ball reaction vs inconsistent bowler?

[boatman37]

So tonight I started out with the Conspiracy as I usually do. 1 frame I'm light next frame I'm crossing in front of the headpin. Seemed to be hitting my target fairly consistently but seemed when it crossed over it seemed to have more revs. Couldn't figure it out and figured it was something I was doing so didn't change balls until game 3. 3rd game I got the Kingpin out and my first 3 balls with it were pocket strikes. Up until that point I had only hit the pocket maybe 2 or 3 times all night. Once I switched to the Kingpin I hit th pocket on all but 1 shot. I didn't feel any different in game 3 and my release felt the same. Was this a ball issue or a bowler issue? I was reluctant to change balls earlier since I was so inconsistent with my shot placement that I figured a different ball wouldn't matter.

And both balls had a very similar shape and I played the exact same line (standing on about 17 with right foot and targeting 9 at the arrows-lefty)

174, 145, 211. Had 5 strikes in the first 2 games and 8 in the last game

[J Anderson]

I don’t have time to answer this right now but I would like to ask if your target is a point, i.e. a dot or an arrow or is it a line down to your break point?

[boatman37]

I don’t have time to answer this right now but I would like to ask if your target is a point, i.e. a dot or an arrow or is it a line down to your break point?

My target is at the arrows. Targeted the 9 board at the arrows. I don't look down lane at the breakpoint. Tried in the past but haven't been able to catch on to that so I went back to targeting at the arrows

[djp1080]

My target is at the arrows. Targeted the 9 board at the arrows. I don't look down lane at the breakpoint. Tried in the past but haven't been able to catch on to that so I went back to targeting at the arrows

You should try your best to watch what the ball is doing as it's going down the lane. Many times you'll likely hit your target at the arrows or the dots and your ball rolls off your hand nicely with a good feeling. When that happens, chances are real good you'll get that strike. Sometimes when that happens, you don't. If you can move your eyes from your target after the ball rolls over it, try to look down at the range finders down about 42 feet down the lane and see where your ball is rolling. On a house shot my ball is usually around board 8 or 9 if it's a good one. Another thing to check is once your ball has hit the pins you could easily check your slide foot and see where you end up on your shots. When I look down at my feet after a shot, I seldom if ever am off more than a board. Poor shots for me usually has to do with my hand position at the release.

[vdubtx]

1. Ball speed on each shot could be slower or faster.
2. Laydown point varied between shots with angle difference?
3. Over/Under conditions can do this.

Was someone else on pair throwing urethane on your line?

[boatman37]

1. Ball speed on each shot could be slower or faster.
2. Laydown point varied between shots with angle difference?
3. Over/Under conditions can do this.

Was someone else on pair throwing urethane on your line?

Ball speed was consistent until I switched to the Kingpin. I didn't do anything differently in trying to slow it down but it was about 1 MPH slower. Maybe cause it had more angle at the sensors?

Not sure on the urethane. We had to change pairs after each game last night and had a different team on our pair in game 2. Games 1 and 3 were the same team with us and most threw Radical or Motiv so don't think there was any urethane. And I started game 3 with the Conspiracy until the 4th frame and struggled until then so it likely wasn't the lane that made the difference.

[Aslan]

Speed variation or inconsistent release would be my best guess.

[boatman37]

Speed variation or inconsistent release would be my best guess.

That was my thoughts too until I changed balls. Up until the 3rd frame of game 3 I had only hit the pocket 2 or 3 shots all night. My first 3 with the other ball were pocket strikes and all but 1 from the 4th frame on were right in the pocket.

[J Anderson]

My target is at the arrows. Targeted the 9 board at the arrows. I don't look down lane at the breakpoint. Tried in the past but haven't been able to catch on to that so I went back to targeting at the arrows

Ball speed was consistent until I switched to the Kingpin. I didn't do anything differently in trying to slow it down but it was about 1 MPH slower. Maybe cause it had more angle at the sensors?

Not sure on the urethane. We had to change pairs after each game last night and had a different team on our pair in game 2. Games 1 and 3 were the same team with us and most threw Radical or Motiv so don't think there was any urethane. And I started game 3 with the Conspiracy until the 4th frame and struggled until then so it likely wasn't the lane that made the difference.

If you are targeting at the arrows and not watching the ball all the way out to the break point and through the pins, you could wind up with the idea that you are on target but getting wildly different reaction on each shot. However, if you are not releasing the ball at the same spot, your line will be different each time. Say you are targeting 2nd arrow with the ball crossing the foul line at the eleventh board, the ball should get out to 8 at the break point. If you drift a bit inside and send the ball over the line at 12, it will head out to 6. Drift the other way just one board and the ball goes straight down 10 until it hits the friction. Thus even with hitting your target all three shots, your break point has varied by four boards. If you’re lined up right on a THS this might not matter too much. If you aren’t lined up right, that down lane variance might cause the problem you’ve described.

If you are changing pairs after each game, to some extent you are at the mercy of who ever bowled before you on that pair. While this is mostly a problem in sport leagues where there is little room for error on the fresh, you can run into trouble moving pairs on a THS. For example, if you follow a group of crankers throwing heavy oil balls you might find there is no hold area left on your normal line.

[boatman37]

If you are targeting at the arrows and not watching the ball all the way out to the break point and through the pins, you could wind up with the idea that you are on target but getting wildly different reaction on each shot. However, if you are not releasing the ball at the same spot, your line will be different each time. Say you are targeting 2nd arrow with the ball crossing the foul line at the eleventh board, the ball should get out to 8 at the break point. If you drift a bit inside and send the ball over the line at 12, it will head out to 6. Drift the other way just one board and the ball goes straight down 10 until it hits the friction. Thus even with hitting your target all three shots, your break point has varied by four boards. If you’re lined up right on a THS this might not matter too much. If you aren’t lined up right, that down lane variance might cause the problem you’ve described.

If you are changing pairs after each game, to some extent you are at the mercy of who ever bowled before you on that pair. While this is mostly a problem in sport leagues where there is little room for error on the fresh, you can run into trouble moving pairs on a THS. For example, if you follow a group of crankers throwing heavy oil balls you might find there is no hold area left on your normal line.

Yeah. We don't normally move but for the rolloffs we did. But I'm a lefty so not as bad as most will face. The team we were paired with in games 1 and 3 are heavy crankers but only 1 of them is a lefty. We have 3 lefties on our team too with 1 being a heavier cranker but I bowl with him every week.

I see what you are saying about the ball down lane but when I switched balls it was like flipping a light switch. I wouldn't think it was inconsistency on my part since a ball switch fixed it.

Another question...the Kingpin only had a couple games on it since the last sanding where the Conspiracy had about 30 or so. Could that have been it?