Tonight in my Sport shot league I got run over in the 3rd game.  I won the first 2 and had a pretty good look.  We switch pairs for games 3 and 4, while switching opponents.  Anyhow, I went from having a decent shot to having nothing at all on the right side.  I didn't have a strike thru the first 9 frames.  In the 10th I decided to try a back-up ball.  

I shoot 2-4-8-10 combos using this technique.  I am actually pretty good at it.  I figured it couldn't hurt to see if the left side had anything.  I went with it the entire 4th game to shoot 202 and win the match.  I got a few glares and comments, along with some kudos for taking a chance.  My opponent was impressed, so that made me feel ok about it.  

This isn't something I have ever tried for an entire game.  It isn't something that I would do full time.  It was a case of the right side being shut down and the left side being about as wide open as a 42' sport shot can be.  I just attempted to take advantage.  Has anyone ever resorted to something extreme such as this, and how would you feel if an opponent beat you by doing it?  I figure it is not how, but how many.

Don

It was only in training, but I had some trouble with a fried lane some time ago. Team mates and me went for a training session after a youth tournament. Lanes were not refreshed, and the condition, well, horrible. The right half of the lane was completely ruined between the righ gutter and probably 18th board. Anything we tried (Power Grooves, TPC Shooter) either ran dead or hooked after 25'. No fun. From spare shooting I knew that the left half of the lane was quite virgin.
In my frustration I took the strongest ball I had with me, my Shock & Awe, and tried to play deep. 4th arrow at first (with feet at 45th board or so), later even 5th arrow with feet at 52nd board, left to the gutter. Only worked because there was a service walkway to the left of the lane... This worked to my surprise, but only because the S&A created so much angle to get back to the pocket and still carry, and I would not recommend doing so. But it was a interesting experience to exploit equipment to the maximum while anyone around struggled with the low end balls to score.

Anything that gets the pins down finally counts... and if desperate conditions call for desperate measures (or at least, unconventional) and you have them in store - good for you!
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DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany
Team "X" website & more about me: http://web.mac.com/timlinked/iWeb/X/Thomas.html
"All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream..." - Edgar Allen Poe


Edited on 7/26/2006 7:12 AM

This is exactly what people need to understand why it so difficult on the PBA.  Some people see the show and say those lanes look easy or I could beat that guy.  Well you know what, you have to go through qualifying and matchplay to get there.  Where every game is bowled on a different pair and every pair will play different.  I do not see a problem with what you did, you did what you needed to do to win and thats what PBA players do.
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Formerly known as PUP300

Thanks for all the responses!  I certainly was not doing it to goof off.  I was frustrated with my performance in game 3 in the sense that I knew I was bowling well enough to win but was getting shut out by brutal conditions.  I had never been brave enough to try something so drastic.  I had tried everything in my power to score on the right, but it was just not going to happen.  I recall seeing the Robert Smith video.  If I could throw it like that, I would never move back to the right side  I also seem to remember a title match with Monacelli where neither he nor his opponent could do anything.  I think he moved way right and just threw a frozen rope to the pocket to leave makable spares.  Does anyone know what match I'm referring to?

I actually got the idea to give it a whirl when my coach saw me throw a back-up ball at a 2-10 the week before.  He told me he would kill to be able to throw one, and that I shouldn't ignore the importance of being able to execute it.  BTW, his name is Tom Carter, and last I heard his team was in 2nd at the USBC Nationals.  

Don