How do you look at the lane??

[fortheloveofbowling]

I sometimes like to ask teammates or better bowlers: What do you see out there or what are looking for? In doing this i may be trying to help a fellow bowler or trying to catch a glimpse of what is in the mind of a really good bowler. In asking this i'm not talking about where you target. I want to know what you are looking for the ball to do and how you use the lane to do it. Many times bowlers don't want to readily admit that some things they just don't do as well and pretend they can play any angle anywhere on the lane. Even many top pba players are simply no where near as effective if they don't see their desired angles and ball motions.

So my questions to you are: What are you looking for on the lane ideally?.....What is your desired ball motion throughout the lane?.....What do you have trouble doing?..... What do you have trouble seeing?..... It is very important to understand what makes you the most effective and what makes you the least effective. I'm going to wait on my own answers just to see how others approach these things within their own games.

[RobLV1]

Great question! Personally, as a lower rev player, I look for miss room. On some lanes, you can miss outside and see the ball come screaming back to the pocket. On other lanes, you can miss left and watch the ball hold pocket and strike at will. Higher rev players tend to look at where to play for maximum power to the pocket. I firmly believe that lower rev players can benefit from figuring out where they can miss and chose a ball (s) and line (s) and play accordingly.

[fortheloveofbowling]

Thanks for the reply Rob but maybe it wasn't such a great question or maybe i was vague in the question itself. Hell, we get more posts on whether to throw straight or hook the ball. That is fine but there are many bowlers on here that may gain valuable insight from learning how some approach their own games.

Here are some different ways bowlers may tend to look at the lane:
1) A high rev player that plays only big angles through the front and uses the heavier oil in the middle to hold until the break point.
2) A lower ball speed person that can't see friction early and stays in the oil line and just lets the ball roll off the end of the pattern.
3) A high speed lower rev rate player that stand right on top of the friction farther out in an effort to create some angle to the pocket.
4) A guy like Rob that sounds like he looks for the shim (where oil line starts to meet the higher friction) and plays for friction right and uses oil for miss left. This is my first option on any shot really.

These are really just a very very small sample of the tendencies you may have and many players have several different ways of looking at the lanes. In regards to things i have trouble with, one is playing tight angles very deep because i have a higher axis tilt and at nearly 50 don't have quite as much hand to carry 1/2 pocket hits from those angles. I don't have really any trouble seeing any angles just the knowledge that some may be less effective than other options. So, any of these examples or combinations sound like how you look at the lane? Looking at the lane is not just targeting it is trying to visualize the oil and the dry sections and how to use those in relation to your game. Learning to see what you can't really see is how you learn to play the lane. Thoughts??????

[Tony]

I have to admit I didn't quite understand where you were going until reading your response, I tend to start using cushion on the edge of the oil at the beginning of the night, and as I move deeper chasing the inner edge, I get to the point where I have to stay inside the oil on the upper part of the lane and throw the ball out so I get to the outside of the oil far enough right allowing the ball can break back to the pocket.
I also admit I didn't exactly realize what I was doing just that I had to do it to get strikes.

[bobforsaken]

I don't know if I qualify to answer this and honestly I'm still learning how to adjust smoothly once my shot goes away. I tend to start out well if I find my shot early but have a few holes until I find my adjustment. I either start with a lighter oil ball and play straight up the boards in the friction and make parallel moves until I get to the shim. I have a 7 board offset so I start 15 to 8 or 16 to 9. When I get to 17 to 10 or 18 to 11 I may add a bit of angle to get it to the dry (shot a 289 this way) or I start with a Medium or heavy Oil ball playing the shim.. Usually 19 to 11 or 10 depending on the ball I'm using. As I start to creep into the pocket to steep and see a trip 4 or leave a 9 pin I'll attempt to adjust but parallel moves, 2 and 1 or 3 and 2 moves often leave me hitting the pocket weak, so lately I've balled down and kept the same line for another few frames.

[RobLV1]

There are so many answers to this question that it boggles the mind. To my original post, no, I don't look to play the shim. I look to see what the lane is giving me in terms of miss area. If a lane is giving me room right, but no shim, I'll use an aggressive ball and play the room right. If a lane is giving me shim but no room right, I'll use a less aggressive ball and play more direct. If a lane is giving me room right and a shim, I'll shoot lights out, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen often. When I'm most challenged is when I have to move in as the line dries up, but in doing so I run into other, more powerful bowler's lines, and can't get it back with my lower rev rate. At that point, I will ball down, and come more up the back of the oil to try to continue to play the oil that's still there. Sometimes it even works!

[fortheloveofbowling]

I don't know if I qualify to answer this and honestly I'm still learning how to adjust smoothly once my shot goes away.

Everyone qualifies, i just thought with a variety of answers it may give some people different ideas on lane play.

[Mike White]

I don't know if I qualify to answer this and honestly I'm still learning how to adjust smoothly once my shot goes away. I tend to start out well if I find my shot early but have a few holes until I find my adjustment. I either start with a lighter oil ball and play straight up the boards in the friction and make parallel moves until I get to the shim. I have a 7 board offset so I start 15 to 8 or 16 to 9. When I get to 17 to 10 or 18 to 11 I may add a bit of angle to get it to the dry (shot a 289 this way) or I start with a Medium or heavy Oil ball playing the shim.. Usually 19 to 11 or 10 depending on the ball I'm using. As I start to creep into the pocket to steep and see a trip 4 or leave a 9 pin I'll attempt to adjust but parallel moves, 2 and 1 or 3 and 2 moves often leave me hitting the pocket weak, so lately I've balled down and kept the same line for another few frames.

I have to ask....

2 and 1 or 3 and 2 are parallel moves????

[bowl1820]

I'll attempt to adjust but parallel moves, 2 and 1 or 3 and 2 moves often leave me hitting the pocket weak, So lately I've balled down and kept the same line for another few frames.

I have to ask....

2 and 1 or 3 and 2 are parallel moves????

I believe He's not saying 2:1 and 3:2 are parallel moves.

Just That parallel moves and 2:1 and 3:2 moves leave him hitting weak.

[Aslan]

So my questions to you are: What are you looking for on the lane ideally?.....

As a below average bowler with less aggressive equipment; I'm looking for a line that gets the ball to the pocket first and then which line has the best carry (if multiple lines get to the pocket). Then I try a ball lower and see if it provides an advantage over ball #1.

What is your desired ball motion throughout the lane?.....

Ideally I need the ball not to react too early and either go through the nose or lose significant carry energy before hitting the pocket.

What do you have trouble doing?.....

Everything (See "below average bowler")

What do you have trouble seeing?.....

I struggle to see the exact breakpoint downlane. And I'm not at the level yet where I can properly evaluate whether the ball is losing energy. I also struggle to get anything from the ball traveling through the pindeck (most of the time I just forget to watch).