Question regarding moving left. Any systems??

[RobLV1]

So stop playing outside.

[Amyers]

Oh I do if it's not controllable or if the ball is burning up I move over to the line I was talking about earlier

[Aslan]

Aslan I wonder if two things aren't happening to you one I wonder if your ball speed is dropping in that third game and causing the ball to hook more or more likely when you are moving left you may be moving yourself into the track that those other players are leaving who are playing ten twelve there isn't a whole lot of oil on most patterns out at 5 anyway. Have you tried moving in to 15 (third arrow) and moving right with feet? I like to play between 8-10 but if it burns up a lot of time I can move in put the feet at 25 to thirty and throw at 15 to 17. I've never seen you play a line like that in you videos have you ever tried it?

Yes. One thing I've been trying lately...instead of continuing to move left....is to ball down and try to play the 13-board and hug the heavy oil with more of a slightly inside yet fairly straight shot.

As a 3rd option...I will stray inside if I'm still getting too much hook...but I really, really struggle inside...haven't developed that game yet. And I don't have the equipment that makes playing inside a good option. Later this summer I'm gonna expand my arsenal a little bit and after that I'm hopeful I'll have something that will allow me to be more comoftable playing inside. But until then...if the inside isn't working...I go to the 4th option of a straight shot up the 12-board using a very weak ball. If that 4th option is STILL not working...which only happened once...then I start to play with my speed and loft since the only OTHER option is throwing a conventional drilled 14lb urethane ball straight at the pocket.

But like I said...USUALLY....I don't have to move too much until the 3rd game. The only time I have to move earlier is if the other team is ALL righties and 2-3 of them play that outside line. Then I know I gotta get creative because I'll have 2-3 people burning what little oil is outside and about 4 burning up the 2nd arrow. Fortunately playing the outside went out of style in the 90s so not too many bowlers still do it.

[Amyers]

Aslan when you are trying to play that inside line are you throwing it across the third arrow and trying to sweep it out and it come back or are you playing straighter towards the head pin? I can throw straighter on and just have a small hook to bring it in the pocket but I can't throw the big sweeping hook either. like third arrow out to 5 or 8 like you see in some of the videos if you know what I'm talking about.

[Aslan]

Aslan when you are trying to play that inside line are you throwing it across the third arrow and trying to sweep it out and it come back or are you playing straighter towards the head pin? I can throw straighter on and just have a small hook to bring it in the pocket but I can't throw the big sweeping hook either. like third arrow out to 5 or 8 like you see in some of the videos if you know what I'm talking about.

I "try" to throw it down the 15-20 area toward the breakpoint. But since it doesn't have that "snap" (weaker equipment, low revs)...it either careens off into the 3 or 6 pin...or it doesn't quite make it back enough and I get left with a 1-2-4-10...which SHOULD be a split for all intensive purposes.

I AM able to play a little closer to center...like 5 left of center...throw it towards the outside of the 15-arrow and if I throw it "just right" (low speed, hit my mark perfectly) I can get it to go a little right of center and then come back into the pocket. But with that straight of a shot and horrible entry angle...it's usually a split-fest.

Playing inside you HAVE TO be confident your ball will come back to the pocket. And if you can't generate 350rpms...or have a ball designed for a tamer shot...it's just not gonna happen. Watch any youtube video on these new ball releases...you'll see staffers throwing from the left gutter out to the 9-board and the ball takes a 90-degree turn into the pocket. But thats a cranker throwing 450-650rpms with an aggressive drill layout...not to mention they tend to edit out the times it doesn't strike.

Gonna try to upgrade my equipment later this summer...see if that helps. If it doesn't, plan B will be to upgrade my release. I'll probably need to get another lesson from Rob...try to develop a more modern release so I can get my revs up a little without developing any bad habits "trying" to add revs.

[Amyers]

I understand that shot always looks so pretty in the videos though I would love to be able to throw it I think with the right equipment I could do it but I struggle opening my shoulders to create that angle too. I wonder if I do buy the ball if I can do it and do it accurately.

[Aslan]

Had a little trouble with this today.

I recently switched to Rob's method of trying to match the line to what the lanes present you with. And I recently added an "arsenal" so now I'm presented with the idea of "balling down/up".

So, the question is…for those that have arsenals…when do you stop the lateral adjustments and ball down?

Here's something I found on the internet:
"...setting up in your comfort zone, your A game with your medium ball. Then move 2 and 2 right/outside, but target as far down the lane as you need to strike. Once you strike twice in a row, move 2 and 2 again until you again strike twice in a row..Now you should have moved 4 boards nearly an arrow distance."

Then, you are supposed to bring your target "in" and start moving the feet/target 2 and 2 left/inside.

[RobLV1]

How about instead of thinking in terms of balling up or balling down, you think in terms of selecting a ball that will store the energy until it can be most efficiently used to carry the corner pins. As I posted earlier, the idea of changing bowling balls is not to try to find one that will get you to the pocket on the area of the lane where you want to play, but to find one that will carry the corner pins once you find the area of the lane where the lane wants you to play.

[Amyers]

Well I'm new to the arsenal thing so take this with a grain of salt but I move when I see the the ball coming high to the pocket or the ball coming threw the left side of the 8 pin as it goes through the rack.

On changing balls I stick with the same ball until I've moved to where I'm no longer confortable with my line.

I am going to take Robs advice with the three lines at start to see if I can start a little farther right than I have been with the asylum to give me a little more room to adjust before getting to that area where I'm uncomfortable.

[Aslan]

How about instead of thinking in terms of balling up or balling down, you think in terms of selecting a ball that will store the energy until it can be most efficiently used to carry the corner pins. As I posted earlier, the idea of changing bowling balls is not to try to find one that will get you to the pocket on the area of the lane where you want to play, but to find one that will carry the corner pins once you find the area of the lane where the lane wants you to play.

Okay, I get that…but lets agree that you try 3 lines and let the lanes dictate which line to play. And we'll just talk about 1 lane so not to confuse things…

IF you pick you line..based on what the LANE DICTATES…and the ball strikes…then leaves a 7-pin…

…and you hit the SAME mark with the same speed and release…

…you are going to have to decide on a change. I see 4 OPTIONS:

1) Ball
2) Target (forward or back)
3) Speed
4) Feet (laterally)

I think most bowlers move their feet…and like Amyers…they move feet a certain number of boards, then target, then feet, until they get out of their comfort zone.

I used to move left, then ball down and play a different line, then move left….etc… I tried not to mess with speed and target (further/closer). And "usually", I never ended up moving enough to justify a changed target, much less ball up or ball down.

Under the "new" system…I'm using a "middle reaction" ball and AFTER letting the lane DICTATE which line to play…I then have a ball that I CAN ball up or ball down.

So, this is how it worked in Game 1 today in the sports league:

Left Lane, dictated to play the middle line (11-board)…my #3 ball (#1 being most aggressive on that line and #5 being least aggressive on that line) was the < aggressive Encounter…so thats what I used (also used in determining the line of course).

So, I struck in warm-up, then again in frame 1.

So, I move over 2 boards right with me feet and 2 boards right with my target…I hit light and leave a single 2-pin. I make a slight adjustment with my feet to the right.

I then strike again. I then strike again. I now move 2 boards right with my feet and target. But, I then go slightly through the head and leave a 6-10.

BUT I FORGOT!! I was supposed to ball down and go back to the original target line after double striking twice.

So in frame #1 of the next game, I ball down, original target line, and STRIKE.

But thats where things fell apart. Some due to errant shots I'm sure…but I would miss right, adjust, miss right, adjust, go through the head (split), adjust, miss right, adjust, miss right, adjust, go through the head, adjust, miss right, adjust, miss right, adjust.

After that mess of 2 games, I balled back up and moved back to the original line…strike, strike. So, I moved 2 and 2 right.

Then, hit right, adjust, through the head/8-pin, adjust, then miss right again.

The point of the recap is, the system sounds great…when you're striking. But it doesn't really tell you what to do when you are hitting the pocket and leaving single 2-pins, 3-pins, 4-pins, 6-pins, 7-pins, and 10-pins. So you're back to adjusting slightly to the left or right with your feet…and trying to get the right speed…AND the right spot to lay it down. I mean, I hit the pocket twice…with what looked like great shots…and left a single 7-pin and a 7-9 split. I wasn't sure if I should keep adjusting back and forth…change my speed, change my release, change my target (forward/back).

And it didn't help that the pattern was the PBA Wolf, which is notorious for not only being short…but the fact that it changes so much due to carry-down from game to game. So just when I thought I had a good line and was moving right as designed…every third game I'd miss left and have to re-adjust…then miss right a couple times and adjust back. It felt like I was shooting at a moving target…and due to the carry down…I probably WAS.