Bowl over 200

I’m going to miss then next three weeks of bowling. So today I went to the ally and pre-bowled for one of those weeks.

Pre-bowling is a totally different experience than bowling at league, with the obvious difference being it’s bowling alone. Without needing to wait for other bowlers, your turns are in rapid succession and it’s easier to remember exactly where you stood or were aiming.

I used this time to study my game a bit. For the first game, I tried standing in various places in the lane. I found that when I stood at or just the left of my typical spot, I bowled fine. When I stood anywhere else I bowled terribly. I also tried to focus on how I was pointing my hips in my stance. Big mistake. Whenever I think about that I go all crazy and throw way off. I only bowled a 94 that game! But I learned that standing location is important, but I have more freedom than I’d thought.

The second game I continued to change up location of starting and also took time to concentrate on my aim and follow through. I found that my game improved immensely and I bowled a 134, (which was my average at the end of last season and is 10 higher than my current average).

The third game I stood consistently in my usual spot and focused on my aim and experimented with how I twist my wrist. Keeping a strait wrist is vital! I bowled a 135 on that game.

Now, to remember all this while I’m out for several weeks.

I hurt my butt bowling! I can’t find anything about this injury online, which seems strange to me.

It started the day after bowling last week, my hip/butt hurt walking up stairs. I could’t figure out why and blamed it on hiking a few days earlier. Last night on my first throw it was clear that this is a bowling injury. An uncomfortable stretch on my release lunge. It took me 2 games to adjust my technique to bowl without flinching.

I’m not sure yet how I’ll deal with this. For starts, sitting on an ice pack! Next stretching before and after games. When I finally get back into the gym habit I’ll be sure to do the abductor work.

Monday was my first night of the season. I bowled my average overall and a 172 game! Not bad for no practice.

I’m considering trying to move to a hooked game, but feel like it would be starting over. Maybe I’ll wait until after my first 200 game to do that.

129,134,149,165,170 and some others. I did best with left foot aligned a little behind 12 board and hitting 7,8 straight down. 2 turkeys, no 4 bagger yet. Picked up a washout though!(1,2,4,10) Hitting my target is getting easier;trying to develop a system for single pin spares and groups of 2/3.

Seems like I have some of my better games when it takes pretty long to get dialed in, like today. I don’t know if the lanes are changing, or I am. First 3 or 4 games I was getting 9 counts. Some of these were first arrow, some second, a little in between even. Tried over 3rd and out a little, still no strikes. If it wasn’t a 7, it was a 10. Partially my fault for leaving them, and then for not picking them up. Kept psyching myself out on where to stand/where to roll, but got a strike line eventually.

And so I can escape 110-130 finally. Got a 150 game built on spares, not even sure if there were 2 strikes. Did some speed adjustments, then about 6-8 were the sweet boards for strikes. Once again three in a row, then one left standing next frame. X X X 9/ It was the 9 left, surprisingly enough. Then I screwed up the 9th frame that game and ended up with 178. I had 150+ in the 8th frame. Not complaining, but I think it’s going to take 4 in a row(for me at least).

Satisfied by that, I messed around with the 3rd/4th arrow until my time was up.

Keep bowling, good luck.

156,153,~120,118,102

One game started off X open X open X, kind of frustrating. I did manage a turkey in that 153 though. Left a lot of 2,3,&4 pin spares, got a lot of them.

Towards the last game I messed around with kind of a “tweener” shot, cupped wrist, over 3rd arrow out and back. It really mixes the pins up for strikes! It’s actually easier for me to control in a sense. Screwed up on the 3-10 though during normal release. Looks like I had some speed issues today, reason I missed right sometimes, when I hit my mark&breakpoint.

Overall, done better, done worse

166,161, some 130s, 110s

Tried the 3rd arrow out, wasn’t coming back, probably went out too much. The second arrow and out a little(or straight) worked good. Most of the time, it was straight down ~7. Once I could repeat shots and consciously tell myself to follow through w/my index finger, things were more consistent. Got a turkey and then 9(damned 10 pin!), several doubles again. My last game(got cut off because of the time being up), I had like 90 in the 4th frame.

Tip for 6 and/or 10: Step a little behind the front dots, point feet at pin(s), right over the middle arrow hard & fast. Don’t make it hook! Works wonders. I got about all but 1 of my 10 pin spares today.

Good luck everyone..

I don’t bowl too much, but I usually can get a score of 125 without trying too hard. Higher scores are harder to get at through, and if I join a league, I would like to reach this goal.

More tape helped a bunch. Grip but don’t squeeze = smoother release. The first several games I was getting lots of strikes, then opens every other frame. Sometimes I have a little problem of crossing my arm a little left on my follow-through, helps if I point my index finger out. Standing left foot lined up with 15, rolling over 7-10. Low 100s, 137, 158, 179. The 10(and 6) are so much easier to roll fast&hard over the middle arrow, than worrying about over hooking or guttering it.

good luck people..

I think my average is coming up, only 1 game below 100 again. Several 130s, a couple 140s, some doubles again, 148 high. One game started out X 8- X X, missed the baby split that I’ve gotten before :/

Made a stupid mistake of taking out the tape on my palm side after putting in 3 pieces on the back. Next time I’ll have all of them, should be fine.

Sometimes I catch myself muscling it too fast and it misses right. Just have to slow down and/or move right like 3 boards(3 that time). Played around the second arrow again and between first & second, sometimes it broke at the 1st arrow.