting was excellent. In the clean game, only a few strikes so it was all done the hard way. I only missed one single pin spare and that was a 7-pin where I shoulda threw it straight because it caught the lane earlier than I thought and missed left into the gutter.

[Aslan]

Pre-League Practice:

495 Series: 235 (clean)-115-145
Game 1 was the best game of my life…11 pins over my previous high game. But then things started falling apart. Started getting a bunch of splits. Barely salvage a 115. Had a similarly bad game in game 3 but finished with strikes in the 9th and 10th to salvage a 145.

Friday League Night (wood lanes)
479 Series: 150-160-169
Had high hopes after a few weeks off and after bowling a 235-game that I might put on a show on league night…but no luck. Spare shooting was only about 50%. Seemed to do well on one side, but struggled on the other so I couldn't run many strikes together.

[Aslan]

Monday Practice (wood lanes, low-moderate oil)

475 Series: 154-162-159
Got off to a rough start. Was pulling it for some reason. And the lanes seemed slicker than usual…so missing right didn't work as well as usual.

498 Series: 179-136-183
Better, but a horrible 2nd game with a few splits and bad spare shooting.

510 Series: 181-187-142
Again, better…but there's always that ONE game that ruins the series!

570 Series: 188-201-181
Started figuring out what I needed to do. Stayed focused on my target and avoided the urge to look up at the pins. And played a more direct line approach at the spares.

Game 13: 149
The center made an error and gave me an extra game….so I took advantage! But, after 12 games, I was beat. Got a few splits, a couple missed spares…but strung a few strikes together at the end.

The good news is….brought my lifetime average up another point. AND…a couple 500+ series which is at least showing "some" progress. And with the exception of a few that I pulled and one that I lost in the gutter to the right…I was hammering the headpin. The bad news is…just can't seem to strike. I mean, some games I could…some frames I could…but I just couldn't consistently strike. And that puts a lot of pressure on my ability to keep from splitting and pick up spares.

Oh well…hopefully this'll be enough to help me out come leagues on Friday.

[Aslan]

Friday Night Pre-League Practice:

555 Series: 176-147-232
Bowled my 2nd highest game ever in game #3.

Friday League Night (wood lanes/moderate oil)

519 Series: 171-169-179
Bowled above my league average and helped my team, so thats all that really matters. But I was a bit disappointed that I didn't bowl any clean games nor did I hit my target of 525+. Barely missed it. Actually in the last game I was hoping for a 206. Would have given me my 2nd best ever series. Seemed to be around the headpin all night. But a lot of 6-10 leaves or 4-7 leaves. Was doing pretty well with spares…probably over 60% if not higher. Also was very fortunate to be bowling on a THS pattern. More than a few times I missed right but still got a strike or at least hit the headpin. That will not be the case on tougher patterns for sure.

[Aslan]

Monday Practice: wood lanes/low-moderate oil:

511 Series: 178-156-177
Pretty good. I was trying to work on some things I learned at the clinic on Saturday…keeping my head straight up and down rather than tilting it to the side.

650 Series: 214-222-214 (clean)
The first two games I was one frame away from a clean game. In the 3rd game I converted a 5-7 split and a baby (4-10) split to keep the game clean. Only a 214, but I was very proud of it. And the combined series score is the highest I've ever thrown. Tried to focus on my balance arm, release, and form.

493 Series: 198-123-172
Took a break for 20-25 minutes after the first 6 games. Came back and did "okay", but for some reason things fell apart in game 2. Kept leaving 7 / and 6 /. And started having trouble picking up spares, especially single 10-pins which I was leaving a lot of. Was trying to move outside and play the 6-board…but it wasn't happening. I get too nervous that close to the gutter….so I tried to move inside and play 14 board…but the ball didn't seem strong enough to make the turn.

548 Series: 187-180-181
Went back to playing around the 9-board. Was trying to start out 3 boards left of center, but again, the ball didn't seem to be making the turn as I hoped. So I stayed around center or 1-2 boards left of center. But it was tough to strike. I was hitting the headpin…but sometimes a pocket hit, sometimes hitting dead center, and sometimes hitting brooklyn. Was constantly playing with speeds and releases trying to find something optimal.

I'm definitely getting better. Games in the 170-225 range rather than 145-195 range. The trick is transferring it to league play.

My coach told me from now on, NOT to roll 12 games. He said 3 games and make them count…that way league night won't be so different than when I practice. I guess his hypothesis is that I'm more relaxed in practice because I know if I mess up, I still have multiple games to play. Hate to give up my practice time. But, it's an interesting idea and I yield to his experience.

Overall good day of practice though.

[Aslan]

Friday League: sanctioned/wood lanes/moderate-low oil

537 Series: 183-182-172
Overall good night.

Positives:
- I hit my target of 525+ that I set for myself each series. Which meant I was over a 175 game average (which is the average "good" bowler nowadays).
- I hit my 2nd highest series (this season) total in that league.
- Bowled all 3 games above my league (and lifetime) average(s).
- Finally starting to see more series over 499!

Negatives:
- Missed my highest series in that league by 8 pins.
- 0 clean games.
- one atrocious shot where I ended up with a 1 /. Fortunately it was after an open so I was AS mad.
- Never felt comfortable all night.
- WAY too many misses of makable spares. Probably only 30% on single 10-pins and I leave too many of those to be that bad.
- In the last 2 games…scores woulda been WAY worse had I not went on a short run of strikes early and finished strong.
- Didn't get above 550 much less anywhere in the 600s.

Started my approach (left foot) on boards 19-22. Target stayed constant all night as board 8. Early on I had to move right and start around 18-20 because the ball just wasn't hooking at the speed I was throwing it. In game 3 I slowed it down and moved back to the 19-23 area where I started. Most of the bowlers were playing much further inside around the target board of 13-14 so I really ended up not needing to move much off of targeting the 8-board. I like that target (it's my "A-game") because on those lanes a miss right will usually come back and a miss left still hits the headpin.

First game I did very well. Had two splits and picked up one. That other one was my only open.

Second game I started off with 2-3 strikes and then had some troubles. A couple make-able spares that were missed and a split…had I not finished with strikes in the 8th, 9th, and 2 in the 10th…it would have been a real downer.

Third game the booze was working against me. I also changed speeds because I just wasn't getting the reaction on the back-end so I tried slowing things down a bit…starting my approach about 2 boards right to play the extreme high track. Started off with a couple strikes, go one somewhere along the line and finished with a strike in the 9th and 2 in the 10th. But outside a couple spares…it was horrible.

[Aslan]

Monday Practice: wood lanes/moderate oil

450 Series: 146-150-154
Could NOT get any ball reaction. The lanes weren't just oiled (as far as I know) and I've never gotten such little reaction on these lanes. Really, really frustrating!!

456 Series: 163-127-166
Kept moving left...from about the 8 board to the 11-board but STILL just not getting enough reaction to bring the ball back. And of course, Rob M...like that little green alien in the Flintstone cartoon...the whole time I'm hearing, "You can't out bowl a bad ball reaction". So I'm almost arguing with myself outloud, "Yes...I CAN out bowl a bad ball reaction...so can it Gazoo!!"

516 Series: 191-159-166
Started off with one of my better games. A clean game where I needed to convert a 3-7 baby split and then in the 10th needed to convert a 2-10 split to preserve the clean game. But as happy as that made me...STILL struggling to knock down all 10 pins. By this point I had moved my target to about board 14 and was just sending it almost straight down the lane...virtually NO ball reaction even near the end of the lane.

486 Series: 168-164-154
I decided to finally give in to Rob's advice...not on changing balls or outbowling a bad ball reaction...but on playing your A, B, and C games. My "A-game" (or critics would argue lack there of) was NOT working. My "A-game" is to play boards 8-11...and I was now outside of that. So I changed to my "B-game" and played the far outside track aiming at board 6. Slow ball up the far right where there is less oil, and just let the ball do the work and come back in. Problem? It was going left of the headpin. I moved out to the 5-board and ultimately the 4-board...but I simply don't have the accuracy to play inside the 5-board. If I don't get those shoulds exactly square...it goes into the gutter. No "room to play with" playing that far outside. After the 168 and 164 I tried to go briefly to my "C-game" of playing inside...but again, the ball reaction just wasn't there and it was sailing way right. So I finished again trying to go back to my "A-game" but with no success.

Was very disappointed and annoyed. After last week, I thought I had maybe taken a big step forward...and then I go out there and am completely lost. I had one great game, I bowled above my average, and I raised my lifetime average by a pin...but those things are only "slight" consolation prizes given that I just couldn't get comfortable out there. Picked up more than half my spares...and shot a LOT...a LOT of spares!! But I still had trouble with the 10-pin and the 6-10. With me playing the spare game with reactive resin...it's alot more based on "feel". I rely on a certain amount...ever so slight...of reaction to the lane. And I wasn't getting it. So then I have to target more inside...and it takes some time to develop a new path like that.

Just overall crap. And my concentration was off...I'd just go up there and throw and forget all the things I was trying to work on. I wanted to focus on keeping my head straight...but was throwing too crappy to even know if my head was straight or not. And add to that, the lanes were crowded and I had idiots to the left and right just being downright fools. Bad day of practice...and now I'm scared to see whats gonna happen at league play on Friday. : (

[Aslan]

Friday League: wood lanes/low-moderate oil

548 Series: 153-213-182

First game I had a little trouble. Picked up a little over half my spares, but wasn't striking.

Second game I had a split in the 2nd and open in the 3rd and was clean the rest of the way. Must have struck about 7 times. I was just on FIRE!

Third game, started off with 2 strikes, then a spare. Still was doing quite well but I missed 2-3 very make-able spares…had a split…and pretty soon I was at 182.

Obviously I was overall happy with the night. My best series thus far in the league. Helped our team to take 3 out of 4 points. But I could have had a really special night if could just pick up very make-able spares. We're talking single 10-pins, single 2-pins, 4-7, etc… Normally I can't strike but can make most spares. Tonight was the opposite.

[Aslan]

Tuesday Practice: Wood Lanes/low-moderate oil

453 Series: 188-134-131
Was trying to play a "little" inside but just couldn't get in my groove. Started out aiming at the 8-board and by the end of the series was aiming more at the 10-board. After game 1, the lights went out for cosmic bowling…so that made things more challenging. Games 2 and 3 were just disasters. A lot of 8/-. Trouble with splits, trouble picking up spares…just miserable.

496 Series: 176-173-147
I started moving outside. Boards 8, then 7, then 6. In the first 2 games I was feeling pretty comfortable…both times I missed a clean game by 2 frames. Did pretty well in all 3 games picking up spares, but in game 3 couldn't seem to strike as much as the first 2 games.

580 Series: 222 (clean)-164-194
Moved away from board 6…too close to the gutter and was making me nervous. So I stayed outside playing boards 7 and 8. First game was great; 6 strikes with a turkey in 7,8,9. A few frames shy of a clean game in game 2. 6 strikes in game 3 and a 2-4-5-10 split pick-up to boot. But I missed a single 10-pin in the 2nd frame and then opened in the 10th to put a damper on things.

Used PINPAL APP for the first time and therefore got some interesting statistics:

First Ball Average: 8.53 pins
Strikes: 35% (but only 1 turkey and 3 doubles, the rest single)
Spares: 57% picked up

Single Pin spares: 83% (15/18)
Most common single pin leaves: 4, 5, 6, 10.
Never left a single 2, 7, or 8.

Multiple Pin spares: 46% (20/43)
Most common multi-pin leave: 2-4-5 (5 times)

Splits: 28% (2/7)
Made a 5-6 baby split. Made a 2-4-5-10.

Average over 9 games: 169.89
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 173.56