Hitting My Mark

[billf]

Seems that process would only work if you know the oil pattern. If you don't know the oil pattern then you have to make a guess as to where the oil pattern ends to use this process. Plus you could fall under the spell of over thinking.

The point of the article is that conventional teaching is looking at a mark near the arrows. This is an area uncomfortable for a lot of bowlers and it's now accepted to change wear we target. It then teaches how to take the mark at the arrows and triangulate where to put the new, more comfortable to look at, mark.

[blong4133]

Once I get set at my starting position, I look at my mark, not the pins, until I have released the ball and I keep looking at it until the ball goes past my mark. This helps me stay focused on it and only it. If I miss it, I miss it by a board or two. The lanes I bowl on usually allow for an error of up to three boards with still hitting the pocket. The lanes are ery forgiving too which helps.

This.

Watch the ball roll over your mark. Don't look at the pins until your ball passes your mark. Also, your plant foot should be pointing at your mark after your release, and your elbow, shoulders, and hips should all be pointing toward your mark. If you're having trouble keeping on target, try slowing up your approach. Take a few breaths, focus on what you're doing, then roll the ball. Also, get into a rhythm or pattern on your approach. do the same thing every time. Don't pick up the ball one time, and put your fingers in and then get to your starting point, then the next time, get to your starting point and put your fingers in. Being consistent with hitting your mark is mostly mental, and by establishing a pattern every time you go up to bowl, this helps you in that respect.

Watch the guys on tour. Every time they get up there it's the same thing. They have a pattern, and if you look at their eyes, they are all looking down during their approach. They're not looking at the pins. Their eyes stay on their mark until the ball rolls over it.

Watching the Ball roll over your mark, and making sure your balance at the line (with your shoulders/elbow/hips/plant foot all pointing at your mark) will all help you be more consistent. Like I said, watch your speed because I have a tendency to speed up my approach every once in a while and that when I start missing my mark. Keep your approach slow and that will help as well.

[billf]

^^^^spot on and very well stated. A lot of bowlers were taught to stay square to the foul line and not the their target. I've noticed this is a problem with bowlers I work with especially once they have to move. I even wipe my ball after every throw even when the lanes are dry just to keep the same rhythm.

[J Anderson]

^^^^spot on and very well stated. A lot of bowlers were taught to stay square to the foul line and not the their target. I've noticed this is a problem with bowlers I work with especially once they have to move. I even wipe my ball after every throw even when the lanes are dry just to keep the same rhythm.

I got in the habit of wiping before every shot to keep my shirts from getting permanently stained. Who knew it was good for the ball too?

[billf]

Today I worked on speed control. I was also having trouble hitting my mark. I tried the targeting system mentioned. No oil pattern length known or anything like that. Actually the lanes were bone dry. I just moved my eyes from the arrows to the 45' mark (approximately) and started hitting my mark. My issue today wasn't really hitting the arrow I was aiming at but rather the ball going into the hook phase too early with bone dry lanes. This allowed me to watch my speed and it's affects with less hand in the ball versus a lot of hand in the ball.
How dry is dry? Tweener style hooking urethane from the 40 board kind of dry; hooking plastic from the 35th board kind of dry. It was so dry it made the Sahara look like an oasis. But this system worked to help me get the ball to where it needed to be.

[billf]

John, I have shirts that are just for bowling now due to the years before I learned about a pre-shot routine and the oil staining.

[Tampabaybob]

Here's something many bowlers don't think about. When you start the nite you are probably at your sharpest but give this a try right from the beginning. Once you get set and know where your target is, from that point in time until AFTER you release the ball.......
DO NOT BLINK YOUR EYES !! A sudden blink will make you lose sight of your target in a micro second. Try it and let us know if it helps. If you watch any of the PBA tour stops on TV you'll notice the camera on top of the ball return. Wait for a head shot of the bowler and watch his eyes... no blinking.

Bob

[billf]

Bob, I just looked at some video of me bowling well and not so good. There are other factors naturally, but I don't blink when bowling well. I blink once during the approach when bowling bad. I never even knew I didn't blink, never even thought about it.

[Tampabaybob]

Glad you have videos to be able to see that. Most bowlers don't have themselves on video and never realize that split second of a blink can alter so much in their approach. Glad to have been able to make you aware of it.

Also I believe I read on one of the blogs that you just became certified. Congratulations on that. I wish more people would get certified. I coach with about 8 others and I believe only 3 are certified. It bothers me because there is much information available to them that they could impart to the kids. By the way if you see one (some) of your kids missing their spot a lot try the "non-blinking " on them.

Bob

[JaMau24]

Why do I have trouble shooting spares with a straight ball? I understand that you would have to maybe see me shoot a spare with a straight ball to help dissect the problem, but without doing so, what could be the problem? I guess the question should be -- Why do I miss my mark so badly? Any tips on what I can do? I should add that I can pick up spares pretty damn well using my normal release (meaning curve it into the pins), but I'm starting to bowl on PBA and sport patterns now and it's extremely important to me and my game that I learn how to shoot a straight ball at spares... When I throw a straight ball at a spare, and when I make my mark somewhere close (like the arrows), I often times miss badly, but when I aim at the pin itself, I'm a lot more accurate but still not accurate enough. That being said, I'd prefer to hit a closer target, but have trouble doing so.

I'm trying hard to dissect the problem because I really don't believe the problem is inexperience of shooting a straight ball at spares (I'm sure it's part of the problem, and I'm going to continue practicing). I think there is something else to it that I'm doing wrong. I try to focus on moving my arm straight back then straight back forward, and follow through towards the mark and still have issues. Also, I don't think the spare ball I'm using is 100% drilled to my span. Could that be a BIG problem? Could that explain why I'm having trouble? Because the palm of my hand is arced off the ball, not flat on the ball.