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Thread: Summer Practice

  1. #1
    Bowling Guru
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    Jan 2010
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    Connecticut
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    Default Summer Practice

    A little background first; I am one of the coaches for our local junior league. Before COVID the center gave us an hour and a half of free lane time on Wednesday afternoons to work with the kids. We generally had 12 to 18 kids and two or three coaches spread out over 4 to 6 lanes. We tried to be pretty structured, having everyone on one lane doing one step drill, the next lane doing push-away drills and so on with the kids switching lanes every 15-20 minutes. Since COVID the management feels they can't give away that much lineage. Instead my friend Tim and I try to be at the center and we practice with whatever kids show up. Everyone pays for the games they bowl at a significant discount.

    Yesterday we started out with just one of our juniors, a big school student named Max. Tim and Max warmed up by rolling a game of Low Ball. I warmed up doing a modified version of 5 Ball drill. In normal 5 Ball you shoot the 10 pin then the 3 pin, then the 7 pin and the 2 pin, and then go for the strike on ball five. when you miss a pin you start over again at the 10 pin. I started with the 7 pin lefty, then tried to get the spare right handed. Then I shot at the 2-4 and again went for the spare right handed. Next frame was the 10 pin and the frame after was the 3-6 (missed then got it the next frame) At that point I switched to shooting the 10, 3-6, 7, & 2-4 right handed and going for the spare lefty. One of our alumni, Cameron joined us for the next two games. Some of us tried playing as close to the gutter as possible, basically laying the ball down outside of the 5 board. I tried starting on a different dot on the approach and seeing where I had to aim to get to the pocket. The third game we played a game where you get a point when you double, 2 for a triple, 3 for 4 in a row and so on. you lose a point for an open. and two points if you miss two spares in a row. Max was the winner after starting with a double then going open , spare, open, sheet. I started a string in the 5th, got a spare in the 9th and only got the first two in the tenth to come in second. Tim and Cameron were a distant 3rd & 4th.

    So how do you practice in the summer?
    John

  2. #2
    Ringer
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Riverside, CA
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    395
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    Default

    Not necessarily the summer, but:

    we get two free games on Tues and Wed so I'll buy a third game.

    First game, just warm up, focus on free swing and hitting my target.

    Second game - get out the d6 and play target practice. roll a 1, hit the 7; roll a 2, hit the 4; roll a 3, hit the 2; roll a 4, hit the 3; roll a 5, hit the 6; roll a 6, hit the 10 (basically count from the left to right, skip the headpin) - honor system and 1 point for each hit. Max points is 20. Makes legitimate practice into a game.

    Third game - focus on something that needs focus. Lately it's been posting my shot but with the way the shot has been around here, I might try flirting with the gutter - throwing up outside 5, just to get my tolerance of that better and to not be as nervous about it.

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