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Author Topic: Lack of scoring  (Read 2384 times)

HamPster

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Lack of scoring
« on: May 16, 2003, 07:46:00 AM »
I've got an odd problem.  This house I've started bowling at has me completely backwards.  It's an easy shot, although there's not much of a wall, and it's the most difficult house shot in town, it's still really easy.  I just can't score there.  I throw much better shots there, the scores just don't reflect it.  It's little stupid things, like the game I started with last night.  First two frames were strikes, next frame my wrist pops, and I wasn't able to pull up, so I left a washout, and opened.  Irritating, but it happens every once and a while, so I wasn't too upset about it.  Couple more strikes then a 10 pin.  Next couple, then another 10 pin, I strike out for 223.  I won my point by 1 pin, but I thought I'd bowled much better than the score showed.  The open killed me, but I took it anyway.  Next game I get the first 2, then found a little track burn and it nosed.  Then I get a strike every other frame, and it's either a 10 or a 4, but I spare all of them.  I ended up with a pretty dismal 4 game set of 758, but maintained the average at least.  

Tonight I bowled a bi-weekly tournament there.  First game my wrist popped in the first frame, so naturally that was a washout.  Then I got the next two, then a 4 pin.  And then I had more issues with the 10 and 4 the rest of the game, 201.  Next game went better, but near the middle, I caught some track burn which game me a few two pin spares.  Made them, and moved left 3 boards.  The next shot the burn seemed to have disappeared, and I left a 10 pin.  Got into the 10th frame working on a strike and left a flush 7 pin.  You know, great shot, and the headpin has to sweep by it just to add insult to injury.  I was an idiot and tried to hook it at the 7, I thought it was a good shot, but it caught oil and slid.  Lost a bracket because of it, 194.  Last game was just more nickel and dime stuff.  The guy on my pair wasn't being any more accurate than I was, but he shot 804 for the three game qualifying set.  One shot would hit 30 feet at the 8 board, the next would hit it at the 4 board, and then the one after that would be at 10.  He's a great bowler, and I'm not trying to take anything away from him, it's just that I was throwing good shots too, and all the little things just add up.  Now I'm beginning to hit my spares again, but that's all I'm getting.
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I know Kung Fu!

I am the one, the one that will bring balance.  All the pins shall be destroyed!

 

MI 2 AZ

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2003, 11:47:32 PM »
From what you posted, I think you are doing well.  Didnt you say in an earlier post that this was a sport condition league?  If it is, then accuracy, consistancy and spare-making are the keys to success, not necessarily high scores.  Dont get upset or discouraged.  The next time you bowl on a typical house shot, you might be surprised at how much better you are.  

Just my .02

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JoeBowler

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2003, 06:11:26 AM »
First, you always seem to have an exceuse for your bad result shots.

Second, Some bowlers just match up better to a condition when it comes to area and carry. They just have the right speed, turn, and tilt.

Third, maybe your not as good as you think you are.

HamPster

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2003, 09:17:20 AM »
Kristi, the great god Jerry Gentry.  Then he proceeds to shoot 139 the first game of the stepladder.  He went 287-248-269.  Still don't get it, and even though he was being a hot dog about it, I still think he was pretty surprised at striking on some of his shots.  

MI, this is my other league.  I'm averaging 190 in both this league and my sport league, but both shots are too easy for me to be scoring this poorly.  I didn't bowl too great at my sport league last week, so that was mostly my fault.  

Joe, I realize it sounds like I'm just making excuses, but I'm just trying to figure this out, cause I'm pretty tightstrung about it.  In my sport league I can throw a bad shot 3 left of target, it'll cross 20 instead of 17 at the arrows and somehow slide out to 10 instead of 8 and strike for me.  Then the next shot I make is just what I wanted, and I leave a 7-10.  My decent shots don't result in mixers anymore, it's either 4's or 10's unless I try to muscle it and then I make a really piss poor shot.  I realize that generally means I'm closer to the pocket, but bad carry makes me try to force it, and that's when my shots are a little off, and it makes me look sporatic.  Am I trying to force it too much?  Am I trying too hard to make the perfect shot instead of just great ones?  Should I ease up a bit and let the ball do more of the work?
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I know Kung Fu!

I am the one, the one that will bring balance.  All the pins shall be destroyed!

MI 2 AZ

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2003, 09:57:52 AM »
What Sawbones said .

I think you are trying to bowl with your conscience mind too much instead of letting the subconscience take over for you.  In practise, you should train the subconscience with the conscience mind but in competition, you want to let the subconscience rule.  That's what you were training it for with all the practise.  When the conscience mind is controlling the body, everything is more tight, mechanical, instead of being more of a loose, relaxed, free-flowing result that occurs with the subconscience mind in control.
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MI 2 AZ

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2003, 10:02:55 AM »
If you can find a copy of The Mental Game by George Allen, lots of good info there.
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Bjaardker

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2003, 05:28:09 PM »
One other thing.

Consider, that "perfect" ball you're throwing might be hitting the pocket, but burning up. It would possibly explain the lack of mixers & leaving that 10.

Is it a long or a short sport pattern?

Also, have you considered throwing a pearl or sanded urethane for a game? Just to see if you get better action?

HamPster

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2003, 07:29:40 PM »
Well, I mean I'm not hitting in mixer area very much, I've been carrying all of them, just not hitting that light in the pocket much.  I've been using an X-Zone recently, I don't mesh well with big hooking balls, and it's got awesome reaction.  I traded for a Viper, so hopefully that will help a little.  I've been playing 4th arrow most of the time with a bunch of revs and above average speed.  Burning up could be a problem, and too hard of a move could also be one.  The pattern is 27 feet, buffed to 36, absolutely screaming backends.  The X is just a little too aggressive off the dry, and seems to burn up my track pretty quickly.  I need to fix my Purple Fuze so I can throw it easier.  I don't have a urethane or a pearl urethane, but I will try a lower hooking ball at least, thanks for the suggestion.  My X just reacts so nicely it's hard to put it down.  It gets better length than any ball I've ever thrown with that hard of a move to the pocket, I can really rip it.  It's probably just too much ball, and you're right, I probably ought to throw something tamer.  The reaction is definitely there.  Thanks.
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I know Kung Fu!

I am the one, the one that will bring balance.  All the pins shall be destroyed!

Bjaardker

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2003, 07:36:32 PM »
quote:
Burning up could be a problem, and too hard of a move could also be one.  The pattern is 27 feet, buffed to 36, absolutely screaming backends.  The X is just a little too aggressive off the dry, and seems to burn up my track pretty quickly.


Ham... That's a really short pattern. I would be willing to put some $$ on it that you're buring up if you're revving it hard on a short pattern like that.

The viper should fix some of that problem for you I would think. Put a nice tame control drilling on it & 'er rip. You might want to consider trying a few less revs in the mean time & let the ball do some of the work.

Game In a BoxLC

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #9 on: May 17, 2003, 09:02:49 PM »
i hate to say this, but on a sport condition the best bet is to take your hand out of the ball, get a nice solid long armswing with hard forward roll, play straight up the boards. miss small, leave 9, make the spare. If the shot is tough STRAIGHTER IS GREATER. if your playing 4th arrow on a short pattern like that every board crossed is alittle extra it has to come back, which needs energy. Tighten up the line a bit, maybe even move deeper and play a tighter inside line. or move outside and throw the ball harder. The shot you describe is my absolute favorite shot, what i usually do is find a line i can score with using normal speed, then bump everything left (for you right) and just throw the ball harder, this takes oh i threw it a bit hard or a bit soft out of play, just throw it hard, it also allows the ball to get behind the headpin resulting in mixers, the ball doesn't burn up as quickly, and man you will feel so manly throwing the high hard one.
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HamPster

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #10 on: May 17, 2003, 11:54:44 PM »
Thanks guys.  It's a pretty easy sport pattern, and yes, I was planning on moving right because of the area out there.  I was also going to try something else as well that worked in another tournament with a short pattern with screaming backends.  My angle of rotation is about 65-70 degrees, but at that tournament, I put more forward roll on it because of how dry it was in the middle, and took some revs off.  This allowed the ball to get down the lane better without the angle burning the shot up or taking it left early altogether, as well as taking some revs off, and the backends were dry enough to pick the ball up.  There wasn't any area to the right like there is on my current sport pattern, although there is more oil in the middle.  However, this only makes the shot easier.  Again, I maintain that it is an easy sport shot, but that just makes your suggestion of playing straighter that much better.  The manager offered to put down the shot on Monday and Wednesday nights and let everyone in the league practice on it for free, and I intend to be there on those nights.  It's impossible to find a house without a wall where I can practice going straighter and receive just "rewards" for bad shots.  Even though you know you still threw a bad shot, the area it gives you is too subconciously relaxing.  I guess it's time to revamp things again, I've been practicing so hard to score that now when I hit shots I'm not used to playing, I'm being incredibly stupid and one dimensional about them.  I've played harder shots correctly and successfully before, I don't know why this is any different and why I'm not listening to myself.  Thanks again guys.
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I know Kung Fu!

I am the one, the one that will bring balance.  All the pins shall be destroyed!

Zman

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Re: Lack of scoring
« Reply #11 on: May 18, 2003, 12:00:37 AM »
HamPster - Learn to enjoy your misses. No one comes even close to throwing every shot perfect or even the best they are capable of every ball.
You throw it say 80% of what would be perfect for you and you strike dead flush anyway good for you. Either throw it better next shot or realize yuor mistake just struck dead flush and maybe that is the line you should be on.

Carry problems can be narrowed down to a few possibilities.

1/ You are playing the wrong line.

2/ Wrong equipment choice.

3/ Inconsistency in release, ball speed, axis tilt, axis rotation.

4/ Lanes transitioning and you just aren't making correct adjustments.

5/ Your timing just sucks that night.

The scary part is it can be any combination of those as well as just 1 reason.

As Doc said. lighten up relax have some fun. Still concentrate every shot but
relax and let the ball go.
Once you start your approach and get the ball into the swing forget about it let it swing and focus on whatever yuor key(s) are for getting to the line in a good
solid position and focus on your target.

It's really a simple game.
Maybe you are over thinking it ?
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Zman
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