Why do lessons go so damn well...then it doesn't translate into success!!?

[Aslan]

I've been taking lessons every few weeks or so now since sometime in November or October 2014. And the frustrating part is that I seem to do wwll...VERY well...when throwing the ball in the lesson. I then take that SAME advice...apply it to practice and league night...and I usually don't get the same result.

So what 'could' be the issues?

1) Well, the easiest answer is the most obvious difference...different centers. It "may" just be that the lanes where I get the lesson...are simply easier or more adaptable to my game. I hate using centers and lane conditions as an excuse...because I think that excuse gets over-used these days...but it IS a consistent variable.

2) ????

Just to illustrate the problem...at least the last couple lessons...I was stringing strikes together like mad. And I wasn't TRYING to score per se...I was just working on whatever we were working on. Yesterday, I actually had to stop and comment, "Honestly, I REALLY have been struggling lately! I know it doesn't LOOK that way...but I HAVE!"

I mean, and here's where the house difference may have some merit, I was missing my mark on some shots during the lesson...by as much as 4-6 boards right...and it would strike. If I miss by more than 1 board on league night...I'll be lucky to hit the pocket.

BUT...it's also the "fixes". Last night we worked on primarily THREE things.
1) My pushaway and first step need to me in unison and smooth (not robotic).
2) My approach needs to be smooth...not disconjointed. I was developing the bad habit of taking a step...then kinda pausing...then taking a few more steps...and it was messing with my timing.
3) I MUST get lower. <----THAT is not easy because I'm 6' tall and have very long legs...and weigh over 200lbs. BUT...when I get low...GOOD things happen. I hit my mark better....the ball comes off my hand better....I get better axis tilt/rotation...etc... If I DON'T get low...or if I try to stay too upright...then I start lofting it...I start grabbing it at the bottom...timing issues, etc...

I'm HOPING...that once I get some of these issues fixed...it WILL translate to league play (where it counts). BUT...if it doesn't...I'm tempted to pay the coach (if they would even do it) to come out during league night to my home center...and just watch what I'm doing. I want an 'expert' (not a self proclaimed one...my center has many of those) to watch how much I'm struggling on my lanes versus the lanes where I get my lessons.

And the RISK is...IF IT IS THE CENTER...then I have a dilemma. My stubbornness will want me to stay at the center and defeat it. But if the center is creating a shot...that is essentially playing like a PBA Scorpion with oil carrydown smeared up the right side to about 50ft...and the center refuses to clean/apply fresh oil before league play (even for their flagship league of 172 bowlers)...then maybe I have to go to a different center. And that creates another problem...which one? In order of preference:

- AMF Carter is the only other convenient center to get to in traffic...but that center is a horrible example of Bowlmor/AMF. And one reason I left this center after one short 10-week league...was lane conditions were horrible. Flooded during league play (3rd heaviest volume I've played in southern california) and then as dry as plywood during open bowling/practice.

- LaHabra300 is an option because it's close to where I work and on the way home...but I wouldn't be able to bowl there on the weekends or anything...too far to drive. But it's a very well run private center and has $1 games on Thursday which is convenient for practicing.

- AMF Friendly Hills is close to my work...but another horrid example AMF/Bowlmor and that place will likely close soon. And even though it's closer to my work than La Habra...the new and improved AMF hours mean this place is closed until 4PM nearly every weekday...so lunchtime practice is out.

- Linbrook Bowl; they are open 24 hours which is kinda cool in terms of practice time...but it's a bit harder to get to in rush hour.

- And Tustin Lanes (where I have my lessons) would be awesome because I bowl well there...but it's hit or miss during rush hour. I could get there in 20 minutes from my apartment...or it could take almost 2 hours. It's all freeway...harder to get to using surface streets than the other choices.

- Chapparell 300 and Brunswick Classic Lanes are both closer to me...but impossible to get to in rush hour. Both MWhite and I didn't like the idea of an 8AM sunday sport shot league....but honestly, any later than 10AM on any day...even the weekend...and I can't get there in under 45 minutes.

People that don't live in Southern California would marvel at how many bowling centers actually exist in a small radius...especially those from more rural areas where you got 1-2 choices within an hour's drive. The DOWNside to Southern CA is you could be 8 miles away and if traffic is backed up...that 8 miles could take 45 minutes.

I could have abbreviated the post and left off the blow by blow of the centers...but I know Mudpuppy and DHoff appreciate a lengthy post...and I aim to please!

My child care situation changes in June...and I may move closer to the city (Anaheim/L.A.) to save money on rent and shorten the commute. If/when I do that...especially if it's the apartments I was kinda scoping out...Linbrook will be the clear winner because it'll be right up the street from my apartment...almost (but not quite) walkable distance.

[zdawg]

Another option would be to have somebody capture some video on league night and then show that footage to your coach and see what they have to say. Unfortunately the side view tells a lot and would be virtually impossible to shoot on league night, any chance you could get some side view footage from open bowling?

This would be a relatively inexpensive way of your coach "watching" you on league night, then again if your coach is willing to be there in person for a reasonable price that I suppose would be ideal.

[RobLV1]

"Just to illustrate the problem...at least the last couple lessons...I was stringing strikes together like mad. And I wasn't TRYING to score per se...I was just working on whatever we were working on. Yesterday, I actually had to stop and comment, "Honestly, I REALLY have been struggling lately! I know it doesn't LOOK that way...but I HAVE!"

You answered your own question. As I have indicated so often in the past, you are your own worst enemy. Stop thinking so much and just bowl! God, I wish I could follow my own advice. LOL

[J Anderson]

So what 'could' be the issues?


I mean, and here's where the house difference may have some merit, I was missing my mark on some shots during the lesson...by as much as 4-6 boards right...and it would strike. If I miss by more than 1 board on league night...I'll be lucky to hit the pocket.

To me it looks like you're lined up correctly during your lessons. On league night you're not playing the pattern right if you have to be dead on target on a house shot.

[Amyers]

"Just to illustrate the problem...at least the last couple lessons...I was stringing strikes together like mad. And I wasn't TRYING to score per se...I was just working on whatever we were working on. Yesterday, I actually had to stop and comment, "Honestly, I REALLY have been struggling lately! I know it doesn't LOOK that way...but I HAVE!"

You answered your own question. As I have indicated so often in the past, you are your own worst enemy. Stop thinking so much and just bowl! God, I wish I could follow my own advice. LOL

This is it!!! Bowling is one of the few sports that makes you balance mental and physical. Try to hard or want it too bad you are done before you start. I wish I could take this advice also

[dnhoffman]

I know you might recoil at anything I post, but honestly after reading about 10% of most of your posts (I have a full time job after all, so I can't read your full posts, as each one is approximately 1200 words) I can honestly say you over think the heck out of everything man.

Above 180, bowling is more a mental challenge than a physical one I think. You have to think about everything you want to do when you're sitting down waiting your turn, but once you step up on the lane you need to relax and not think, time to shut up, relax your muscles, and bowl.

[vdubtx]

"Just to illustrate the problem...at least the last couple lessons...I was stringing strikes together like mad. And I wasn't TRYING to score per se...I was just working on whatever we were working on. Yesterday, I actually had to stop and comment, "Honestly, I REALLY have been struggling lately! I know it doesn't LOOK that way...but I HAVE!"

You answered your own question. As I have indicated so often in the past, you are your own worst enemy. Stop thinking so much and just bowl! God, I wish I could follow my own advice. LOL

This, this, a thousand times this. Stop over thinking each and every movement of your game every single time you are up on the approach. Get in your stance, lock on your target, get into your approach and let the ball swing. Thinking about making micro adjustments here and there are affecting the way you bowl and will continue to do so until you free your mind and just get out there and let gravity and the ball do the work.

You have made some really great strides since the first video's I remember seeing of you bowling. No reason that you can't continue to improve, but as Rob pointed out, you are over thinking and forcing things to happen. They just won't when you force them. I know, I have been there. Trying too hard to make the ball hook with more wrist action or whatever in my case, was a detriment to my game. Once I stopped over doing it, and just letting my arm swing free and letting the ball do what it is engineered to do, is when my average started to creep up.

Keep at it Aslan, you will get there.

[Perrin]

I'll re-enforce what the other guys said. "trying to score" is the worst thing you can do when bowling.


It's just like with women if you are just trying to score they can sense it and you will get nowhere.

[Aslan]

That WOULD also explain why last Tuesday in league play I struck 6 straight times in practice and then bowled a 456 series.

I mean, on the last 4 of those strikes...I wasn't even trying to strike...I was aiming right of my line trying to burn in some miss room.

I talked about all this with Rob in the past...work in progress. And I talked about it at my lesson Wednesday; the mental side of it. And they are both in agreement that I need to not think so much. And I HAVE improved. Early on I was thinking of 4-8 things simultaneously while taking 4 steps on the approach. There were a couple times I was thinking SO much I almost forgot to let go of the ball...which is embarassing.

But...NOW...thats down to about 3 things.

- I HAVE TO think about my pushaway. While I used to not really think of it much at ALL...I've recently realized that if my pushaway is off...my first step is off...and umltimately my timing gets messed up. So I MUST think about that. Position my hand to the side, weight of the ball in my left hand, push OUT, right hand goes under the ball, but keep the left hand ON the ball until it's extended.

- The NEW thing I'm working on is I have to tell myself to let the approach be less choppy and more fluid. This is also something Rob and I worked on a little bit. Rob used to say that I need to think about the approach/process more like a "dance"...it should be more graceful. If I don't THINK about that...I have the bad tendency to stutter step during the approach = horrible timing problems.

- The other NEW thing (not really new...just something I haven't focused on as much because I was focusing on other things) is getting LOW. If I don't think about it...I have the tendency to just walk up and toss the ball like I'm playing horseshoes. High loft, the ball lands 10-15ft out...I'm straight up and down...and it leads to problems with the ball in terms of finding the pocket. Either I don't get any significant RPMs on the ball...and miss right leaving a 1-2-8...or the ball hooks too early due to excessive axis rotation (and not enough axis tilt) and I go through the head.

So those are my "3 things". After each lesson...I have to promise the coach that I "won't add to the list". I have that tendency...either as a result of practice...or a result of things I am reading online...or whatever.

My last "things" were the push-away and then Form, Focus, and Follow-through. Those were easier to think about because they all started with an "F". The problem seems to be that while all those things are important...my footwork was causing my timing to be off and as many have agreed on here in multiple threads...and my coach agrees...if you're timing is off...you're screwed. It's almost impossible to make a good shot with bad timing.

Before that...etc...etc...etc...

I DO feel like I'm getting better. I could tell after getting lessons from Rob the 1st time that the things he had me work on were actually fixing alot of inconsistencies and issues and making me better. And thats happening even faster now that I am getting regular instruction [from a different coach...because Rob = 5-hour drive : (]. I just have to learn to be patient. Once a lot of these things "just happen" without me thinking about them...I think my mind will CLEAR...and then, yeah, like everyone is saying...you just go up and make the shot. But...until those things "just happen on their own"...I'm gonna have to think about them...or they won't happen. And yes, mental side = important. I need to be more relaxed. I need to fight the urge to make constant micro-adjustments. And I need to be patient. Every series isn't going to be 500+...not yet. I can't roll a 212 and then a 157 and then completely fall apart. I can't miss a single 2-pin and then go on to miss 3 more single-pins because my confidence is shot.

[dnhoffman]

It's all about the mental game for you.

You don't even really have to be that good to consistently bowl above 180 or even 200, you just need to learn to repeat a shot. And you'll never do that if you're introducing different mental variables every time you go onto the approach.