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

[Tony]

Here's the problem with the "progression" concept. I will use my own preferences as an example. I like to start with the Fanatic BTU to take advantage of shim that the THS gives us in the track area. When that area starts to dry up, either over-hooking or burning up, I like to switch to my Rocket Ship and move about 5 and 3 left. When that starts to go away, I like to jump another 3 and 2 left and switch to the Code Black. I continue with the Code black until I reach the end of my comfort zone, and then ball down to the Fight until that no longer works. At that point, I will move back right about five boards, and go back to the BTU, making sure to be more up the back of the ball. I don't have a whole lot of carry, so my spare shooting better be really good.

This is what happens in a perfect world, but, as we all know, the world is rarely perfect! What happens when everyone else on the pair is starting on the track area? BTU at the beginning is out the door! What happens when my original line goes away and my "usual" move puts me smack dab on top of someone else? Rocket Ship stays in the bag and I go directly to the Code Black, or the Fight, depending on where others are playing at the end of the pattern.

A "progression" is like a pair of handcuffs that keep you from listening to what the lanes are telling you. Not listening to the lanes is like not listening to your wife; it rarely ends up well!

I've slowly over the last year learned to start shifting my focus away from dwelling on a preprogrammed progression to trying to understand the lane condition and match up the best available ball for the situation, and also begun to experiment with adjusting the ball surface to make it into a better fit to what is needed on the lane.

I've not always agreed with everyone's opinion on things, but I try to learn everything I can keeping in mind that mostly, everyone is here to improve and help others improve.
I do agree that not listening to the wife or lanes is rarely the best thing to do !

[Timmyb]

I have a friend who is a very, very good bowler. He is a past ABC Nationals all-events Champion. He is very old school in terms of bowling balls, preferring to stick with one ball and continuing to move left (yes, he has the rev rate to do it!). One night, after he shot 260-280-200, I suggested that the reason that he averages 23 pins lower the third game than he does the first is his refusal to change balls, he responded, "Rob, I had 540 turning. What was I supposed to do, change balls?" I replied, "Being that hindsight is always 20/20, I think the obvious answer is Yes!"

I typically do better in the third game, so that doesn't hold true for everyone.

[RobLV1]

I typically do better in the third game, so that doesn't hold true for everyone.

It just means that you had the wrong ball in your hand for the first two! In a great majority of cases, any pattern of disparity in average between games can be traced to either missed moves or missed ball changes.

[Tony]

I have a friend who is a very, very good bowler. He is a past ABC Nationals all-events Champion. He is very old school in terms of bowling balls, preferring to stick with one ball and continuing to move left (yes, he has the rev rate to do it!). One night, after he shot 260-280-200, I suggested that the reason that he averages 23 pins lower the third game than he does the first is his refusal to change balls, he responded, "Rob, I had 540 turning. What was I supposed to do, change balls?" I replied, "Being that hindsight is always 20/20, I think the obvious answer is Yes!"

Yes, no doubt, the results prove in his case he should have, I did the same thing last week 236 / 223 / 201 .....first couple balls in the 3rd I said, should change balls, got the other ball out of the bag and set it on the table......but never used it. Hindsight again says, should have changed

[Aslan]

IMaybe give tony's suggesstion(using the Scandal Pearl right away and possibly the whole night) a try. What's the worst that will happen? You either have one bad night and can then put that test to bed or it could end up working out. Just a thought.

I actually tried that. In this particular center (Tuesday night)...I thought maybe I'd start with the Scandal Pearl, then the Innovate, then the Track300A. My thought process was that maybe the Reax Pearl was just too strong for such a shorter/narrow pattern. It didn't work well. [195 (Scandal Pearl)-175 (Innovate)-141 (Track300A)]

I also believe aslan has stumbled upon what types of balls that work for him over the last two seasons. From what I've been able to tell lower to mid rg equipment with strong covers and less surface. Just my thought be interesting if he sees a similar conclusion.

Correct. I've not found lanes, outside of Vegas, where I can really use more surfaced equipment in the 5-12 board area. And I just don't have the rev rate to move inside the 15-board nor the lower speed I'd need to accomplish that. My attempts with higher RG equipment has been mixed. The Bullet Train (2.55) never really worked well for me. The Slingshot worked well...but like the 300A...it's an entry level ball with a weak cover and core. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of really good, newer balls out there with higher RGs. It seems like every ball that comes out has a 2.48-2.50 RG.

Besides the Track ball never working....

Have you ever run into a condition where the Track carried? If not why do you keep trying it? Looks like you would do just as well throwing a White Dot or a Maxim.

When you're playing on wood lanes or very dry synthetics...or very narrow patterns or low oil volumes...alot of the newer equipment is just too powerful. I've used a Hammer Big Blue Spare ball before on the Tuesday night lanes...some success. I thought the Track 300A would give me a little more 'bite' than resorting to the Big Blue Spare. I used to have a Brunswick Slingshot and it actually worked well on those type of conditions...but it cracked...so I thought the 300A would be a decent replacement.

The 300A helps me get to the pocket....doesn't over-react...but it's an entry-level ball...and like the Big Blue Spare and the use of a Maxim or WD (as you suggested)...the problem is carry. I shot at 14 single-pins last night.

I would have to agree with Tony here. I understand you have a progression that you want to use, but it seems that you are consistently having issues when using this progression. Seems like you are fighting against something that isn't working because that's what you think you "should be doing". As Tony said, everyone should do their own thing and what works for them, but it seems like maybe you'd benefit from an attempt to change it up.

Actually, the progression system has vastly improved my game compared to my previous "Benchmark system". It's taken alot of the "guesswork" out of the process. If I get enough practice shots in...I can usually tell whether I'll be able to start with the Reax Pearl or not. On Wednesdays and Fridays...and in Vegas...I can usually start with the Reax Pearl. On Tuesdays...usually I can't.

The move to the Innovate (ball 2 in the progression) has been the stumbling block...because it's more erratic and less reliable than the Reax Pearl or Scandal Pearl. The Innovate is older technology and an Ebonite ball...so it's not as "powerful"...but it has a low RG and if I get some hand in it...it will jump into the pocket...alot like the Melee Jab RobM gave me a year ago...but not as powerful as the Melee Jab. The Innovate also has a tendency to develop a track (non-oil)...almost immediately...and once it gets a track on it...it's even more erratic.

The Scandal Pearl is designed to be my "skid/flip" ball...despite it's more symmetric core and mid-range differential. It's a very strong ball...but doesn't hook too early the way the stronger Reax Pearl does. It's designed to come out when there's "carrydown" and I need a little more power on the backend. I've had a lot of luck with it...probably the best ball I've ever thrown. It's just too strong to ball down to...and too similar to the Reax Pearl. In other words, if the lanes are transitioning to the point the Reax Pearl is burning up....then they've transitioned too much for me to use the Scandal Pearl as well.

The Innovate is 'supposed to' help me manage the transition while I wait for carrydown to develop. Sometimes...the Innovate is ineffective and I quickly switch to the Scandal Pearl....sometimes carrydown never really occurs and I end up not even using the Scandal Pearl.

Concerning Rob's comment...I think I'd need to know where RobM starts out playing, what his rev rate is, and what his speed is. He talks about making a 5:3 move left and another 3:2 left. That's an 8:5 move left over 1-3 games. I usually move...at MOST...9:6 left over the course of 3 games...but that would be EXTREME for me. Generally, I only move 2:4 left (total) over 3 games.

When I move inside of 14 (at the arrows)...and my feet get to the 30-board area...I just have too much speed and not enough hand for the ball to make it back to the pocket. And there's just too much oil in the middle for me to straighten that line out and essentially throw a straight shot up the 15-board directly into the pocket.

Like I've explained before, my progression system is currently designed to allow me to play in the 11-14 board (at the arrows) area for an entire series (3 games) on the lanes I ususally play (Wednesdays/Fridays). These lanes are very synthetic...but they are very old and transition quickly. The shot (pattern) isn't particularly challenging...but players who throw one ball and never move...struggle quite a bit. Even with nobody on top your line...you have to be able to move...or change balls.

My criticism of a "benchmark" or "observation" system....is it's very difficult to know what is going on with the ball. A miss right can mean many things:
1) Your angle is off.
2) Your release is off.
3) You're throwing it too hard.
4) You need more surface.
5) The line is transitioning and you need to move inside.
6) You're too far inside (in the oil) and need to move outside more.

I don't know very many people, if any, that can consistently tell which of those IS the issue when they leave a flat 10-pin or a 2-pin combo. Some have much better ideas than others...but guessing wrong can often make the problem worse. I've left a 2-pin before, thought my ball was burning out, moved left...left a 2-4-5...moved back right....left a 2-pin again...etc... By the time I realized the ball wasn't burning up and my angle was just too steep...one game was in the books and I was shooting 170-189. I try to figure this kinda stuff out in practice...but 5-15 minutes...with 3-9 other bowlers taking turns...sometimes throwing 2 shots each...sometimes I only get 2-4 shots in practice.

Well...time to go give Wednesday night a go. Thanks for all the input! I've been averaging 195 in the Wednesday/Friday house....so I'm not "struggling" per se. I'm just annoyed that I haven't figured out the Tuesday center. I want my game to be able to adapt to multiple conditions...not be a one-dimensional bowler that can only bowl at one house. And while I've moved my 168 average at the Tuesday center in 2013...to a 182-184 average in 2017...as I keep getting better, my expectations keep getting higher.

[Timmyb]

It just means that you had the wrong ball in your hand for the first two! In a great majority of cases, any pattern of disparity in average between games can be traced to either missed moves or missed ball changes.

Didn't say I bowled bad the first two, just better in the third. If you look at my scores from the past season, there's not a big disparity between 1 and 3. I'd chalk it up to being inconsistent as hell the first game, and settling down after. I miss spares in the first game, but rarely in the third. I also give credit to a couple of beers by then......

[Tony]

I actually tried that. In this particular center (Tuesday night)...I thought maybe I'd start with the Scandal Pearl, then the Innovate, then the Track300A. My thought process was that maybe the Reax Pearl was just too strong for such a shorter/narrow pattern. It didn't work well. [195 (Scandal Pearl)-175 (Innovate)-141 (Track300A)]


Correct. I've not found lanes, outside of Vegas, where I can really use more surfaced equipment in the 5-12 board area. And I just don't have the rev rate to move inside the 15-board nor the lower speed I'd need to accomplish that. My attempts with higher RG equipment has been mixed. The Bullet Train (2.55) never really worked well for me. The Slingshot worked well...but like the 300A...it's an entry level ball with a weak cover and core. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of really good, newer balls out there with higher RGs. It seems like every ball that comes out has a 2.48-2.50 RG.



When you're playing on wood lanes or very dry synthetics...or very narrow patterns or low oil volumes...alot of the newer equipment is just too powerful. I've used a Hammer Big Blue Spare ball before on the Tuesday night lanes...some success. I thought the Track 300A would give me a little more 'bite' than resorting to the Big Blue Spare. I used to have a Brunswick Slingshot and it actually worked well on those type of conditions...but it cracked...so I thought the 300A would be a decent replacement.

The 300A helps me get to the pocket....doesn't over-react...but it's an entry-level ball...and like the Big Blue Spare and the use of a Maxim or WD (as you suggested)...the problem is carry. I shot at 14 single-pins last night.


Actually, the progression system has vastly improved my game compared to my previous "Benchmark system". It's taken alot of the "guesswork" out of the process. If I get enough practice shots in...I can usually tell whether I'll be able to start with the Reax Pearl or not. On Wednesdays and Fridays...and in Vegas...I can usually start with the Reax Pearl. On Tuesdays...usually I can't.

That's the main thing here, improvement, and it's great that the progression system has helped your game improve. It's difficult to tell over time exactly what contribution different factors play in improving, I'm sure with your extensive stat keeping that you can see area's of improvement like better spare shooting that wouldn't have much to do with progression, so it's a little easier for you to see what improvements you've made over time.

The idea with the scandal pearl was starting with it, as you did, but also was to stay with it for the whole 3 games, if possible, and don't switch off of it for another ball
because it's time to, but continue to use it until you can't move deep enough, can't carry / score with it any longer.
After the 195 with it, was it still working, could you have stayed with it into game two, and beyond ?

[Amyers]

That's the main thing here, improvement, and it's great that the progression system has helped your game improve. It's difficult to tell over time exactly what contribution different factors play in improving, I'm sure with your extensive stat keeping that you can see area's of improvement like better spare shooting that wouldn't have much to do with progression, so it's a little easier for you to see what improvements you've made over time.

The idea with the scandal pearl was starting with it, as you did, but also was to stay with it for the whole 3 games, if possible, and don't switch off of it for another ball
because it's time to, but continue to use it until you can't move deep enough, can't carry / score with it any longer.
After the 195 with it, was it still working, could you have stayed with it into game two, and beyond ?

Tony kind of nailed my question here. Looks like the only thing this shows was changing to the other two balls was a mistake.

[Aslan]

I'm sure with your extensive stat keeping that you can see area's of improvement like better spare shooting that wouldn't have much to do with progression, so it's a little easier for you to see what improvements you've made over time.

Actually, as hard as it is to believe...my spare shooting started at 72% and is presently 72%. Overall spare shooting has improved from 52% to 61%.

The main improvement has been strike rate...which has improved from 32% to 49%.

However, this is another area where stats can be misleading. When you have a 32% strike rate, you shoot at a LOT of spares...so you're % is likely to be lower and you're shooting mostly at multi-pin spares (because you can't hit the pocket). As I've improved, I now leave almost the same # (130 vs 170) of single-pin spares...primarily corner pins...but I leave < half the # of multi-pin spares.

My single-pin spare shooting IS improving...regardless of the %...because lately I've been more in the 78%-100% range. Mainly, I need to "stay down" in my shot and not "lift up". If I focus and stay down...I've been doing pretty well. Even on the "misses"...I now "barely miss" when I miss. Before, I might dump the ball in the gutter 15ft in front of the 10-pin.

The idea with the scandal pearl was starting with it, as you did, but also was to stay with it for the whole 3 games, if possible, and don't switch off of it for another ball
because it's time to, but continue to use it until you can't move deep enough, can't carry / score with it any longer.
After the 195 with it, was it still working, could you have stayed with it into game two, and beyond ?

In that particular series...I left a flat 10-pin in both the 7th and 8th frames of game 1. I felt the lanes had transitioned enough to make a ball change.

Unfortunately, the Innovate just wasn't working at all...so I switched to the 300A in the 5th frame of Game 2. Unfortunately, that worked well on one lane but not the other...then in Game 3 it didn't work on either lane.

[Aslan]

Tony kind of nailed my question here. Looks like the only thing this shows was changing to the other two balls was a mistake.

Possibly. I could have tried to move further inside...maybe played with the loft a little...but I have a feeling moving further inside would have just led to leaving 2-pins instead of 10-pins.

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

566 Series: 191 - 200 - 175

The first game wasn't awful...but when the lanes transitioned...I suffered the maximum penalty...a 4-9 on one side then a 4-10 on the other. Add to that a rare miss at a 3-pin in the 9th....and there went Game 1.

Game 2 I started to suffer from a head cold....I guess my cold medicine had started to wear off. I was a bit dizzy and off-balance...lost my accuracy...but my only open was a chopped 3-6 in the 5th.

More of the same in Game 3. Finally made the move to the Scandal Pearl in the 9th frame...but the new surface I put on it was a bit more aggressive than expected and I left the Big 4.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 9.20 pins
Strikes: 54% (3 turkeys, 2 doubles, and 6 singles)
Spares: 46% picked up

Single Pin spares: 62% (5/8)
Most common single-pin leave: 3-pin (3x)
Also left a single 2-pin, 6-pin, 7-pin, and 10-pin (2x).

Multiple Pin spares: 28% (2/7)
Most common multi-pin leave: 4-7 (2x)

Splits: 0% (0/4)

Average over 3 games: 188.67.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 196.67.

I guess I have the excuse that I had one of the worst head colds I've ever experienced. Regardless of the scores, I was inconsistent and inaccurate. The Reax Pearl held up for all of Game 1 and most of Game 2. My last Wednesday league night in California didn't go quite the way I had hoped...but oh well.