1st Annual Billy Hardwick Memorial ZDawg vs. Aslan Southern California Championship

[Aslan]

P.S. If you noticed me sweating a LOT….we had VERY "special" weather that day for southern California. It was actually pouring rain and very humid. Since moving to California, I've sort of adapted to the usual 74-80 degree days with virtually no humidity. So when it actually rains and the air is humid…not used to that anymore.

P.S.S…you'll note in video 3 that there was some score correcting going on and some banter back and forth. The reason for that was:

1) Those machines kinda *poo*…none of us could figure out how to work them…AND they lock out score change so you can't adjust scores.

2) In game one, my ball came out of the gutter and clipped the 10-pin. But since I was coming off an open frame…and spared…we just left it at 1 / rather than waiting (what would have probably been 20 minutes) for them to reset the pin deck.

3) Mike threw a ball that bounced out and hit a single 7-pin…so he was teasing me that if he couldn't count his, I shouldn't have counted mine…which sort of threw me off…but he was just kidding.

[Mike White]

P.S. If you noticed me sweating a LOT….we had VERY "special" weather that day for southern California. It was actually pouring rain and very humid. Since moving to California, I've sort of adapted to the usual 74-80 degree days with virtually no humidity. So when it actually rains and the air is humid…not used to that anymore.

P.S.S…you'll note in video 3 that there was some score correcting going on and some banter back and forth. The reason for that was:

1) Those machines kinda *poo*…none of us could figure out how to work them…AND they lock out score change so you can't adjust scores.

2) In game one, my ball came out of the gutter and clipped the 10-pin. But since I was coming off an open frame…and spared…we just left it at 1 / rather than waiting (what would have probably been 20 minutes) for them to reset the pin deck.

3) Mike threw a ball that bounced out and hit a single 7-pin…so he was teasing me that if he couldn't count his, I shouldn't have counted mine…which sort of threw me off…but he was just kidding.

I didn't notice it at the time, but after watching the video it seems you kinda failed the test of character.

When you bounced the pin out of the gutter, you should have re-racked the pins so you were shooting at all 10 pins.
Yeah that might have required a trip to the desk to fix the scoring, but it would have been the fair thing to do, and it wouldn't take 20 minutes.
Instead you commented something about getting it fixed could take 2 hours, and shot at the 9 pins.
I said the fact that it gave you 1 pin on the first ball didn't matter in the scoring,
But that wasn't a free pass not to repack the pins.
Not re-racking could effect the score because you might have left the 10 pin on the 2nd shot.

When I bounced the ball out, you seemed quite willing to risk waiting 2 hours.
It's a minor thing, and you probably weren't even aware you acted differently, but it does speak towards character.

[Mike White]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-RC6zgAZPk

We were expecting something,. BIGGER and BETTER then this!!!!!!! LOL Jason did a sweet job on the editing!!

Other than the "Beast" y'all look like the product of easy condition bowling.

Back when the ABC still controlled the rules, nobody with such an unbalanced approach would average 190+ not to mention shoot 300/800's.

[bowl1820]

I'm still not comfortable with Aslan's interpretation of DYDS, at least at lineup.

Aslan will disagree.

But you should be uncomfortable, he's not doing it right.


The ball should be in front of the ball side shoulder. Here's from the DYDS article:
Setup – In the setup position, after setting your feet on the approach, set the ball in front of the shoulder.

If you do the DYDS drill you can see this.

DYDS drill
1. Setup on the approach where you would begin the full approach.

2. With the hand in the ball, bend down to the ball side and place the ball on the ground.

3. Move the ball next to the ball-side foot.

4. While keeping the ball on the floor, rotate your forearm to face the pins (index finger forward).

5. Hold this position for three seconds.

6. Now, lift the ball into the setup position (which will allow the bowler to maintain a natural lateral spine tilt). Simply lift the ball to the height, relative to the body, where the bowler normally sets up.

7. Execute a normal shot without thinking about your body position.

Also don't understand why his arm swings off to the right after a throw instead of through the shot.

It's because the ball is starting so far to the left.

With the ball so far left it will swing from left to right during the back swing and during the forward swing the ball will naturally want to swing back to the left.

So to get the ball on to the target line, he has to push the ball back to the right.

If the ball was started in front of the ball side shoulder, it would swing straight back and forward along the target line. Which would allow you to throw through the shot improving accuracy and power.

[Aslan]

I didn't notice it at the time, but after watching the video it seems you kinda failed the test of character.

When I bounced the ball out, you seemed quite willing to risk waiting 2 hours.
It's a minor thing, and you probably weren't even aware you acted differently, but it does speak towards character.

I'm gonna have to disagree a bit there. I mean, I wanted to have them put the 10-pin back before the 2nd shot, but I think it would have taken quite a long time because it's not just a simple score correction. Could I have re-racked? I don't know. As you recall, we were locked out of even changing scores so I doubt we had the ability to re-rack without messing things up. AND, nobody asked me to re-rack...it didn't even occur to me. I figured if I picked up the rest of them it's a 1 /. If I don't, I could have changed the score or had the desk change it and just add that pin back in

YOUR situation was COMPLETELY different because:
A) It WOULD have affected your score a great deal.
B) It was a simple score correction.
C) It was done on the 2nd ball, not the 1st...so no complicated scenarios....simple change.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I didn't like that the full rack wasn't there on my 2nd ball...but that alley was PACKED with people and parties and the desk staff wasn't that knowledgeable (they didn't know what "handicap" was). I would have been more than happy to go to the desk and wait for them to get to it...but since there were no objections at the time, and the first ball didn't affect the score, and the second ball was a very solid hit...I guess I didn't see it as worth the trouble.

Aslan will disagree.

But you should be uncomfortable, he's not doing it right.

I submitted a video to Joe Slowinski who invented the approach...doing it exactly how you saw on the video (except less lateral spine tilt at the line)...and his response was that it looked good but I needed more lateral tilt at the line.

I know Bowl1820 never misses a chance to hate on Aslan and his lack of bowling skillz/knowledge....but I think on this specific topic I'll listen to the person who invented it.

Like I said, I was reluctant to start the ball that far to the left...and I don't know all the ins and outs and specifics. But from what I've read, the ball naturally goes from the lower left, around your body, and up. And like I said, after doing it for 3-4 weeks now, it actually does feel more natural to do it that way. It's gonna get a lot of criticism from "establishment bowlers" because it goes a bit against conventions such as the ball staying on one plane or the head being straight up and down.

Again, I'm not saying I'm doing it right/perfectly. I'm not. Joe claims it takes about 4 months of practicing it before you start "getting it". And maybe when I submitted the video to him he didn't see the ball was starting so far left and thats why he didn't comment. I doubt it, but it's possible. I'll trim a clip from the tournament....one where it's obvious the ball is starting on the left side and I'll submit it to him. And I'll ask him the question specifically and report back on what he says.

[vdubtx]

Whats to say though that you would have knocked the 10 over with a full rack though? Hmmm you winning is suspect now as you possibly earned more pins than you maybe should have. I guess we will never know who the real victor is.

[Aslan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-RC6zgAZPk

We were expecting something,. BIGGER and BETTER then this!!!!!!! LOL Jason did a sweet job on the editing!!

While I'm not as abrasive as Mike in my critique; my comments are:

1) Nice editing. I'm a very beginner level editor so I can appreciate the effort.
2) I feel bad for that Pat guy because I think he might be the only one on the team that is not on or in need of psychtropic medication.
3) Jamau looks NOTHING like what I thought.
4) Seeing Pat knock all the pins down with his suitcase release makes me not feel quite so bad about my "release challenges" in regards to staying behind the ball.
5) While I am impressed that such a young guy is already a successful pro shop owner; he needs to step aside during video making because he literally blocks the entire other lane when he's standing near the socring panel.
6) Looks like a team that has a lot of fun and a lot of "zest" for bowling so I'd just like to go on record as endorsing that motley bunch.
7) While I can't say for sure, and thats why ya play the game, I will "tentatively" agree with MWhite that it does seem odd with those releases (except Jamau who looks to be bowling thumbless?) that it's strike after strike after strike. I'd love to see the team "travel" to an alley other than that one and make a video to see if the success follows them.

Remember, in our recent tournament/invitational...Mike and zdawg were bowling at a center they've never bowled at. And I had only bowled maybe 6 or 7 games there in 2013. I have NO DOUBT that had we held the tourney in San Diego (zdawg's turf) or Arlington/Riverside (where MWhite has his pro shop) or on my home/wood lanes...scores and outcomes could have drastically shifted.

[bowl1820]

I know Bowl1820 never misses a chance to hate on Aslan and his lack of bowling skillz/knowledge....but I think on this specific topic I'll listen to the person who invented it.
.

Theres no hate involved and if joe told you as a righthanded bowler to hold the ball on the opposite side of your body.

Then by all means do so, also next time you talk to him tell him he needs update his articles because thats what I was going by.

[tr33frog]

Aslan -

Okay, I'm just going to say what I see/read and see if it makes sense.

1) I've read where he tells someone to have the ball over the left knee, problem I see is that your goes out too far to the left.
2) The reason he can get away with it barely over his left knee (not on the far side) is because his right shoulder is not just tilted down, but is also tilted back, so he is not standing parallel to the lane at address. Your shoulders are parallel with the lanes when you start.

If you watch his recent post on the DYDS FB post of him throwing it " Coach Slowinski with NO BOWLING SHOES Demonstrating the Movements to the point of release" you can see that you have the ball much further to the left than he does.

I'm not attacking, so please don't take it as that. I'm just trying to point out why I see and how it makes sense to me. The reason I commented on the hand going out to the right after release is that you obviously had to be doing it to compensate for something else. Now I'm not pretending to throw a perfect ball by any means, but with your average as low as it is, and you trying to systematically work your way through things, I'm going to point out things like that before they become habit and harder to fix.

[Aslan]

Whats to say though that you would have knocked the 10 over with a full rack though? Hmmm you winning is suspect now as you possibly earned more pins than you maybe should have. I guess we will never know who the real victor is.

Actually vDub, it wouldn't have chaged the outcome. If I score it as a 0/9...I lose 8 pins in game 1. I won by 10 pins. And if you watch the video closely (frame 5, game 1), you'll see a LOT of pin action where the 10 would have been...literally < 2.5% chance that 10-pin would have survived.

MWhite is just "being Mike". He's not just gonna gracefully admit defeat...he's going to blame his 3rd place finish on lane conditions and improper scoring and any other thing he can think of. And knowing that BBoards tends to be an "anti-Aslan crowd", he knows he can get traction.

As the champ, I don't concern myself with these types of "background noise". I have a couple bowling balls and a bowling bag...and have made it quite clear that I tend to accept most, if not all, fair challenges. So if Mike feels that he only bowled a 127 in Game 1 because there was a mini earthquake during that game...and it only affected him because he had water in his ear from showering...or any other number of things he and Bowl 1820 can come up with...I'm not that far away. I've already told zdawg AND MWhite that a rematch is accepted. I just thought they should practice a little before the next challenge.