Author Topic: Ever lose that fire ? (warning: long) (Read 944 times)

_Stroker_Walter_ · « **on:** December 29, 2007, 10:45:39 PM »

I remember I started bowling a little more than four years ago. I joined a league, bowled, practiced, sought lessons. I went from a straight shooter to a regular "hook" bowler and saw my average go from 130 to 160. I bought more balls, practiced more, I was hungry, and joined more leagues and eventually brought the average up. For a year I was stagnating at a 193 average. I bought a new ball every other month, and still practiced. I was sloppy, bad fundamentals, release, 13-14mph with low-med revs, track hitting the thumbhole, and still maintained a 193 average.

Then came the slump.

I dropped to a 183 average. During that period, I questioned myself: "Is this really worth it?" I stopped practicing as I fiddled around with more frequent 400 series and the occaisional 600. I packed on ten extra pounds and grew more out of shape. My ball speed went down and I grew more inconsistent. The last week of the winter leagues this year, I shot a 289-751 which is my all time high currently. That was with the new Storm Shift brand new out of the box. But that wasn't quite enough to rekindle the hunger I had for bowling better. After 30 games, my shift died on me dealing yet another blow.

Now I'm throwing my old Brunswick gear which is holding up better than any storm I've owned. Storm used to be my favorite company because of their ball reaction. Now I can't justify buying another storm ball since I don't want another deja vu. Brunswicks don't track up as fast as storm balls do from what I've noticed.

The game is getting to be more of an expensive hobby than it was before. Maybe I should travel further away to a house with actual synthetic lanes and try a league there(all wood in my area)? Take more lessons? I know I need more lessons, but I don't know if it will help since I'm a creature of bad habits.

Just needed to rant. I'm still bowling and trudging along. Perhaps the thrill is gone?
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Edited on 12/30/2007 7:47 AM

azus · « **Reply #1 on:** December 30, 2007, 07:06:34 AM »

Clean your equipment, get a coach to work on your style. If you only want to bowl when you have a high avg then that are the thing you have to do first.
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sdbowler · « **Reply #2 on:** December 30, 2007, 09:34:18 AM »

A few years ago I was bowling with my friends who I also worked with. So not only did we work together, we bowled together, and we also drank together away from both work and bowling. It got to the point that we all could not stand each other. It was at the same time I messed my knee up. So because of everything I was burnt on bowling. I spent half the season out of action. I would go and watch my wife bowl and have no problems because I enjoyed that. As soon as I watched everyone I bowled with that's when I wanted to get back out and bowl. However I told myself I would only bowl IF I could have fun. Since I told myself that I need to have fun and if I can't I am done for good. From that time on I have had the most fun bowling that I have ever had. I guess my point is find what made it fun for you in the beginning and try to focus on that.
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Brunswick
Kyle

Juggernaut · « **Reply #3 on:** December 30, 2007, 11:16:02 AM »

quote:
There are many ways to enjoy bowling. The trick is to find out what there is about the sport that most appeals to each person.
Some view it as a social event to get together with friends and others who enjoy the social aspect and the bowling is really secondary and the averages usually reveal that. These people continue to bowl yr after yr with the same ave (it could be 150) and have fun every league nite.
Some view it as a means of competition. These bowlers want to bowl in leagues that are competitive and constantly strive to improve. At times they do not really enjoy it esp when they hit a slump. When we see this type of bowler kick racks and over react we wonder just how much fun they are having.
Fortunately bowling offers many ways to enjoy the sport.
To enjoy the sport most of the time, find your niche.
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Bones

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
These are the words of a wise man.

The MOST important thing about bowling is enjoying the activity. Go back to basics and try to remember what it was about it that lured you into it in the first place.

Don't get so caught up in the "high average race" or the "ball of the month" club. True, ball life isn't nearly what it used to be, or what I believe it could be if they wanted it to, but some balls have quite durable covers and can be top performers for several years if cleaned and maintained properly.

No need to justify buying another ball if your old brunswicks are working, unless you just want one. A friend of mine is still using an old ebonite Nitro/R ( yes, the lime green one ). It is 14yrs old now, and very scarred up, but it still works well enough for him to average around 200, and that is good enough for him. ( I still have an original Nitro/R2 that I use occasionally and it works just fine.)

Remember, anything you do in life, from starting a new job to starting a new relationship, always has that "NEW" period and that will wear away after a while. Sounds like the initial thrill of bowling has worn through for you and now bowling is just "something to do".

You might try what worked for me. I really immersed myself into bowling to learn as much about it as I could, from modern ball technology to modern lane oilers and conditions. Now, I am someone who helps the local "newbies" learn the game and maintain their interest in it through slump times like you are having. They have that initial learning "peak", but when they seem to level off and begin to lose interest, I try to use my knowledge of the game/sport and show/teach them how to make the game/sport into a personal challenge and to seperate and enjoy the activity of bowling on a seperate, personal interaction level. In other words, seperate the sport/game itself from the activity of being there with other people who enjoy the activity as well and enjoy the two experiences simultaneously on different levels.

Share your bowling experiences with other bowlers. Brag of you accomplishments and commiserate with them on theirs successes or failures, making sure to revel in any glory you deserve and give that recognition where it is deserved. That has become one of the more enjoyable parts of my league experience. Heck, I can even enjoy talking to a 140 average woman bowler about the time she shot a 200 game or a 550 series, especially when I see that "light" in her eyes about how fun and exciting it was. That, my friend, is what it is all about, enjoying the game for what it is and not making it a life & death thing. It is, after all, only bowling.
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I'm really tired of the whining, so, JUST SHUT UP AND BOWL!

My Bowl.com member page

sdbowler · « **Reply #4 on:** December 30, 2007, 11:18:07 AM »

Bones and Jug both great posts
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Brunswick
Kyle

Chivas · « **Reply #5 on:** December 31, 2007, 11:14:47 AM »

They all post a good post, but find something in bowling that you enjoy most and start to dig in...
For me bowling fulfill my appetite in 3 ways.

First I love to see something new, so I like to try different style in release, step and many other stuff I can think of. But there are only few things we can learn by ourselves. The more I know the more I get so confused in choosing the right style for me. Just when I feel I got lost, I found a great coach that could help dealing with my weakness but keeping my strength intact. He doesn't change the way I bowl, he just basically fixing my weakness. That keep my interest in bowling stronger.

Second I like to tinkering with the ball. Not like drilling it or having a master degree about the ball physics. I just like to play with a different layout and see the different reactions it gives to help me with the look i want on the lane. I am not the one who actually drill it, but I do make my own layout.

Third, I love challenge. I am the kind of person who loves challenge, I have set my goal to get better in average and tournament. Win or lose it doesn't matter much, its the fight that counts to me.

Its different here where I live then US. Asia is very famous for their beaten wood lane and dry condition. Its very hard to have 200+ average here. Talking to those few 200+ average guys, they told me, when you have reached 190+ and want to be 200+ average it requires good coach and more focus practice. Focus practice doesn't mean you just come and play, you have to be really work on your weakness and consistency. Granted there are people out there that doesn't require coach to hit 200+ but hey, we all born with different gift right? Look what happen when Michael Jordan try the baseball, he sucks.. hehe

Investing in a good coach gives us better return then those balls you bought every month.
Last but not least have fun in bowling, even a pro can have a slum, the different is they can afford expensive coach to fix it

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Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result

Author Topic: Ever lose that fire ? (warning: long) (Read 944 times)

_Stroker_Walter_

Ever lose that fire ? (warning: long)

azus

Re: Ever lose that fire ? (warning: long)

sdbowler

Re: Ever lose that fire ? (warning: long)

Juggernaut

Re: Ever lose that fire ? (warning: long)

sdbowler

Re: Ever lose that fire ? (warning: long)

Chivas

Re: Ever lose that fire ? (warning: long)