Bowling Diary

[Grimthrow]

@JerseyJim - I think the arm was just sore because I haven't bowled in years, and when I did I used a 11 pound ball. My arm just wasn't used to it. And yes probably the first day I was muscling it a tad. Since then I've learned to relax my arm completely. I bowled 7 games today and it feels completely fine. I would think even a beginner that knows how to relax his entire arm and wrist would still feel a little sore after their first couple days.

[J Anderson]

I can sympathize about the ball speed. I've had nights, especially bowling on the PBA Shark pattern, where I can't throw slower than 16 mph.
Part of your ball speed comes from the swing. The higher the ball is held in your stance, the greater the potential energy, the faster the speed.
The other part is from the speed of your approach. For most people, i.e. everyone but me, moving their starting position closer to the foul line will automatically cause them to take smaller, slower step. We're talking 4 to 8 inches closer.
The combination of the two should get you back down to 12-13 mph.

[Grimthrow]

Day 6 and 7 - Had a party last night so I woke up late...then got called into work so no bowling for today. It also doesn't look like I will tomorrow because there's a big tournament at my alley. I might go and watch. Be back on Monday for the normal schedule!!

[Grimthrow]

Day 8 - 5 games. Each game I decided to bowl from a different line. This was just to see if anything else worked, and if I could get some extra revs on the ball from left to right.

1st game I bowled in normal position, all the way to the right using the furthest right arrow. Need to work on form still.

2nd game I moved left a bit and moved left an arrow as well. Basically trying to bowl like how Earl Anthony bowled. Not bad, not as good as I normally bowl but maybe it's because I'm new to it.

Spares are still getting better but I'm leaving a couple open frames each game, not good.

3rd game I'm on the left side, not all the way though. First time I've bowled left to right. My hook sucks, every once and a while I'll figure it out, but nothing hits the pocket flush. Lot's of oil around the middle, good thing I brought a towel.

4th game I'm all the way left. Let's just chalk this one up as laughable.

5th game I went back to normal position all the way right. I tried something new and very noteworthy. I tried to keep my first throw as straight as possible, yet it was hooking into the pocket! It was not going straight...it was hooking...into the pocket. Clearly I still don't understand what my hand/wrist/fingers are doing down there. The more I try to put revs on, the less I get. The more I try to throw straight, the more revs I get. Weird.

Either way I'm excited to go back tomorrow. I need to figure this out.

[Grimthrow]

Day 9 - Woke up late, only got to throw 3 games.

So much hook! What happened today? I had to step left a bit to compensate. I kept the speed down just fine today. Other then that, not much to say. I averaged around 150 for the 3 games. I think within the next couple weeks I'll be able to figure out exactly how I'll be bowling for awhile, not as much experimenting. Then I can get a proper average figured out. I'm hoping it will be 170+, just need to pick up them spares.

When I know for sure exactly how I want to bowl (form, approach, ball speed, etc), I want to start heading to other bowling alley's in the Twin Cities area just to get used to more then one alley.

[Grimthrow]

Day 10-15

Only bowled 2 days in the last 5 days. 5 games a piece.

Spares are continuing to come along just fine. I feel like I'm hitting the pocket but I'm leaving pins all over the place. I'm not sure if I just have the wrong angle, not enough speed (for more pin action), or....I really don't know what it is. Still averaging in the 150's at the end of every day. The fact that I'm not getting many strikes at all is what's killing me. I maybe get one or two a game....yet I'm hitting the pocket (or close to it) on almost every throw. Weird.

[Grimthrow]

Took a week+ off for a yearly Treasure Hunt worth $10,000 in my local area. Came really close to winning it.

Bowled 4 games on Sunday and 4 today.

Sunday was my first time using a sport lane, I really liked it for some reason, a lot better reaction for my throw. Today was pretty bad, just couldn't hit the pocket.

[Grimthrow]

The last week I've been playing about 4 or 5 games a day. One of those games I practice throwing at the 7 and 10 pins the whole game. Just trying to get used to hitting those two marks.

My ball ALWAYS hooks too early on the league lanes. If I bowl any faster or move and boards left though, it won't hook at all. I just can't figure it out. So today I just got sick of it and started aiming at a spot further down the lane to create a little bit more loft. Well the ball isn't hooking much, but it's pretty accurate, and I'm getting strikes. So i'm going to experiment with this for awhile.

[striker12]

in my time of bowling i have been changing styles after styles getting that perfect 1 im a 5 step aproach-righty-tweener-and cracker but the thing i use to do when i first started bowling i had a nice shot but when my one bowling ball that i had with a oval thumb got major dents into it all over my line i had to put it away until i got the money to get it fixed then i was useing my other ball whcih thumb hole was way to big soo at that point i started mussling the ball which luckly this year im out of that and know i got my full thumb in the ball in stead of a half a thumb im still jsut trying to find my right style i have jsut recently tunked my pink in and it helps me out causes its hard with my bowling mostly when i have lost alot of revs form changing to full thumb in but it has also got me out of mussleing the ball my approach is much better i ust eed more practice with my accurace and with staying consisant with all my shots

[Grimthrow]

Bowled with a tucked pinky finger today. I liked it a lot, much more control. I still have a very low amount of revs on my ball, it has to be in my release...