This is a continuation of my blog Post from June 20,2022: 

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!! Have fun and be safe!!
    
​    Consistency is a vital part of your bowling game and the more consistent you are, the better bowler you are going to become. One of the greatest bowlers I ever met was "Earl Anthony. If you ever watched him, he was like a machine who kept doing the same thing over and over again. I was fortunate to get his autograph back in my earlier years of bowling. Here are more things you should try to do the same way each time you bowl and let them become part of your Routine:

4. Keeping the shoulders Square to the target. Try not to turn your body to the right or left at the stance, face the pins squarely. It's ok to be turned slightly toward your target, but NOT excessively.

​5. Keep your POSTURE the same each time. Most bowlers bend from the waist. When you do this, your torso can get ahead of the body which can cause you to lose your balance, throw off your swing, and cause a loss of leverage and power. To compensate, you'd need to use a more muscled swing instead of letting the weight of the ball bring your arm down naturally. It is better to bend from the knee and keep the body in a more upright position. This makes you release the ball out and onto the lane smoothly (like landing a plane) rather than into the lane which will cause a loss of power on the ball.

6. Do Not place the ball directly out in front of you because you will need to loop it out to the side to allow for body clearance. You may do it a little wider one time and not so much the next time which can be inconsistent. It's better to keep your arm swing consistent by moving the arm with the ball slightly out to the side at the stance so the ball is already in that position. 

​7. Remember to LOFT the ball out to approximately the same spot each time on the lane. You can improve this at your practice sessions by getting some painters tape in Home Depot or Lowes (the blue kind which doesn't leave a sticky residue behind when you remove it like other tapes can). I put it on the lane where I want to loft the ball out to and try to consistently hit that mark. Or you can put a towel on the lane instead. Ask ahead at the desk if it's ok to do this and step in the gutter because the lane oil is slippery!!

8. Timing in bowling is extremely important. You need to get the arm work and foot just right work so everything feels comfortable and in sync. It takes time to master but once you do it, then you'll be able to focus on other things. If the arm swing is faster than the feet, you will miss your target to the left. Holding the ball up a little higher can help correct this. The opposite is also true. 


    Remember, the name of the game is "Consistency". The less you do, the less mistakes you will make! Achieving muscle memory takes time and lots of repetition of doing things the same way. Once you start improving, then you can try changing some things with your speed and changing wrist positions. Take your time and be patient with yourself.

Join me again next week when I'll be discussing "The Secret to the Perfect Strike".

​Good Luck and High Scoring!

    Are you having a bad night at the lanes and just can't seem to do anything right? This happens to everyone occasionally so you're NOT alone. The first thing you must NOT do, is PANIC!! When you start to panic, then your'e not able to concentrate and you're adjustments won't be correct and you'll end up totally confused.

    The next thing you must realize is that you just can't bowl GREAT every night because you're not a machine!  The trick is to at least score as best as you can on those "OFF" nights.

    Try to figure out if it's something with the lanes or something you are doing. Use your keen eye to see if the pins are offset because sometimes the pinsetter can be off and that could be the culprit. If it looks like the pins are slightly off their regular spot, you can hit the re-set button. If it keeps happening, then let someone at the desk know and they can get the mechanic to take a look.
     Or perhaps try changing the angle that you are coming in at like I spoke about in my Blog Post from 5/2/22. (what the best angle is to throw a strike).

    Make sure the ball has some "Stuff" on it' meaning to make sure you are turning your hand enough and also pulling the fingers toward your palm to get more revs which will get you more action at the pins.
   
    If give you're getting annoyed or getting disgusted, take note of your attitude and mood and don't just toss the ball out there like you don't care anymore, be deliberate in spite of the way you feel.

    If you can't get any strikes, then just accept it and do your best to make all your spares because all 8's and spares is a 180 and all 9's and spares is a 190 which are a lot better than a 130. 

    If your ball starts coming up too high on the headpin and you know you got the ball over the correct target, make an adjustment to the left or move up on the lane a little bit immediately. Don't waste precious frames. I remember one night the ball just kept getting sucked right into the headpin no matter what adjustments I made. So I decided to move to the right and just let the ball cross over into the 1-2 pocket. The strikes were not in the correct 1-3 pocket, but it was better than getting more splits, and I was able to salvage my score by just accepting that regular adjustments just were not working. 

    Make sure you aren't wandering slightly. Check your feet at the stance and then look down at the foul line after the ball delivery to make sure you are close to or on that same board.

    Ask yourself, "Am I trying to AIM the ball instead of trusting it to roll back into the pocket area? "Trust is a must or your game is a bust" I always say.

    Another problem could be that you are lofting it out farther than normal or dropping it SHORT of where the ball normally lands. These little things can add up to trouble at the pin deck. Don't let your eyes wander up to look at the pins before watching where the ball lands and checking it to make sure it's hitting the intended target, otherwise the adjustments you make may be incorrect!

    Make sure you are not TOPPING the ball, meaning turning your hand too much past the 10:00 or 11:00 hand position. This will cause the ball to lose power by the time it reaches the pins.

    Also ask yourself
1. "Am I rushing the line"? Sometimes I would get anxious or nervous if we were bowling a really good team and got an adrenaline flow. Be aware of this so you can slow yourself down a little if the ball isn't coming up into the pocket area. Take a few good deep breaths at the stance before you begin your walk on the approach to relax your muscles and take your time and be sure to count your steps.

2. "Am I being distracted by a team member in a deep conversation"? If you are a beginner, you can get easily distracted. You may not be aware of the changing lane conditions as the night moves on. There is more carry down oil on the back end of the lane closest to the pins. It's like doing a dance up there, you start out in one place, then move left, then perhaps right again. You may also need to change the target slightly to get a bit more oil.


    There's a lot to remember in bowling and it takes time to get your timing in sync and learn how to adjust properly with the constant changing lane conditions. Be patient with yourself and remember "Rome wasn't built in a day". Just keep practicing and soon your scores and confidence will improve greatly!


Join me next week when I'll be discussing "How do you build consistency in bowling"?-Part 2

Good Luck and High Scoring!!
​

    According to the dictionary, the word consistency means the following:
   CONSISTENCY- Keeping the same principals and habits; harmonious in agreement; agreement or harmony among the parts or elements of a thing.

    Yes indeed, this is what we would all like to achieve in our bowling! But how does one achieve this is the big question?  Let me remind you a little about the equipment we should be using.


1. Let us begin with the BALL and SHOES. I hope by now you are using your own ball and shoes. If not PLEASE get these as soon as possible! DO NOT use alley balls or shoes. To become consistent, you need to be using the SAME equipment week after week. As a rule of thumb, your ball weight should be about 10% of your body weight, so if you weigh 160 pounds for example, because 10% of 160 is 16 , so therefore you should try to use a 16 pound ball. If you're a new bowler, I recommend getting a "conventional grip" drilled in your new ball to start (drilled up to the second knuckle on the fingers). This will allow you to grip the ball better so you won't drop it. After a year or so after your fingers are stronger, you can buy a new ball or have the old one re-filled and re-drilled into a "Finger Tip Grip" (drilled up to the first knuckles on the fingers). As previously mentioned, DO NOT buy a very aggressive ball to start because they hook a great deal and are more difficult to control. Ask the local pro in the pro shop for help. They know what each type of ball can do and will be able to better assist you instead of just getting a ball online.

2. Buy a "WRIST DEVICE"! Some pro shop proprietors will let you try out different ones if you can bowl on a lane close to where the pro shop is located. This device will help hold the wrist firm so you can be more consistent in your release. It will help with your "Muscle Memory" in having the SAME FEEL over and over again.

​3. Keeping the SAME SET-UP or ROUTINE that you do over and over again is also very important in achieving more consistency in your bowling game. Think behind the approach before you even remove your ball from the rack so you know what it is that you want to achieve. Before they turn on the lanes for practice, I always do some light stretching and I try insert my fingers into the bowling ball holes to make sure the fingers feel just right. If I need to, I'll have time to insert or remove tape to get the proper feel.

Once the lanes are turned on :
I begin my routine as follows:

1. Take my ball off the rack, put it my non-bowling hand, dry my bowling hand over the blower, and wipe the ball with my towel.
2. Check to the left and right to make sure no one is next to me and then I step onto the approach on the proper board or dot.
3. Insert my 2 fingers into the ball, and the thumb last.
4. Rest my bowling arm elbow onto my hip (to help take some of the ball weight since I use a 16 pound ball) and I keep my hand flat to start.
​5. Move my bowling arm slightly out to the right so I will have body clearance on the downswing.
6. Flex my knees slightly so they are already bent when I begin my walk along the approach.
7. Fix my eyes on my target.
8. Count to four.
9. Begin my walk along the approach and counting my steps as I walk-1,2,3,4, and slide on the 5.
10. Release the ball lofting it out onto the lane and never looking at the pins until my ball hits my target down the lane and passes it slightly. Then I watch the ball as it hits the pins making sure the ball is following the correct path.

    It is VITAL that you have a good routine similar to this. If you hold your wrist slightly different, that is fine because every bowler is different. But just make sure you are consistently doing it the same way each time until it is time to make a little change because of the changing lanes.

    Do all your things the same way over and over to develop this Muscle Memory so that it becomes second nature to you and over time, you won't even have to think about it because you will do it automatically. Your bowling will improve greatly by have a consistent routine.

When you go practicing, include having a good routine along with other things you are practicing. Don't overlook this one!!

​Check out my ebook that's now available on Amazon/Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZSMB99G/ref=sr_1_2?crid=P3PQWHFB1WYS&keywords=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores&qid=1652035291&sprefix=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-2​


​Join me again next week when I'll be discussing "Are you having a bad night at the lanes"?

​Good Luck and High Scoring!

    ​The Cheetah Oil Pattern is the fourth of the professional oil patterns I'll be discussing. It is 36 feet long and can yield low to high scoring depending on how quickly you can figure things out. A urethane ball works best here and you shouldn't have to make any large adjustments. Remember that sometimes an adjustment can mean changing the ball you are using, not just your target or where you are standing.

    Most bowlers, disregarding their style, should use an outside line on this Cheetah pattern and use a target around the first arrow. Using straighter angles into the pocket area will be wise because the ball will have more hook on the back end until the pattern starts to break down which may be fairly quickly since most bowlers will be using a similar line. The pattern looks like this:

    Strokers:
    Begin with a target between boards 4-6, and use a ball with a more gradual hook to start so it doesn't take off on the back end.

Tweeners:
    Also use the outside line and play around the first arrow (5th board) and use a ball with a little less surface. If you throw your ball a little fast than most, you can try playing between the 2nd and 3rd arrows which will give you more room for error.

Crankers:
    Can start between the first and 2nd arrow. Try to be as accurate as possible in hitting your mark, especially on a fresh pattern or the ball may take off on the back end and come up too high on the headpin. Getting your ball into the rolling phase as soon as possible will be helpful early on so it can lose some of it's power on the back end which will give you a little more room for error in case you miss your mark slightly. If the ball is hooking too much, you can use a slightly weaker ball if you have one.


    You can check out my blog post from 4/4/22 on how to maintain a bowling ball. I discuss using Abralon pads to scratch the surface of the bowling ball which you can do before the tournament or league play begins. You must do the whole surface of the ball and a 500 grit pad will cause the ball to hook earlier on the lane than a 2000 grit pad which would cause the ball to hook later.

    Remember to use these suggestions as a starting point. You will have to adjust from here because of the amount your ball hooks and speed in which you throw it at.

​    Please join me back here next week when I'll be discussing "How do you build consistency bowling"?-Part 1.

    Good Luck and High Scoring!!

    It's really important that you keep records concerning your bowling, so you can see how much you're  progressing. These can be kept in a notebook I mentioned on getting (along with your other equipment) in the Blog Post from 4/26/21. Try keeping it in your bowling bag so you can refer to your records when necessary. If you still haven't gotten a notebook yet, I recommend getting one as soon as possible.

    It is it important to keep a record of your scores each week in the league (to make sure your average is the same as it is on the stat sheet they pass out in the league each week), but you should be writing down your scores during practice sessions too. Remember, in order to calculate your average, just add up the scores you bowled and divide by the number of games you bowled. For example, if you bowled a 180, 220, and 175 on your league night your series would be a 575 and, dividing by 3, your average would be 191.2 for those 3 games. The league keeps a cumulative total of your series each week and divides by the number of games you bowled over the course of the season. For example, a typical winter league has 36 weeks so if the totals of all your series was 20,196 then you would divide that by 108 giving you an overall average of 187 for that season (3 games per week x 36 weeks if you weren't absent at all).

   
 Along with a record of your weekly scores, series, and average, I recommend keeping a record of the the following as well:

1. Your Mood---What was your mood like when you arrived to the bowling center (we just talked about this last week)? Were you in a rush, were you worried about anything? When going practicing, did you go with something specific in mind?

2. What type of marks did you get? How many strikes, doubles, strings of strikes, splits, misses, etc.did you get?

3. Did you stretch, take a few deep breaths, use the practice session in the league, or did you just get your shoes on and start bowling?

4. Lane Conditions---Were the lanes moving (not much oil) or did the lanes have a lot of oil? You can also write down the lane numbers you bowled on because it may help you to do better the next time you are bowling on that same pair of lanes, perhaps giving you a slight advantage over the other bowlers. In some of my leagues, the bottom of the stat sheet will put down the lane numbers your team will be bowling on for the following week and you can check in your notebook to see if you had any trouble on those lanes.

5. Physical State---Were you tired when you arrived or full of energy?

6. Your Adjustments---You should write down what adjustments you made on a certain pair of lanes.  For example, if you were bowling on lanes 11 and 12, and played the 2nd arrow until the middle of the second game and then had to move to the right 2 boards, write what the problem was and those adjustments you made. Repeatedly writing things down will help you determine what adjustments to make in the future when similar situations arise on changing lane conditions. (The lanes can vary from week to week even if you bowl on the same pair because of weather conditions and the oil machine varying slightly from week to week).

7. Your Thoughts---Try writing down how you felt after the bowling session is over while your mind is still conscious of the psychological and physical conditions that affected your scoring ability. This will help you understand yourself and your own game better over time.


    By keeping track of these things, you may begin to see a pattern. By checking your progress, maybe your'e noticing that your worst game is your first, especially if you come to the league directly from work and you haven't eaten anything yet and you are so hungry but you need to take care of the league dues, getting in a league pot for high game, saying hello to your team mates, getting your shoes on and getting ready for the ten minute practice session, etc. Seeing this can help you make a few changes that can help make a difference in bringing up your score. Perhaps you can leave work a bit earlier on your league night if that's possible, or just eat a snack on the way to stave off the hunger until you have time to get something more substantial so you can focus more on that first game than you were doing before.

    If you're noticing that your lowest score is your last game, then maybe you're getting tired  or perhaps you haven't made the proper adjustment yet. Bring a candy bar or have a cup of coffee to keep your energy up. Make sure to include some of those bowling exercises I mentioned in my Blog Post from 5/17/21 each week to help with your stamina.

    When you roll a great game, have the person at the desk make a printout of it for you and keep it in your bowling bag if you are able. Glance at it from time to time to remind you that you really are a good bowler and if you did it once, you can do it again!!


​Check out my ebook that's now available on Amazon/Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZSMB99G/ref=sr_1_2?crid=P3PQWHFB1WYS&keywords=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores&qid=1652035291&sprefix=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-2​

Join me back here again next week when I'll be discussing "The Cheetah Oil Pattern".

Good Luck and High Scoring!!  

    ​ 
   Let's face it, we all have bad days now and then and moments we'd like to forget. Sometimes it's not easy  to just let things go that are bothering or annoying us. We all face problems big and small, and even if we're not thinking about them at the moment, they'll just pop into our brain, start taking over, and affect our MOOD which in turn, will probably affect our whole bowling manner. Unfortunately we are not machines where we can just turn ourselves on and off, so some of us end up carrying these issues with us to the bowling center. If we are in a lousy mood, we need to be AWARE of it before it does affect our game and we end up with lousy scores!

    When we are worried, we CANNOT FOCUS easily, and if we can't focus, then the following can and most likely will happen as a result:

1. Speed Change--
     Worrying makes you feel anxious. This can cause you to walk a faster on the approach and when you bowl too fast compared to normal, it doesn't give the ball a chance to hook as much and your ball may fall short of the pocket. The opposite can also happen. Moods can drain the energy from our body making us feel tired and lethargic which may lead to a slower walking speed causing the ball hook to hook more, making it come up too high on the head pin, and possibly resulting in a nasty split.

2. Not Reaching Out--
      If you feel tired, drained from your worries, and not very energetic, most likely you'll just be tossing the ball out onto the lane and dropping it short of where you would normally loft the ball out to. Dropping the ball short means the ball will have more lane to travel on and coming up too high on the head pin and leaving you with a bad pin count or again, a possible split to face.

3. Tense Muscles--
      When you're in a bad mood or stressed out from a tough day at the office, muscles can be tense and tight you will not be able to make an effective or rhythmical swing. If you aren't relaxed it will definately affect your score for the worst I'm afraid.


    If you feel you are tense or something is bothering you, try giving yourself a little pep talk on your way to the lanes. Put on some upbeat music in the car to lighten your mood. Try to put things out of your mind knowing your'e only there for a few hours. Focus on your pre-shot routine, take several deep breaths on the approach before you start your walk (to help ease muscle tension) and make sure you reach out to that certain spot on the lane each time. Do your best to keep your timing and momentum good as well. I know sometimes when I'm in a bad mood, I end up being more annoyed at the bad frame I just had instead of focusing on what to do for the next frame coming up. Try your best to stay positive and don't dwell on past frames. Be deliberate and attack the pins with confidence so your speed will be good. You can play this little mind game that I sometimes like to play. I pretend the problem or person I'm annoyed with is right there in the pocket area and just keep aiming at it. Many times I ended up with several strikes in a row! This doesn't always work, but it's still good to keep in mind.

    What always works, is being AWARE of your mood or worries before you get to the lanes. Do some mild muscle stretching before you start to bowl and remember that you can only control your game if your'e focusing on the task at hand. Try not to let things distract you because you are only at the lanes for a few hours and you always want to do your best!!


​Join me back here next week when I'll be discussing "How do I figure out my bowling stats"? 


​Good Luck and High Scoring!

    I previously talked about "Lift" and "Turn" in my Blog Post on 10/25/21. As a review, if you hold your ball with a flat hand (palm facing up with the thumb at the 3:00 position and pinky at 9:00) at the stance and also on the downswing and release, the ball will have NO Turn. Turn is any motion from the arm, elbow, hand or the combination of all three working together. The reason we need some turn is to get the ball in the proper position when we release it to create a Hook (curve).

     Turn is affected by the different positions we can adjust our hand at the point of release, and there are several ways we can "Turn" the ball in order to achieve good action at the pins. If you think of the face of a clock as a circle which you know is 360 degrees, then if you go from a 12:00 position (the middle fingers are at the 12) to a 1:00 position, that would be a 30 degree turn which is one number on a clock face (12 numbers on the clock divided by 360 degrees=30 degrees). Turning the hand to the right (clockwise) is called a "TURNING OUT" . A "TURNING IN" is when you turn your hand counterclockwise or to the left. This hand rotating is usually done on the backswing and as your arm is coming forward, you turn your hand back to the 12:00 position strongly at the release.

    "Turning In" and "Turning Out" take practice because sometimes you may turn the hand too much and not turn it back enough. 
    Always try these new things in your practice sessions first, and then bring in to your league play. Just have fun with it !!

    
    Here are a few examples of how you can rotate your hand in different positions. Try them in your next practice session to see how these small changes can affect the way the ball will work on the lane:

1. A 90 degree Turning In-- At the stance, hold your hand with the fingers at the 12:00 position and the thumb at the 11:00 position. On the backswing, turn the hand so the thumb is at the 8:00 position (a movement of 3 numbers). You can hold it that way on the release and this is the way to throw a FULL ROLLER track as discussed in my Blog Post from 8/23/21. This type of track will deliver a strong lift because the middle finger dominates and the rotation of the ball as it hits the pins will produce good action.

​
2. A 30 Degree Turning Out--Hold your thumb at the 10:00 position (fingers at the 12:00 position) and at the top of the backswing, move your thumb to the 11:00 position (only 1 number on the clock face) and then on the downswing move your hand back to the 10:00 position. This is how to throw a SEMI ROLLER track which produces a good hook that is easily controlled.


    Try to practice this one and really focus on the FEEL because  you don't want to turn your hand too soon or it may limit your ability to lift properly.  Make sure your timing is good (having the arm and feet in sync with each other).

    There are other combinations of Turning In and Turning Out that you can try on your own. Practice LIFTING just as you begin to turn the ball, and then maybe lifting the ball a split second after you turn it to see what these little adjustments can do. Even experiment with a 60 degree Turn In and Turn Out.

    Try holding your hand at the 11:00 position on the downswing and through the release with no turn. The ball will still have a hook on it because you are releasing it with your hand on the side of the ball. Try a CRANK shot by holding your hand with the thumb at the 10:00 position at the stance, and Turning OUT to the 5:00 position and then back to the 11:00 position at the release. It will feel weird because it's unnatural to hold the hand that way, but it will give you a nice hook and lots of action at the pins.

    Again, have fun and experiment during your practice sessions. Take notes so you can review them before using them in the league once you feel comfortable and confident.


​Check out my book on Amazon Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZSMB99G/ref=sr_1_2?crid=P3PQWHFB1WYS&keywords=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores&qid=1652035291&sprefix=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-2

​Join me back here again next week when I'll be discussing "Why it's important to control your emotions in bowling".

Good Luck and High Scoring!!


​    
​

    There are several problems we can encounter while bowling, and one of them is constantly leaving a ten pin. This can be most frustrating because sometimes I get what looked like a great shot, confidently walk away expecting to have gotten all ten pins down, then turning around and seeing the ten pin staring back at me! UGH, I GOT ROBBED!!

    If you only leave an occasional 10 pin, there's not much to worry about, but if you leave them often then there is a slight error that needs correcting.

    First off, make sure you are hitting your mark before making any adjustments because it could be that you are just missing your intended target slightly. If the target is not the issue, then it may be that your ball is going too long (beginning to hook too late), or going too short (beginning to hook too early).

​    Here are a few things I have figured out over the years after leaving several 10 pins that you can try to help you NOT get ROBBED!!


1.    You need to OBSERVE your ball when it hits the pins. If the 6 pin wraps around the ten pin or goes through the 9 and 10 pins and misses the 10 pin altogether, then your ball is going too LONG, meaning your'e hitting the pocket too LIGHT. The fix is to move your feet at the stance a board or two to the right (to make the ball go more to the left at the pocket and hit it more solidly). Or, you can move back on the lane 3-5 boards which will give the ball more lane to hook on and have time to come up higher onto the headpin. Keep the same target.

2. If you are hitting HEAVY, that means that the ball is going too short, or hooking too early and coming up too high on the headpin. With this shot, the 6 pin is going in front of the 10 pin and not getting a chance to hit it and knock it down.
You will need to move a board or two to the left at the stance and keep the same target. Or you can move forward on the lane 3-5 boards. 

    You can try slowing down your walk to give the ball more chance to hook and come into the pocket more solidly, or speed up your walk if the ball is coming up too high on the headpin. Practice changing speed during your practice session because you want your timing to be good-meaning that the arm and leg movements are in sync with each other.


​Join me here again next week when I'll be discussing  "How Do You Rotate Your Hand in Bowling"? I hope to see you then.

Good Luck and High Scoring!!

​ I am posting a day early to wish all you awesome bowling moms a very Happy Mother's Day!!

  The VIPER OIL PATTERN is the second shortest of these oil patterns I'm discussing and it's about 37 feet in length.

1. This pattern yields medium to high scores.

2. Strokers-- Need to start more to the outside (right side) of the lane where there isn't as much oil, to get the ball started on it's hook toward the pocket. Play a fairly straight line and try the first arrow (5th board) as your target but be careful if you're a beginner. I was so used to playing the second arrow and when I began getting better, I started trying to get  strikes using the first arrow and it dropped off into the channel several times.

​3. Once the oil begins to break down, different angles can be played and larger adjustments may be needed to find the line into the pocket. 

​4.  Tweeners-- Should start slightly to the left of where the Stroker starts, around the 10th board.

5. Crankers-- Start a little farther left then the Tweeners, maybe on the 15th board. Starting any farther left than this will make it more difficult to get the ball to come back up into the pocket if you should miss your target to the right. The ball will hook a little earlier so you need to be able to control the ball on the back end of the lane. Use a dull ball or you can sand your ball a little before the start of the bowling session. 

6. A person who can manage different lines on the pattern as it breaks down will be able to score higher than others.

7. Since oil machines vary slightly from center to center, the Viper Oil Pattern will also vary slightly also if you bowl in different centers for tournaments. Your best bet is to use what I have mentioned here as a starting point. Focusing and observing your ball is the real key in helping you adjust properly.

Check out my ebook available on Amazon/Kindle--"Let's Rev Up Those Bowling Scores"!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZSMB99G/ref=sr_1_2?crid=P3PQWHFB1WYS&keywords=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores&qid=1652035291&sprefix=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-2

​Join me next week when I'll be discussing "Why Do I Leave So Many 10 pins"?

​Good Luck and High Scoring!
​

​    

 
    The more a bowler stands in the center of the lane and throws a straight ball down the center part of the lane, the LESS ANGLE they will have coming into the 1-3 pocket area. It's important to be able to come into the pocket at different angles in order to be successful on the lanes when their conditions are changing, so we need to figure out wether we need to move to the right or left on the approach to determine the best angle for the ball to give us a strike.

    A "Line" is an angle or path a bowling ball takes as it travels down the lane.
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  OUTSIDE LINE:
    If you throw a straight ball standing in the center of the lane (20th board) and hit into the 1-3 pocket area, you will most likely get only 9 pins down and leave a "5 Pin". You need to remember that the pins have weight (about 3 1/2 lbs.each) and will cause your ball to "Deflect" to the right for a right handed bowler, and to the left for the lefty's. To compensate for the balls' deflection, you need to move a board or two to the right  (left for lefty's). Moving to the Right on the lane is called  the "Outside Line" and the ball is usually rolled between the 1st and 7th board. You can use this line when there is heavy oil on the lanes. This line also gives the ball the most pocket power and most action power. If you haven't been carrying the strikes, moving to this outside line and throw directly into the pocket with some speed will be your best bet.
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    TIGHT LINE:
    If you stand in the center of the lane (20th Board) and throw the ball over boards 10-15 on the lane, this is considered a Tight Line. This line is popular among many bowlers because the ball will roll straight until approximately 5-6 feet before the pins, then only hook 5-6 boards before coming into the pocket. Because the hook is small, it’s easier to control.​    ​

​​     "ANGLE" is determined by moving left or right on the approach. It's also determined by the amount of speed and the amount of hook on the ball. If you slow the ball down for example, the ball will hook more and come into the pocket at more of a right to left angle. If you speed up the ball, it will skid more and the angle will be more straight coming into the pocket. You can also increase or decrease angle by varying the amount of Turn and Lift you put on the ball at the release.

    
    If you are leaving a lot of 10, 8, 5, or 5-7 Pin spares, then you need to come in at more of an angle. Try moving to the right a board or two more on the approach as a starting point. Try the opposite if you are a left handed bowler.

    If you are leaving the 7, 9, 5, or 5-10 pin spares, then you need to use less angle and can move more to the left. 

    If you are leaving the 4, 4-9, or 4-7 pin spares, then you are using too much angle and need to move more to the center of the approach. For a lefty, if you are leaving  too many 6, 10, or 6-10 pin spares, then you need to move to the right or more to the center of the lane to come in at less angle.

    For a strike, the ball should be in it's ROLLING PHASE and enter into the pocket around board 17!!

    I hope you can understand this concept. Keep practicing because the more you practice, the you will improve on playing different angles, and which adjustments you need to make on changing lane conditions.


  Join me here again next week when I'll be discussing  "The Viper Oil Pattern".

​  Good Luck and High Scoring!