Hey, this is my first post so it may be a long one. I have a couple questions through out this post. and hope some of you can help me out.

First off I have been reading this site for the past couple months to read some tips and what not.

A little bit about me.

I am about to turn 21. I bowl left handed. In June this will be my second year bowling. My first year I averaged about a 175. This year I am currently averaging just about 195 in two different leagues. The current bowling balls I am using are The Hot Sauce Pearl, The No Mercy, and a plastic ball for spares. My high game for sanction play is a 300. The Hot Sauce and No Mercy and drilled for length with back end.

My style of play is more of a stroker. Now, on the house shot I stand on middle dot (25 board?) and aim at the second arrow. Most nights I can keep this line with maybe 2-3 board adjustment through the night on the second shift.

But, with my above line stated I seem to leave ringing 7's. So, I tried a down and in shot. I would stand on the first dot (5 board on the left side?) and shoot at the second arrow. After trying this line on the house shot it worked for me. But, the current bowling balls I have are to aggressive to play this line on a night in night out basis.

So, with wanting to play a shot something like stated above I would need a less aggressive ball. My first question is what kind of bowling ball should I be looking at to play a nice down and in shot? I would like to get into the Storm line with a arching ball. But, I don't know if arching is good for down and in or stay with length with back end.

Next thing I am trying to improve is my balance. I am using a 5 step approach. At the foul line I tend to fall to my left. I believe this effects my spare shooting, accuracy, and pin carry. So, my second question is what can I do to maintain better balance at the foul line?


My last question is I want to find a coach to help me out. I was wondering if anyone knows a good coach near the Cleveland area?

My overall goal is to owl in more tournaments and eventually try out a PBA Open event.

Yes, this was a long post. Thanks for reading it.

Hi Matt. Welcome to the site as a poster:)

As far as what ball, I'll leave that for others more knowledgable in that area.

Where in Cleveland do you bowl? Because there are a few good coaches around. There are two that work out of the Pro Shop where I bowl, Cloverleaf Lanes in Independence. Denise Thacker is a Bronze level USBC Certified coach. She's a good coach and has helped me out on my quest for good form and more strikes:) There's also a guy named Terry(don't know the last name) who's a Silver level coach that's available. They could help you out with the balance issue. I know there are others around if Cloveleaf is too far away.

Thanks,
I bowl at AMF Brookgate mainly. Cloverleafe is about a 20min drive from my house.

First I want to say welcome to the site Matt.

First to clarify a few things. The middle dot is the 20 board and should be in line with the center (fourth) arrow and the head pin. Some centers have 5 dots on the approach and some have 7. If you have 5 dots the far left dot would be on the 10 board, if it has 7 it would be the 5 board. If you are really standing on the 5 board aiming at the second arrow which is the 10 board, either you drift right or are throwing almost directly at the pocket. If it's the latter then not many balls if any will work. It also might not be the ideal line to try. You might want to try something in between. If you are leaving ringing 7 pins you need to change your angle coming into the pocket. That might mean moving in a couple of boards and getting the ball a little more out at the break point.

As for the balance issue, without seeing you bowl it would be hard to say what will help you stay balanced at the line as there are many causes.

Welcome, Matt.

Falling to the bowling arm side generally means you're pulling the ball forward from the top of the backswing instead of just letting it fall due to gravity.

You'll want a gentle ball, drilled for control. I would recommend a Pearl Tropical by Storm. Your Pro Shop will have it.

Calvin, I may have counted wrong so that could be my fault. I will have to check next time I am in. But, I standing right in front of the second arrow. I might have my boards/spots wrong. I was just trying to recall off the top of my head. Sorry for the confusion.

SpareMe, I have been trying to work on a more free release the past couple of weeks. Progress is coming I think. That's one of the main reasons is why I would like to get a coach. Thanks for the ball advice too.