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

[Aslan]

Friday Practice: medium-oil synthetics

Warm-Up: 204 (clean)

550 Series: 171-211-168

Game 1 I was really just trying to get my physical game back (timing, footwork, etc...).

Game 2 I was a missed 10-pin away from a clean 223.

Game 3 I struggled with 3 splits...including a pocket 7-10 in the 4th.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 9.00 pins
Strikes: 44% (1 turkey, 4 doubles, and 9 singles)
Spares: 66% picked up

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

Multiple Pin spares: 58% (7/12)
Most common multi-pin leave: 1-2 (2x)

Splits: 0% (0/4)

Average over 4 games: 188.50.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 193.50.

First time back on the lanes in over a month as I try to get my living situation figured out. The lanes seemed slicker now than when I practiced over the summer...many houses start putting down more oil and more consistent patterns in the fall once the leagues start up...so I had to move from targeting just inside of the 2nd arrow to targeting 7-8.

Overall, glad to see I was able to average in the high 180s despite being off the lanes for over a month. Still trying to get used to the new arsenal...but overall a good practice.

[Aslan]

Friday Practice: low-oil synthetics

Warm-Up: 199

437 Series: 159-149-129

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.07 pins
Strikes: 30% (4 doubles and 5 singles)
Spares: 51% picked up

Single Pin spares: 60% (3/5)
Most common single-pin leaves: 10-pin (3x)
Also left a single 2-pin and 9-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 50% (12/24)
Most common multi-pin leave: 1-2, 1-2-4-7, 1-2-4-8, and 1-2-8 (2x each)

Splits: 0% (0/5)

Average over 4 games: 159.00.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 164.25.

First time back on the lanes in a little over a week. I got there right when it opened and I guess the lanes hadn't been re-oiled since the 8:00PM leagues the night before. I didn't see a problem until my line moved left to the 2nd arrow...when suddenly I was going far left. I ended up having to move 4 and 6 inside to get away from the track...despite starting out targeting 7-8 and standing left toe on 18. Once I got in and was on the 12-13 boards...I just didn't have the hand to get the ball to come back. In addition, with so much less practice time, I was very rusty and missing 2-4 boards (usually right) of target on many shots. Bummer.

[Aslan]

Tuesday Practice: medium-oil synthetics

Warm-Up: 181

590 Series: 198-170-222

Game 1 I only opened on a chopped 3-6-9-10 in the 8th frame.

Game 2 I missed a couple single-pin spares and then ran into some split problems in the 8th and 9th frames.

Game 3 I missed another single-pin spare in the 4th and then chopped a 2-8 sleeper in the 8th.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 9.09 pins
Strikes: 53% (1 4-bagger, 4 turkeys, 2 doubles and 5 singles)
Spares: 52% picked up

Single Pin spares: 70% (7/10)
Most common single-pin leaves: 10-pin (4x)
Never left a single 1-pin, 3-pin, 5-pin, nor 9-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 36% (4/11)
Most common multi-pin leave: 3-10 baby split (2x)

Splits: 0% (0/3)

Average over 4 games: 192.75.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 201.50.

Resurfaced the progression. Left the Thug Life at 3000 (no compound nor polish). Brought the Warning Sign down to 2000 (no compound nor polish) because that ball was just not moving at ALL. Decided to experiment with the Scandal Pearl and surface it to 500, use Storm Step 1, but not polish it.

Much better lane conditions and a much better practice. I was the only one bowling in the entire place...it was easy to concentrate. So quiet you could hear a "wiiiiisssh" noise as the ball made it's way down the lane.

My accuracy was much better and my spare shooting as well. My speed was up a bit...closer to 17mph at the pins...not sure why.

[Aslan]

Thursday Practice: low-oil synthetics

Warm-Up: 174

633 Series: 210-211-212

Game 1 I opened on an 8-10 split in the 5th frame and then missed a single 10-pin in the 10th. The Thug Life was hooking a lot...definitely more than when I bowled at this center Monday. I finally had to switch to the Warning Sign by the 8th frame.

Only open was a brain fart in the 9th frame. I left a bucket and decided to change my strike line...then got up and shot as if it was a full rack. So, no clean game for me! The line change worked though and I struck on the first ball in the 10th.

Game 3 I got off to a rough start...maybe I was getting with tired. Missed right and left a 5-7 split in the 2nd frame. Switched to the Scandal Pearl and again missed right in frame 3 and left a 1-2-4-7. Managed to right the ship, pick up the spare, and knock down 5 in a row before a badly missed single 6-pin in the 9th.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.63 pins
Strikes: 55% (1 4-bagger, 4 turkeys, 2 doubles and 5 singles)
Spares: 55% picked up

Single Pin spares: 66% (4/6)
Most common single-pin leaves: 10-pin (2x)
Also left a single 2-pin, 3-pin, 4-pin, and 6-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 50% (6/12)
Most common multi-pin leave: n/a

Splits: 0% (0/3)

Average over 4 games: 201.75.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 206.00.

This is good news. After Monday when I bowled a 437 series...I was worried that maybe my time off from bowling had destroyed my game. Then, Tuesday and now today, seems I'm back in the 192-206 range. Still some consistency issues and spare shooting issues I need to tighten up.

[Amyers]

Nice bowling bud how goes the job search?

[J Anderson]

Thursday Practice: low-oil synthetics

Warm-Up: 174

633 Series: 210-211-212
4

Perhaps for your warm up game you could focus on spares. You could also devote the game to a drill that isolates a part of your approach that you want or need to improve.

This summer I made the mistake of getting the AMF Summer Pass. It was a mistake for two reasons. One was that I didn't get there very often. The second was the best you could say about the center was that the conditions were inconsistent. There were two constants. It was always too dark to see the lane markings unless you were standing at the foul line, and it was always noisy. Given that the approaches varied from too slippery to no slide whatsoever, I just did release drills and one step drills the last few times I went.

[Aslan]

Perhaps for your warm up game you could focus on spares. You could also devote the game to a drill that isolates a part of your approach that you want or need to improve.

If my spare shooting is bad enough...I'll often add a 5th game and play low-ball. I think spare shooting is one of those things that takes a little more time to come back when you take a month or so off versus strike-shooting.

This summer I made the mistake of getting the AMF Summer Pass.

I got a pass for a local center. It ended up saving me a little money. I didn't use it a ton...because the center was 30 minutes away...and because I had other priorities including trying out different centers to see where I wanted to bowl leagues. But yeah, summer can really be a challenge because it seems like > 90% of centers treat summer bowling like it's just an "oil once a week" situation. Not very condusive to trying and figuring out what shot works or doesn't work at a given center or (in my case) trying out a new arsenal.

Nice bowling bud how goes the job search?

Bad. I bowled today because I had an interview near the center.

$16.00/hour for a supervisor job. The only offer I've gotten so far is a part-time job unloading trucks at Lowes for $11.42/hour. Last night I figured out that my bills (the ones I HAVE to pay) = just over $1900/month. That doesn't include cable, TV, or phone. If I make $16/hr...after taxes/deductions and healthcare premiums...is like $170 more...which would need to cover gas/groceries. I've looked into disability...which actually would likely net more than the $16/hr job...plus I'd get free healthcare and food stamps. But, even disability doesn't really cover all my bills...unless I cut off cable/phone/cell/phone/internet.

I certainly wouldn't be able to afford bowling leagues under any of those scenarios...which sucks given all the time/money/effort I've put into developing my bowling game over the past 2-3 years.

And that's not even the "bad" news. If I get disability...that's a temporary fix. If I don't...and I don't find something in the next month or two...I have to choose between storing my stuff and either moving in with my parents OR homelessness/living out of my car (until it gets repoed eventually). I'm thinking of heading down to Florida...maybe try and find day laborer work repairing houses or something.

So...if you see a guy that looks like an average-below average bowler who you sort of recognize from one of the many Aslan videos...sitting on the side of the road, unshowered, with one of those homeless guy beards...stop and say hi. I won't ask for money or anything...I despise beggars and charity...btu I'd be happy to talk bowling a little bit. ; )

Wednesday Practice: low-medium oil synthetics

Warm-Up: 156

681 Series: 224-197-220

Bad spare-shooting in Game 1...but I struck out with a 7-bagger to salvage a respectable score.

Game 2 was better than the score indicates...but a 3-6-7-10 split in the 10th kinda snuffed out another 200+ opportunity.

Game 3 I switched to the Scandal Pearl and did quite well...but a 1-2-4-10 washout in the 10th squashed an even higher outcome.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 9.14 pins
Strikes: 55% (1 7-bagger, 1 4-bagger, 1 turkey, 4 doubles and 2 singles)
Spares: 44% picked up

Single Pin spares: 50% (5/10)
Most common single-pin leaves: 10-pin (7x)
Also left a single 4-pin and 7-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 37% (3/8)
Most common multi-pin leave: n/a

Splits: 0% (0/3)

Average over 4 games: 199.25.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 213.50.

My speed was really high for some reason. I was hitting around 18mph at the pins...about 2-3mph higher than usual. Really hard to get the ball to move, with my rev rate, at that speed. I thought about toying with a 3-step approach...but once you switch from 4 to 3 (or 5)...now you got a timing issue to deal with. If I had 3-4 days to iron out the timing issues (like, before a major tournament)...then it might be worthwhile. But in a standard practice session, by the time I get the timing in sync...practice would be over.

So, I tried just moving up on the approach...which limits your speed a bit because you have less distance to build up the speed with your legs. I also tried laying the ball down earlier...targeting closer to the "dots" than the "arrows"...so I'm not putting too much shoulder into the shot.

Long story short...even though I'm DEFINITELY not a proponent of changing speeds (messes with timing too much)...I was able to change my speed a bit and it really had a noticeable effect on the outcome. My arsenal at 18mph...just doesn't move much at all. If I can drop that speed down, 1-2mph, even the Warning Sign was hooking.

[manke]

Have you tried to go threw a temp agency? They might be able to get you something for the short term.

[Aslan]

Have you tried to go threw a temp agency? They might be able to get you something for the short term.

I've looked into a couple temporary roles. The typical "temp agency" you speak of wouldn't really apply to me. In the United States, those angencies primarily deal with low-level office work or day laborer jobs which pay pretty close to minimum wage ($9.75/hour).

I've worked with and am working with multiple recruiters...but so far nothing has panned out.

In my opinion, the US economy is headed for some big problems in the near-term. Three areas of the country leveled by hurricanes...including the gas/oil hub of Houston. Household debt now higher than it was before the crash in 2008. Home ownership at it's lowest rate since 1967. Unemployment has bottomed out. Wages are flat. 70% of manufacturing is still offshore. Consumer spending is down. The stock market is over-valued. Etc.., Etc.., Etc....

There are a TON of "Help Wanted" signs in just about every window...but the jobs pay $9.75-$14/hour with no benefits. Probably sounds strange to a Scandanavian where the wages are more compressed. I think a person stocking shelves in Sweden makes about $2400 (USD) a month (approximately $13.85/hr). Not sure how it all compares on a 1-1 basis though...since I think many Euro countries have higher wages, but also a higher tax rate.

Saturday Practice: low-oil synthetics

Warm-Up: 192

559 Series: 154-177-228

More bad spare shooting in Game 1, including a missed 2-pin in the 9th. I struck a fair amount, but thre 7 -s frames in a row with 1-2-10, 2-4-10, and 2-8-10 in frames 3 through 5.

Game 2 wasn't much better. Two more 2-8-10s and a chopped 3-6-10...but I managed to pick up my more make-able spares and struck out in the 10th.

Game 3 I started working on a more "casual" approach...tried to stop "forcing the shot." Only open was a chopped 1-2-4-6-10 and I managed to run some strikes together to salvage at least ONE good game.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.95 pins
Strikes: 52% (1 6-bagger, 1 4-bagger, 2 turkeys, 1 double, and 5 singles)
Spares: 40% picked up

Single Pin spares: 70% (7/10)
Most common single-pin leave: 10-pin (3x)
Never left a single 1-pin, 3-pin, 5-pin, nor 8-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 10% (1/10)
Most common multi-pin leave: 2-8-10 split (3x)

Splits: 0% (0/6)

Average over 4 games: 187.75.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 196.25.

Took me awhile to settle down. Some shots I'd miss right and the ball would make it back and carry...some shots I'd miss right and the ball wouldn't carry the 2-pin...and I got left with a lot of really bad spare combinations. I needed to follow RobM's advice prior to Game 3...treat the approach more like a "dance" than a "sport". When I get too ramped up...everything gets tight...the shot gets tight...the release gets worse, and I start to pull shots. But if I can keep that approach sort of "free" or "elegant"....the timing is better and the release is better...and usually the results are better.

[J Anderson]

"Took me awhile to settle down. Some shots I'd miss right and the ball would make it back and carry...some shots I'd miss right and the ball wouldn't carry the 2-pin...and I got left with a lot of really bad spare combinations. I needed to follow RobM's advice prior to Game 3...treat the approach more like a "dance" than a "sport". When I get too ramped up...everything gets tight...the shot gets tight...the release gets worse, and I start to pull shots. But if I can keep that approach sort of "free" or "elegant"....the timing is better and the release is better...and usually the results are better. "

Sounds a lot like what we were seeing in youth league today. The first three weeks were on a short Junior Gold pattern that needed to be played fairly close to the gutter. This week Chris changed the pattern to a longer J G pattern where the exit point was around the ten board. Lots of complete misses to the outside, wash-outs, and balls that were 'helped' so much they almost went into the opposite gutter. It's really hard to get some of the kids to loosen up their swing and let the ball roll off their hand. It's interesting that your warm up game was a respectable 192 and then you crashed and burned when the games started to count.