Wed 5 May 2010
Filed under: Uncategorized — Bowling Guru @ 7:54 pm
Spring is here and we all look forward to getting out and watching a few ball games, hitting the greens, and enjoying the warm weather. We are coming to a close of the bowling league season and some of us might have had a great year, while others struggled. There are many reasons why bowlers struggle these days. It could be the equipment doesn’t fit right anymore, you had trouble finding your shot, the lane conditions changed, or you just weren’t mentally in the sport this year. That brings me to our next tip of the week: The mental game.
Yogi Berra said it best with one of his most famous quotes about the sport of baseball: “Baseball is 90% mental — the other half is physical.” This is so true. This is also the case with the sport of bowling.
Bowlers encounter mental tests on a consistent basis. The focus of making that great shot, trying to block out conversations behind you about the basketball game, or the opposing team saying things to get in your head. Let’s not forget about all those announcements over the Bowling center’s sound system. So how do you go and battle all these variables? I will touch on some of the best tips that have helped me over the years and I still use to this day. Maybe some of these will work for you maybe they won’t but you know what, you will never know unless you try.
Some of the top coaches in the world use visualization. See it. Do it. Your mind can be a wonderful tool or one that will always get in your way. We have to train ourselves on how to use the tools we have and make the best work possible with them. I use visualization every time (well almost every time) I step on the approach. I will explain how I use this technique and hopefully it works for you as well.
When I pick up the bowling ball from the ball rack I see myself throwing a great shot. I take every little thing into account. From how I look at the foul line to how I see my bowling ball roll down the lanes, to the final result of the ball entering the pocket. I see and I do it!!
Other techniques that you can use are those preset messages in your head before you roll the ball. This is another technique that I religiously use on every shot. Now these might work for you or you may need to come up with your own set, this is an example of how I do it. I say these 3 things before I roll the bowling ball. Nice knee bend, good follow through, watch my ball roll over my target. Then I’m off like the horses in the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby.
The last tip I learned from my Father, who isn’t a bowler but has a great sense of how to look at this Sport. He always told me that your main focus when you step up for your first shot in any given frame is to knock all ten pins down. If you don’t succeed, then your only focus on the next shot is to pick up what you left. Pretty simple, right?
So remember, Stay focused. Create a pre shot routine and stick with it, and always focus at the task at hand and not what should have or could have been. You can’t change it; you can only excel from it.
After more than 90 years, the Women’s Championships moves out of the traditional
bowling center and into an arena setting similar to the Open Championships.
With El Paso,Texas, serving as the host city in 2010, the world’s largest participatory
sporting event for women will be staged at the El Paso Covention and
Performing Arts Center.
This will be the first trip to El Paso for the Women’s Championships, and the
“Sun City” area has a lot to offer those planning to spend a few extra days in town.
Besides the local attractions and shopping, just across the border ic Ciudad Juarez,
Mexico, El Paso’s sister city.
But the main reason to head to El Paso is the Women’s Championships.
The annual event, which started in 1916, will again have bowlers of all ages
and skills competing in team, doubles and singles.
Bowling today is far more advanced then days of the past. The technology and equipment have well surpassed the days of old. New core designs, new cover stocks, new oils, not to mention lane surfaces. So why do so many people still think the sciences of years ago apply to today’s bowling environment? I still hear this everyday when I encounter bowlers from all across the country. I tell them all the same thing: Static weights don’t adversely affect ball reaction!!!
I know I can hear it now: side weight makes my ball hook more in the back end. Thumb weight makes my ball roll earlier. Finger weight makes my bowling ball go further down the lane. Don’t get me wrong, back in the days of Rubber and Plastic bowling balls, this was the norm. But let’s realize that today we have far more technology then we did then. I am not saying they were wrong with their statements; they just didn’t have the technical knowledge we have today.
Let’s first start out by defining what I mean by static weight. When the person drilling the ball positions it for drilling and they shift the weight block to one quadrant of the bowling ball this causes an imbalance to the ball. These imbalances make the ball wobble, therefore creating a different ball reaction. If they shift the core to the side of the gripping holes it creates side weight. Shifting the core towards the fingers creates finger weight, and so on. The ruling bodies created parameters for this. You aren’t allowed to have more then one ounce of finger, side, or thumb weight. You are not allowed to have more then three ounces of top, or bottom weight. This rule applies still today.
Now let’s get back to the tip of the week. Ball motion. If you are looking for your ball to go longer, you should pick a weaker core design or a weaker cover stock bowling ball. If you want a more aggressive bowling ball for oil, then you should pick a stronger core design and stronger cover stock bowling ball. First you have to understand your bowling center and your bowling style. Everyone will see the lanes differently based on their bowling style. Some bowlers will think the lanes are oily while others might think they are dry. That’s O.K. Bowlers are all different. You need to pick the right ball for your bowling style.
Placing locator pins further from your P.A.P. or positive axis point, will make your ball go further down the lane. Pins closer to your P.A.P. will start to hook sooner. Pins positioned in between these will create stronger overall ball motion.
While drilling techniques still play an important role in ball motion; core, cover stock and pin placement can be just as important given today’s technology. You need to first figure out what kind of lane condition you are bowling on, and then talk to your local pro shop to find the correct ball for your needs.
Next week I will go over the other question I get asked all the time: Why do you have so many bowling balls in your bag? Until then, have fun, and let’s shoot some big scores!!!
In case you hadn’t heard, four of the five standard Limber Liquidators PBA Tour oil
patterns were lengthened by one foot each for the 2008-2009 season.
The new pattern lengths are:
Chameleon, 40 feet; Cheetah, 36 feet: Scorpion, 42 feet; And Viper, 38 feet. The
44-foot Shark pattern was not changed.