The SIX THINGS that Will Frustrate Beginner Bowlers

[Aslan]

Here is a short list I made up of the 6 most obvious things you must wrap your head around in order to take that next step from beginner/casual bowler to league bowler and eventually tournament bowler:

6) "Best" balls are virtually never "best", only under the right conditions.
In Nascar, the fastest car gives you a big advantage as does being tall in the NBA or 300lbs in the NFL. But in bowling...the "best" bowling ball not only won't give you an automatic advantage...it might make the game harder for you. Balls are like basball mits. You can certainly adapt your game, especially at lower levels, and use one ball all the time. But as you get closer to the majors...there are different gloves for almost every position. They are "basically" the same...but their differences can be significant. In bowling, it's even worse...because certain balls are actually designed for certain conditions. And trying to get a ball to do what it isn't designed to do...can be very, very frustrating. They aren't just round balls of rubber anymore.

5) You must learn to move right and left and use the boards as reference points.
Whenever I have a beginning bowler ask me for help, my first question is, "Where do you start and where do you target?" If they give me a blank stare like I'm asking for their social security number...I know I can't help them...because they haven't taken the first step in bowling...knowing where to stand, standing there consistently, and moving laterally. Especially as you get better....and you start to "chase oil"...lateral movement is almost imperative....and it all starts with knowing where it all starts.

4) Solid hits don't always strike.
At a clinic, I expressed frustration about leaving more and more 10-pins and struggling to pick them up. Hall of Fame PBA great Barry Asher responded, "Get used to it. They frustrate everyone and the better you get, the more of them you'll leave." The better you get, the more prone you become to things like corner pins and splits. Beginners simply miss too far from the headpin to get those as often. But to the point; if you watch the PBA...you'll see literally 85% of the shots hit the pocket...many will strike...some will not. Because you rely on pins to knock down other pins...sometimes even if your ball hits the right spot...those pins won't do their job. If you want a visual comparison...why is it so hard to predict where a football will go after it hits the ground?

3) The equipment has changed the game.
While equipment advances have been creditited with changes in the NFL, NHL, and more importantly baseball. The sports are still fundamentally the same...it's just "strategeies" have changed to adapt to new equipment. In bowling, if you learned to bowl in the 80s...your game was much different than it is now. If you learned to bowl in the 60s...the 80s were much different and now is even more different. Trying to bowl like your Grandpa taught you throwing a rubber or even urethane ball...on lanes from that era...will frustrate you with today's equipment.

2) No "one way" that is best.
In many sports, there are oddities. Guys who have weird golf swings or goofy basketball follow-throughs or funky batting stances....and some of them do well. But usually...there is sort of a consensus best way to do something. MOST pros...will do something and you can emulate that. But in bowling, there is no "right way". The right way is the way that leads to accuracy and consistency...and one pro will often look very different in their approach/release than another pro.

1) How oil works
If you miss right, you'd expect the ball to hit right of the target. If you miss left, you'd expect the ball to miss left of the target. That may be how it is for virtually every single sport known to man....but not "necessarily" for bowling. I've missed right plenty and had the ball crossover...yet miss left and have the oil "hold" it into the pocket. Understanding how that oil interacts with the ball will give you a much better feel for how to throw and guide that ball down the lane.

Those are my 6...feedback? All you advanced bowlers, agree disagree?

All 6 are from my experience. Things that I realized...that I am still struggling with in some cases. All 6, as a beginner...before working through them...I'd have somewhat disagreed with initially.

[RobLV1]

Your six things as they relate to golf:

6. The best driver that can hit the longest drive is useless on a 150 yard par 3.
5. You must learn that not only does wind affect the line of the ball flight, it also affects the spin on the ball. Hitting into the wind with accentuate the spin on the ball making it curve more, while hitting in the same direction that the wind is blowing will decrease the spin making the ball fly straighter.
4. How many seemingly perfect putts fail to find the bottom of the cup?
3. I can hit a longer drive at age 65 than I could at age 35, and it's certainly not because I'm stronger now.
2. Two words: Jim Furyk
1. To hit a draw that moves left, aim right. To hit a fade that moves right, aim left.

Any questions?

[Aslan]

For golf....my list is much shorter:

2) Like bowling...the harder you "try" to hit it...wht worse you will do. Golf and bowling are finesse games....like darts. There's no advantage in darts to the person that can throw it the hardest.
1) Let the clubs to the work. "CAN" you hit a 9-iron 165 yards? Sure. But why not let the iron designed to hit it 165 yards hit it 165 yards?

[Mudpuppy]

Golf? Do people still play that? I ride motorcycles it's much cooler. Maybe when I am old and mostly crippled I will waste entire days paying exorbitant fees to chase a white ball around. Seems pretty pointless to me. And if you try to tell me well it's about getting outdoors - go hike on a nature trail there Arnold Palmer. It's just as much exercise and it doesn't cost anything. Some people also like to fish - I like to eat fish and I like to shoot things. So I go hunting instead and buy my fish from the store. The Department of Natural Resources frowns on me busting out the heata sideways ghetto kill shot style on a large mouth bass. If you have never been duck hunting on the gold coast you have not truly ever been alive. First time you go you look at your hunting buddy who has cases of 12 gauge shells like is this guy crazy until the sun peeks out around 6am and you get your first glimpse of 100,000 birds in the air and then you wonder did we bring enough shells? Nothing like seeing a flock of 100 duck with their landing gear coming down right in front of you - game on. That's my $0.02 on an unrelated note and before anyone tries to 1 lane me and say I am off topic I will gladly throw a 5 year old tantrum like fit and say Rob started it.

Back on topic - Aslan you surprise me. I think you nailed it. If I was to pick 6 things those are definitely it. I would add a 7th - and most important in my book. TRY AND TRY AGAIN THEN TRY AGAIN 100 TIMES. I think the biggest frustration for new bowlers - maybe even all sports and you could throw golf in here but you might as well knit a sweater or have a sewing circle if you want to talk golf - is that they try something, it doesn't work and then they remember reading something about arsenals so they start switching balls or shots or just drinking more beer and being mad. Bowling is repetition and small adjustments - maybe similar to how you would adjust a nascar. You pay attention to where you are standing, did you hit your mark, was your release good, did you stare at the hot chick 3 lanes down and blow the shot, etc. etc. If you did everything right and it didn't work - why not? Too far right? Too far left? Heavy oil? Light oil? If you didn't do everything you aimed to do to a t then rinse and repeat until you do. The biggest frustration I have for my game personally right now is I have moved back from 1 ball only to a 2 ball system. I can see when I need to make a ball change - usually pretty accurate. But it severely ticks me off when I make the ball change and yank the shot. Now I am cleaning up a spare and I don't know if I made the change at the right time and have to wait to throw another ball that I hopefully don't yank or miss my mark - which sometimes I miss 2 or 3 frames and the frustration really mounts. But ultimately the average person to learn bowling going through all the normal progressions - straight ball, straight ball on an angle to the pocket, beginning hook, etc. - I think it takes 3-5 years of steady bowling to really pick up the game and get good at it. The more you learn the more you understand and the faster your learning curve goes - in the beginning your learning curve is like a flat line with a heartbeat every now and then. Once you get a little success you start to understand a little of what is going on and therefore your learning curve increases.

[Aslan]

I've ridden motorcycles and hunted back in my Michigander life...but I think they were even more pointless than golf.

I mean, if you like shooting...play paintball. It's a lot more challenging when stuff can't be distracted by a pile of carrots and it actually shoots back. And while riding motorcycles is cool...it's essentially just spending the day burining up gasoline and riding around. Thats why when I used to plan rides, I'd plan them around "something". Everybody in my club always wanted to do short rides around town....but whats the point? I can drive 3 blocks down telegraph rd. on every day of the week. So I'd always lean towards rides where you actually GO somewhere...like Daytona or Sturgis or some meet-up somewhere...SOMETHING other than getting an ice cream cone. Unfortunately, that added greatly to the cost of motorcycling.

But I agree on fishing. I've never understood that. I've never been so damn bored in my life as I was fishing. I've been deer hunting for a weekend and not seen one deer or fired my gun one time...and it was still 3x as exciting as a day of fishing.

[Sourtower]

Great list! Here's my take on things:

#6 I just started to bowl seriously (as opposed to recreationally) at the beginning of March this year. With the advise and recommendation of my pro shop guy, I went ahead and had the Hammer Black Widow Assassin drilled up. It was and still is listed as the #1 selling bowling ball on many websites. After rolling my personal highs at 246 and 233, I thought I was on top of the world. Then I went to an alley that I had later found out had bone dry lanes. The Assassin was hooking way too early and even slowing my ball speed down had little to no affect. Since then I ended up getting a Zero Gravity for heavy oil and learned to use my spare ball for dry lanes. Perfect example that 'best ball' only works on certain conditions.

#5 Since February and a couple free lessons from the pro at my pro shop that were included with the bowling ball purchase, I've learned that the lines, arrows, and boards all play an integral part in bowling. I've gotten a few 200s bowling recreationally, but as my understanding and knowledge about board movement have increased, my scores have started to go up. I've since taught my son to move left or right depending on which pins are standing or lane condition and his scores have gone up as well.

#4 The dreaded 7 pin for left handers and 10 pin for right handers. My friend had a streak of 6 or 7 throws in a row that hit right into the pocket where it was supposed to and left those dreaded 7's up each time. As he looked on in frustration, we discussed the countless amount of videos that he and I had watched on youtube about how to read the 4 or 6 pin to see what needed to be adjusted. Even with all that knowledge, sometimes there's nothing that can be done to avoid those pins.

#3 Even in the last 10 years, bowling's equipment has changed a lot. My first bowling ball was a Brunswick Zone ball and my father's bowling ball, which was a Brunswick Laser. The vast improvement in bowling technology definitely is noticeable compared to back when I had just started bowling. What I can see as more frustrating though, is trying to pick out which bowling ball is best for you. Far too many times I've seen that people end up not liking their bowling ball and searching for a trade. Besides Storm / Roto Grip, I don't know of any other companies that have demos which are available to be tried out. If only you could 'test drive' a bowling ball like you can a car.

#2 Cranker, Power Tweener, Tweener, Stroker, Left Handed, Right Hander, Two Handed... Trying to figure out which category fits you can definitely become mind numbing. So mind numbing in fact, that to this day my friend and I are constantly trying to adjust our styles to maximize our strengths.

#1 As with #6, understanding oil can drive a person mad. My Black Widow Assassin does the job in anything other than heavy oil or dry conditions. Because I didn't understand this, I tried to keep throwing my Assassin in hopes it would do what it had down in medium oil. After about 3 weeks of agonizing and frustrations, I talk to my pro shop guy who recommended and explained that I should look into a heavy oil ball. After drilling the Zero Gravity up, I no longer dread heavy oil anymore. I also now have learned to throw my spare ball in dry conditions and it does the job.

All in all, I agree with the above except that you should add cost as another form of frustration for players. Be it the cost of a new bowling ball, the ever changing prices of games and shoe rental. It could definitely be very expensive to do something that people should be able to enjoy for a lot less. Especially since a lot of the cheaper priced bowling alleys don't take care of their lanes and equipment as much. Do I pay less and save money, or do I pay more to make sure the lanes and equipment don't do damage to my bowling equipment? This can be a frustrating conundrum.

[Aslan]

you should add cost as another form of frustration for players.

Believe it or not, bowling is still one of the cheapest hobbies/sports out there.

By comparison;
1) Ice Hocky: Equipment = $450 or more, ice time/rental is easily $10-$25/hour.
2) Skiing: $250-$1500 in equipment and $100s of dollars in lift tickets.
3) Paintball: $120 for paint; $45 a day field fee...equipment constantly needing to be relaced upgraded ($90-$1000 per season)
4) Golf: The clubs last a long time, but it's $15-$65 each time you play and about $1 per ball when you lose one (which happens rather frequently).
5) Skydiving/Avionics: Anything involving planes or even remote control planes....$1000s a year.
6) Dirtbikes/4-wheelers: Again...$1000s for equipment....$100s in maintenance...$20-$100 a day to ride plus $100s in gas.
7) Cycling: $1000-$2000 bikes...another $300-$350 in accesories. $100s in maintenance each year.
8) Hunting/Fishing/Shooting: Guns and poles...$100s of dollars. Ammunition will run you $35-$55. Range Fees, etc...
9) Boating: Forget about it. If you even "sniff" a harbor club thousands of dollars fall out of your bank account into the water. Even if the boat is free, $1000s in dock fees, $1000s in "boat gas" (which is double to 4x the price of regular car gas), and any excursion will run you $100s to $1000s more.
10) Camping: Even if you borrow a camper...it's $100s in food, $55/day to park it. Or you can tent it...but then you're spending $100s on tenting and camping supplies and still paying $25/night to camp.

And the list goes on and on. Other than soccer and basketball...I think bowling is pretty cheap. In some cases, even cheaper than soccer if you have good equipment and live in colder climates where you have to play soccer indoors in the winter. And much of bowling's expense...is driven by US!! WE choose to have $50 bar tabs every night. WE choose to buy the latest greatest ball when it comes out. Our league even provides bowling shoes for free to league members...which nobody takes advantage of because they have their own shoes...some that they paid WAY too much for.

Don't get me wrong...the cost is a factor. I wanted to do 2 leagues this summer and could only "afford" to do one....because it's not just the $24 a night...it's the $25-$70 in food/drinks each night....and the $100s of dollars to sweep with the team. I also really need a 4 or 5 or 6 ball roller bag for the "arsenal" I have plans for in the coming couple months. But not only is that gonna run me $100-$150 in drilling...but those roller bags are NOT cheap!! $279 for a Brunswick 6-ball...$229 for a 4-ball. Just can't swing that right now.

[Mudpuppy]

I've ridden motorcycles and hunted back in my Michigander life...but I think they were even more pointless than golf.

I mean, if you like shooting...play paintball. It's a lot more challenging when stuff can't be distracted by a pile of carrots and it actually shoots back. And while riding motorcycles is cool...it's essentially just spending the day burining up gasoline and riding around. Thats why when I used to plan rides, I'd plan them around "something". Everybody in my club always wanted to do short rides around town....but whats the point? I can drive 3 blocks down telegraph rd. on every day of the week. So I'd always lean towards rides where you actually GO somewhere...like Daytona or Sturgis or some meet-up somewhere...SOMETHING other than getting an ice cream cone. Unfortunately, that added greatly to the cost of motorcycling.

But I agree on fishing. I've never understood that. I've never been so damn bored in my life as I was fishing. I've been deer hunting for a weekend and not seen one deer or fired my gun one time...and it was still 3x as exciting as a day of fishing.

Well then I guess I just have to say you're doing it wrong. Come to Canada with me and I will show you some real hunting on the rez. As far as motorcycles you really need to do a track day or spend a week in a spot like Deal's Gap. Pointless isn't even in the dictionary.

[Aslan]

2) No "one way" that is best.
In many sports, there are oddities. Guys who have weird golf swings or goofy basketball follow-throughs or funky batting stances....and some of them do well. But usually...there is sort of a consensus best way to do something. MOST pros...will do something and you can emulate that. But in bowling, there is no "right way". The right way is the way that leads to accuracy and consistency...and one pro will often look very different in their approach/release than another pro.

Case in point, I'm gonna start a thread on spine tilt to show the frustration with this one.

[Blacksox1]

5) You must learn to move right and left and use the boards as reference points.
Whenever I have a beginning bowler ask me for help, my first question is, "Where do you start and where do you target?" If they give me a blank stare like I'm asking for their social security number...I know I can't help them...because they haven't taken the first step in bowling...knowing where to stand, standing there consistently, and moving laterally. Especially as you get better....and you start to "chase oil"...lateral movement is almost imperative....and it all starts with knowing where it all starts.

If any new bowlers are reading this thread, number 5 is very important in improving your scores !