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

[J Anderson]

So I've been pretty concerned about you my friend, what with your continuing travails in making adjustments. I had an experience yesterday that I thought I would share with you about making adjustments and how important they are.

I bowled four games at Suncoast with an eighty year old friend of mine who just started bowling a week ago after having a knee replacement last August. Since I remembered where the shot started last week on the same pair of lanes, I knew to lay the ball down on 13 on the left lane and 12 on the right lane, using the Brunswick Fanatic BTU. I got through the first game with a 217 despite changing ball speed as I warmed up. In the second frame of the second game, I left a weak ten on the left lane. I didn't move. Meanwhile, I moved one board left on the right lane as I saw the ball begin to finish a little earlier. In the fourth frame of the second game, I left another weak ten on the left lane. I still didn't move (MISTAKE!). In the sixth frame of the second game, I left the 2-4-5-8 dinner bucket and failed to convert the spare. In the eighth frame, on the left lane, I balled up to the Storm Rocket Ship and moved my lay down point to 14. I left a four pin. I the tenth frame, I moved my feet two boards left and struck out for a 191.

In the third game, I was pretty much lined up for most of the game, shooting 235. In the tenth frame I noticed that the right lane was starting to lose finish, so I changed to the Rocket Ship, playing the same line that I had on the left lane with a good result. At the beginning of the fourth game, I again noticed that the left lane was not finishing the way it had, so I again balled up to the Storm Phase II, moving my lay down point in to seventeen. In the eighth frame, on the left lane, I left a 2-4-5 when the ball refused to finish. Once again, I didn't make an adjustment, and left the 2-4-5-7-8 in the tenth frame, failing to convert, ending up with 188. What I should have done was to realize that I had reached the end of my comfort zone when I moved the lay down point to 17, and balled down in the tenth to buy myself one more frame. Oops!

The moral of the story here is that two missed moves in four games lowered my average from a sure 220+ to 207. This is why it's so important to have an arsenal that includes a wide range of bowling balls in terms of core numbers, particularly the low RG, and to not be afraid to move when you see indications that it is time. It also shows how every move that I made when the ball quit hooking on a particular line was to the left to find more oil, rather than to the right which is the classic intuitive move, if you don't understand that carry down is a thing of the past.

Hope you find my story of some help.

Just curious Rob, why didn't you you make your adjustment sooner? I understand that lanes will transition differently so that you're not going to make a change on the left lane based on an observation on the right, but shouldn't two weak tens in a row on the same lane set off the lane transition warning alarm in your head. Obviously you were observing your ball, you could not have provided the details of this post without doing so. I know my tendency is to disregard poor quality shots. Or was this a case of you being more focused on helping your friend?

[RobLV1]

A combination of being more focused on helping my friend, and a brain fart when I saw the weak tens and didn't think ahead!

[Aslan]

Friday League Night (subbing)
Older Brunswick synthetics: low-moderate oil

571 Series: 201-222-148

Game 1, everyone was basnitchin that it was so dry that they didn't know what to do...but I was carrying just fine...playing 1-2 boards in of where I normally play. Unfortunately, my only two opens were a 4-6-7-9-10 split and a 3-10 baby split.

Game 2, I figured there was an 80% chance I'd have to ball down...OR...move left, near my UNcomfort zone. But, the Reax Pearl kept carrying. Only open was a 4-5 split in the 8th frame.

Then...I lost it. Left a 1-2-4-5 washout that I chopped. Pulled a shot and left a 4-pin. Then, I figured it was probably long overdue for a ball change...especially after the first frame where it wasn't that bad of a shot....seemed like it had NO backend. Missed right and left a 2-4. Left a 10-pin....then another 10-pin...etc, etc... Lost the line, couldn't get it back...even late in the game when I pulled out the Scandal Pearl...just couldn't find my line again.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.88 pins
Strikes: 47% (1 4-bagger, 2 turkeys, 1 double, and 4 singles)
Spares: 55% picked up

Single Pin spares: 71% (5/7)
Most common single-pin leave: 10-pin (3x).
Never left a single 1-pin, 2-pin, 6-pin, 8-pin, nor 9-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 45% (5/11)
Most common multi-pin leaves: 6-10 and 3-10 baby split (2x each)

Splits: 20% (0/5)

Average over 3 games: 190.33.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 193.67.

After reading Rob's story, my first thought was, "That sounds like me...it's not that I don't know how to adjust or what to look for...it's how friggin long it takes to finally figure it out. In his case, he finally got dialed in and it was the 3rd game. Most of the time for me, I have a line that works (probably because the maticulous notes I take)...but once I lose it (which happens faster on the older lanes I usually bowl on)...I lose it. Then, if I'm lucky, I find it again in the 3rd game...or like in this most recent example...I hold onto the line long enough to get two good games...but then game 3 is a disaster.

Not too upset. That league is only in their 3rd week back and I haven't subbed yet...so I was establishing. A good third game may have doomed whichever team asks me to sub next.

[Aslan]

Wednesday League Night: low-medium oil synthetics, older brunswick lanes

633 Series: 234 (clean) - 194 - 205 (clean)

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 9.21 pins
Strikes: 47% (3 turkeys, a double, and 5 singles)
Spares: 81% picked up

Single Pin spares: 75% (9/12)
Most common single-pin leave: 4-pin, 7-pin, and 10-pin (3x each).
Also left a single 5-pin (2x) and single 6-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 100% (4/4)
Most common multi-pin leave: n/a

Splits: n/a

Average over 3 games: 211.00.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 218.33.

Just when I thought I found my 509 ceiling...I get to bowl on the other side of the house, where I tend to bowl better, and almost bust off a clean series.

The Reax Pearl was hitting light in practice, so I started out with the Innovate and used it both of the first two games. A couple bad shots in frames 6 and 7 ruined my shot at finally getting a sanctioned 270+ game.

I lost the clean series on two missed single-pins in frames 1 and 3 of Game 2.

Didn't really feel 'strong' with my spare shooting until Game 3...for some reason. And I really needed to find that confidence in Game 3, when my carry started to wane. I probably switched to the Scandal Pearl too early...then switched back to the Innovate too late...and it wasn't until the 10th that I got dialed in with the Scandal Pearl. Almost a Dutch 200...6 spares and 4 strikes...only double was in the 10th.

Kinda sucks that I bowled that well, with a 176 average, and we can only manage 3 out of 4 points. And, 75% is still a WORLD away from where I need to be on single-pin spare shooting. Other than that, consistency...accuracy...keep working on the form...keep improving the mental game...and I GOTTA run more than 3 strikes together.

[fortheloveofbowling]

Nice bowling with the 633.

[Aslan]

Wednesday League Night: low-medium oil synthetics, older brunswick lanes

493 Series: 161 - 175 - 157

Game 1 I couldn't seem to carry...and my corner-pin spare shooting was VERY rusty.

Switched to the Innovate in Frame 3 of Game 2 and was clean the rest of the way...but only 4 strikes...3 on one lane...still wasn't carrying. My spare shooting seemed to improve once I got some tape in the ball...not bowling in 11 days...the thumb hole was way too big...and I don't use VISE inserts in my spare ball.

In Game 3, I ended up with a 2-4-8-10 split in the 2nd, a chopped 2-4-5-7 in the 3rd, then a 4-6-7-9-10 split in the 4th. Stayed clean the rest of the way...still not much carry and couldn't run any of the strikes together.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.56 pins
Strikes: 35% (1 double, and 10 singles)
Spares: 52% picked up

Single Pin spares: 50% (4/8)
Most common single-pin leave: 10-pin (4x).
Also left a single 2-pin, 4-pin, and 7-pin (2x).

Multiple Pin spares: 53% (7/13)
Most common multi-pin leave: 6-10 (3x)

Splits: 0% (0/2)

Average over 3 games: 164.33.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 178.33.

Just when I thought I broke through my 509 ceiling...I'm right back under the roof.

This was the longest (11 days consecutively) that I've went without bowling; in probably 6-18 months...so I give myself at least a tiny pass on being rusty. I'm just really disappointed...because I was healthy and fresh...felt like I was doing everything well...just couldn't carry at ALL. People were saying it was slicker than usual...maybe it was....maybe it wasn't...but whatever it was...my arsenal was not a good match. I either needed a much weaker ball (like on Tuesdays) or I needed something with some surface on it.

Or, maybe it was that I just got off a flight after four hours of flying...six hours in airports...and just got back home about three hours before league started.

[Aslan]

Saturday Weekly Color-Pin Tournament: Older Brunswick Synthetics/dry

464 Series: 175-149-140

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.25 pins
Strikes: 25% (1 turkey and 5 singles)
Spares: 47% picked up

Single Pin spares: 37% (3/8)
Most common single-pin leave: 10-pin (3x)
Also left a single 2-pin, 3-pin (2x), and 4-pin (2x).

Multiple Pin spares: 53% (8/15)
Most common multi-pin leaves: 6-10 (4x)

Splits: 50% (2/4).

Average over 3 games: 154.67.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 170.67.

And the hits just keep on coming...

Mainly just wanted to break in my new Pyramid bowling shoes!! Bowled a couple warm-up games and bowled a 233 and a 199, both clean. Figured the shoes were at LEAST a non-factor...at BEST seemed to be helping. Then...KaBlammm.

[Aslan]

Tuesday Night League: Fairly new synthetics, low oil to dry THS

488 Series: 149-174-165

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.13 pins
Strikes: 25% (1 double and 6 singles)
Spares: 60% picked up

Single Pin spares: 80% (4/5)
Most common single-pin leave: 2-pin (2x).
Also left a single 5-pin, 6-pin, and 10-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 55% (10/18)
Most common multi-pin leaves: 2-4-5 and 2-4-8 (2x each)

Splits: 25% (1/4)

Average over 3 games: 162.67.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 165.67.

Thought the Track 300A was the answer to these lane conditions...but it just wasn't working. It seemed good in practice...but the line seemed too tight...so I tried to open things up a little...no luck. Line too tight; I end up getting splits. Open the line up and I leave a 2-pin, 2-4-5, and 2-4-8....just couldn't seem to figure things out. : (

[Amyers]

Should I say at least you were consistent? I can't talk I took off a similar break first game back shot 225 then the wheels fell off even though I like you felt like I was throwing it good ended up with a 148 finished off a crappy night with a 184. Id rather have everything messed up and shoot bad than feel good and shoot bad.

[Aslan]

Should I say at least you were consistent?

Actually, I can't even claim that. First day back, felt great, but averaged a 164. Saturday, felt great...put on my new Pyramid bowling shoes...shot a 233 and a 199 in warm-up. So, I felt good...felt solid...then averaged about 154 in the little, nightly tournament. Tuesday, first night back subbing with them since I shot a brilliant 605 series with the new Track300A, I was trying ANYTHING and EVERYTHING...to find the pocket...much less carry. All 3 lines, 2 different speeds, loft, etc... Horrible night...and it wasn't even consistent...because I shot in the 140s in Game 1...managed to settle down a little in Games 2 and 3.

Spare shooting...same thing. 4/8 on single pins Wednesday, then 3/8 Saturday, then Tuesday I go 4/5. Even the strike rate, 25% on two nights, but 35% on the other night.

And I LOOK so good. Not sexually speaking...but I keep getting compliments from teammates and opposing players on my "form" or my "game" or my ball motion. It's getting annoying, just like your issue of feeling good and shooting badly, it's like I'm doing everything right...but there's some tiny miniscule "thing" that is holding me back. Thinking too much...trying to be too precise...trying to make changes based on the last shot...etc... Or maybe it's a form issue...where the form looks good to newbies, drunks, and beginners...but a pro would see seven red flags.

Anyway...

Wednesday League Night: low-medium oil synthetics, older brunswick lanes

609 Series: 184-200-225

Had early trouble with carry...figured out the right lane in the 4th frame....but never figured out the left lane. But, only open was on a 2-8 sleeper in the 5th frame.

Thought the wheels fell off in frame 2 of Game 2 when I chopped a 2-4 then threw a first shot gutter in frame 3. But, stayed clean and managed to strike once on the left lane to get me a turkey and salvage the 200.

In Game 3, I got dialed in on the left lane with the Innovate and was using the Scandal Pearl on the right lane. That combo allowed me to run a 4-bagger together. Should have been 236 clean, but I barely missed my first single-pin, a 10-pin in the 9th.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.91 pins
Strikes: 47% (1 4-bagger, 2 turkeys, and 6 singles)
Spares: 83% picked up

Single Pin spares: 90% (9/10)
Most common single-pin leave: 10-pin (5x).
Also left a single 4-pin, 6-pin, 9-pin, and 2-pin (2x).

Multiple Pin spares: 75% (6/8)
Most common multi-pin leave: 2-8 (2x)

Splits: N/A

Average over 3 games: 203.00.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 207.00.

And the roller coaster continues! I was kinda showing off for the cute girl one lane over...so I thought maybe that was the difference...but then she left midway through Game 3 and I still did well...so??? But, the REAL good news is we swept the other team and 2 out of 3 games...all 3 of (1 guy didn't show) the guys bowled above their average. This was our first win in awhile...so, it's nice to be back on the podium.