Reply With QuoteYou have the Gift now
Nice shootin.
You have the Gift now
Good bowling! Interesting how you chose to describe the center as being soooo easy rather than giving yourself the credit you deserve.
Good point and i agree for confidence building. Somewhere between delusional and self deprecating is the balance we need as bowlers to constantly learn and improve.Originally Posted by RobLV1
I don't think Aslan struggles with either of those concepts
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
Yes. I watched a few shots....where I released them and immediately thought "oh no...that was bad...missed by 1-3 boards inside...that's gonna be ugly..." And guess what happened...the ball just slid down the lane...didn't move...hit a bit too close to the headpin for my liking...but struck. That's when I thought, "Hmm...suddenly Iceman's 300-games are starting to make more sense!"
Yes Rob. I know it sounds like I'm being unnecessarily tough on myself. But I average 207 in this league. I think I average 176 in the other league. The last 4 seasons in my old house...160s to 170s. BOTH times I bowled in a sport shot league...149 both times. Part of being "realistic" in bowling is understanding that you are not as good as you think you are. FAR too many bowlers watch the PBA and think, "tshhh...I rolled a 267 once...I could beat Pete Weber." And we KNOW that isn't true. We KNOW that PDW is bowling on conditions most bowlers never experience. Those of us that have bowled sport shots and tournaments KNOW...there are easy houses...easy THS shots...and there are patterns that are absolutely brutal. I am HAPPY that I bowled well. I'm happy that I'm on track to maybe be in the top 10-20% of a very large league with some very good bowlers.
BUT....BUT...I absolutely will NOT be happy with myself so long as I can't break a 180 average in my Monday league on what I would say is an average difficulty house shot. I will not be one of "those bowlers" that averages 200 on an easy house shot and goes out and gets their PBA card. Someday. But not today. I still need a TON of work before I start competing with VDub for top bowler on the site. I fell off FAR too many shots. I'm still learning how to slide. I still don't really know my arsenal and when to make the proper moves/changes. I still occasionally lose focus. My swing arm still tends to 'bend' too soon on some shots. I mean, I could go on and on...
I just saw a flyer for a tournament at South Point this weekend...I think $125 entry...thousands of $$ in prize money. I didn't even give it a CONSIDERATION. Because I know (and you know)...if I showed up in Vegas...against the caliber of bowlers that reside in Vegas year round..on REAL conditions...I'd get SMOKED.
Am I sure? No. But let me put it to you this way. This league swept at Gold Coast. The big money winner was a girl on my current team that averages about 109. All the "BIG GUNS" in our league...with their inflated averages...couldn't even beat a 110 average girl. Why? Because they got used to the easiest house shot in Orange County...and the girl's shot didn't rely on the pattern.
The bottom line is my high sanctioned game is a 256...and my high sanctioned series is a 689. And that hasn't changed. I need those to move higher before I get too in love with myself. And I need to start making better shots on Mondays...and prove to myself that I CAN compete on tougher conditions.
I think Mark Baker summed it up during my last lesson when I made a really good shot, good balance at the line, etc...
MB: "Howd that feel?"
ME: "I felt like Parker Bohn at the end of the shot."
MB: "Well, lets not get ahead of ourselves."
Is it possible to be both delusional AND self deprecating???
I agree by the way...what I really need is to start taking Lithium because Monday I was ready to throw my bowling balls away...then yesterday I was on cloud 9. It's like being manic depressive.
Last edited by Aslan; 10-15-2015 at 06:51 PM.
In Bag: (: .) Zen Master Solid; (: .) Perfect Mindset; (: .) Brunswick Endeavor; (: .) Outer Limits Pearl; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 192; Lifetime Average = 172;
Ball Speed: 14.7mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 198
Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
mudpuppy cliff notes: In your case yes
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
CA State Singles Championship: USBC White Pattern
Lanes 11 & 12: 172-203-149
Game 1 only two open frames; but couldn't get a good line to the pocket. Didn't find a good line to the pocket until the 8th frame of Game 2 but finished strong. 4 opens in Game 3 pretty much killed my tournament hopes.
Lanes 9 & 10: 189-181-180
Switched lanes and switched to the Dark Encounter. Was feeling better once the lanes were drying up a little. Had a clean game going until the 10th when I missed a single 10-pin. Game 2 was more striking and more miserable spare shooting. Game 3 was clean through 6 before my thumb got stuck causing a bad shot in the 7th, then a split, then another missed single-pin in the 9th.
Pinpal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.99 pins
Strikes: 41% (1 4-bagger, 1 turkey, 4 doubles and 13 singles)
Spares: 52% picked up
Single Pin spares: 47% (8/17)
Most common single-pin leaves: 10-pin (5x).
Never left a single 1-pin, 2-pin, nor 3-pin.
Multiple Pin spares: 57% (11/19)
Most common multi-pin spare leaves: 4-7, 6-10, and 4-9 split (2x each).
Splits: 0% (0/3)
Average over 3 games: 179.00.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 194.67.
"Spare shooting won't win you tournaments; but it will cost you tournaments."- Chris Barnes
Not sure what happened. I think I totally psyched myself out. I knew the pattern would play tougher so I tried to go out to the 6-board and play up and in. But the shot just wasn't there. I tried for the first 5 frames to work on some footwork issues I had just dealt with at my lesson yesterday. That was probably a mistake. And then I moved to far outside...too afraid to trust my skill/equipment on a tougher pattern. Then I started missing spares...and I couldn't stop. I didn't just "miss"...I missed horribly.
My strength is usually spare shooting. Even on a bad night I'm usually 70%+ on single pins. I can't strike enough to be a bad spare shooter. I finished 2nd in a couple brackets...so the whole tournament probably cost $56 + $20 in gas after the winnings. THIS is why I don't get too excited about my scores on Wednesdays.
As much as I hate it...bowling has become a sport where success can be manipulated. It would be like basketball allowing different size hoops or football teams deciding how long they want their fields to be. Why stop at manipulating patterns...how bout 50ft lanes or 70ft lanes?? Or balls that explode upon impacting the 5-pin?
And the pattern wasn't that hard. I averaged 179 on it and I average 179 on my Monday THS. Obviously today's STORY was the absolutely pathetic spare shooting display. I could have signed up to re-bowl tomorrow and maybe the spare shooting recovers...maybe I do better. But there was no point. The calibre of competition there was far more than what I can handle. I think there were different divisions so I don't know for sure...but the scores were amazingly high. Two 300-games, One guy (at least) was pretty darn close to an 800 series. I bet 85% of the male bowlers there had at least 1-3 300-games to their credit.
Looks like I need to shoot some corner pins. Granted...I'll have to adjust because practice is likely to be on particle board (dry) so my plastic ball will hook a couple boards...but...47%...embarrassing!!
In Bag: (: .) Zen Master Solid; (: .) Perfect Mindset; (: .) Brunswick Endeavor; (: .) Outer Limits Pearl; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 192; Lifetime Average = 172;
Ball Speed: 14.7mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 198
Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
Not bad shooting on the bit tougher white pattern.
As I mentioned on another thread recently, I wouldn't incorporate any changes to your game other than in practice. Certainly wouldn't do in a tournament and very rarely in league setting.
Don't get down on yourself too much though, the white pattern was tough even for ICEMAN!!!
Your quote bat spare shooting is absolutely true. Has been said couple different ways but all lead to same thing. Conversions are the life blood of good bowling.
High Sanctioned Scratch Game - 300(12) Hi Sanctioned Scratch Series - 822(3)
2016/17 Book Average=221, 2017/18 Composite Average=223
Equipment in the bag - Storm Crux Prime, Storm Physix, Roto Grip Idol, Roto Grip Idol Pearl, Roto Grip Hyper Cell Fused, Storm Sure Lock, Storm Drive, Roto Grip Winner Solid, Roto Grip Haywire, Storm Fever Pitch, Roto Grip Red ball spare.
Rev Rate 400. Speed 18 at heads, 16.5-17 at pins. Axis tilt 10, Axis Rotation 55. PAP 5 5/8 x 5/8 up
You shot 772 on it including a 300-game. Correct?
And even Iceman shot a 598. What did I shoot? 550?
So yeah, I appreciate the positive reinforcement, but I suck.
It's okay. I'm gonna put in some extra practice this week. The lessons with Mark Baker have been informative and I just think I have a lot of things to get tightened up before swimming with the sharks. I tried the abta last year and same thing. I need to be more patient.
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