At the lanes where I bowl for league, I'm having a problem I'm not sure how to correct. Its happened to me the last few times I bowl there.

The problem is that as the night progresses, probably about the third game my ball starts hitting "light". What I mean is that I'm still able to lay the ball down on my line, and I'm still hitting the pocket, but where early in the night the hit is like an explosion with a big crash and pins going everywhere, by the third game its more like a little girl throwing a plastic ball down there and I knock over a few and leave some strange splits.

I've noticed it for a while, and I'm pretty sure its not that I'm throwing any less hard, allthough if I back up and bit and speed up my feet it makes up for a bit of the power, but I get wreckless more often and don't get the ball down on my spot as well.

Early in the night my ball is exploding in the rack it seems like, but at the third game it seems like there isn't any "power" at all when it gets there.

Do I need to workout/exercise and build more endurance ? Switch to another ball or something ? What do I need to do to keep the power-level at 10 when the ball is in the pocket ?

And I don't know if this is related or not, but I notice that my hook starts to hook a lot earlier by the third game too, is that a symptom of the ball slowing down ?

Most importantly, how can I last so I don't tank in the third game ?

i would sure like to see answers to this to.i have the same problems,my first 2 games are good,but that 3rd one kills me.i think answers to this would help me to!

Its a symptom of the lanes breaking down. The dry area (your first line) getting drier. Instead of hooking more, your ball is actually dying due to excess friction with the lane.

Somewhere between your expolsive strikes and light "little girl" hits there's some communication that pin fall is trying to tell you that you are not catching. Which is understandable because this part of the game is very hard to learn. But before you start getting those light hits, probably you carried some high hits. A trip 4 (where the pins knock the 4 forward) or even carry out the 9 pin. Or you have left a 4 pin or a 9 pin or worse the 4,9 split. Those are signs that you need to move inside a bit with the lane transition.

Since you have recognized this as a trend, start just habitually moving before it starts happening. As soon as you see that 4 pin leave you should move maybe 2 and 1 inside. That's 2 with your feet, one with your target....inside. Try that for starters. Don't mess with your ball speed and hand position until you gain enough skill to control the differences and are able to consistently implement the changes. Very few people, even elevated scratch bowlers can do this. As you've seen if you try to speed up you get less accurate and more reckless. Just move.

There's absolutely NO REASON for anyone to be able to stand in one place all night and expect to hold their line to the pocket. Bowling is not a stagnant game, its a moving changing transitioning thing.

Erin

I agree with Erin. What happens is called, "Carry down". The oil moves around as the night goes on. So, the oil that was at, say, 30-35 feet is now at around 40-45 feet. As Erin said, the only thing to change is where you are standing. If the ball isn't getting up, move in, (Right for right handers and vice versa for south paws). Trying to speed up can cause, "Muscling", of the ball instead of a free arm swing, this isn't what you want. In my experience, I would have to move left as a right hander because the lanes are drying out and I need more room. Just watch what your ball is doing...Not getting up, move in. Going through the nose or Brooklyn, move left(Righties)...Don't forget to practice, too....Hope this helps...

OK, thanks.

I'm right handed, so "inside" means left ?

In my experience Carry Down happens before the third game. Usually by the 5th to 10th frame of the first game. That's when the oil gets pushed down and out and can also cause the ball to start coming up light. You move outside (towards the gutter), not inside for carry down. That's right for RHs and left for LHs.

But in my experience in the third game, if you are getting light hits, I think its probably going to be due more to roll out then carry down. Especially if you have not moved at all the first two games. So then you move inside. Left for RHs and right for LHs.

Erin

Thanks Erin, I'm going to try that tonight. I'll be watching for those 4 and 9 clues.

Cheers!

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">Originally posted by Atochabsh:
There's absolutely NO REASON for anyone to be able to stand in one place all night and expect to hold their line to the pocket. Bowling is not a stagnant game, its a moving changing transitioning thing.

Erin </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">Unless you're the only lefty on your pair. If that's the case, then you can almost always hold the same line. But, that's not always the case.

At league this weekend, I kept trying to adjust more inside when I would get weak hits and notice those clues Erin mentioned, but unfortunatly every adjustment I made just resulted in continued weak hits. After the league was over I moved back outside and aimed one board further right, and BINGO! Found the oily spot with the devastating hits. Thats was the key, put down my first game ever over 200, I was so excited! Did a few more 200+ games this weekend while practicing, but the "clean" game has still eluded me. Did a couple 200 or better games this morning and I'm going back for more now.

About Carry Down.. The oil does move DOWN the lane as stated previously. By moving inside with your feet and line, you get not only a fresh surface to bowl on but also more oil.

Try moving inside with your feet but keep the same spot. You will then be throwing over your spot from inside to out, not straight down the lane. When your ball crosses your spot it continues towards the outside of the lane, hits a much dryer section of boards further down the lane and then hooks hard for the pocket. You need to experiment on how far to move your feet inside.

Moving outside is an option, but what may happen is that the ball will hook too early. When I have to move outside, I go to a ball with less surface (ie- something shiny).

I still say its likely to be lane breakdown rather then carry down. But carry down you need to move back outside or target closer to you.

Perhaps you are starting off too far inside. So the weak hits are there at the beginning? Its pretty tough to see what's going on without being there. However, you've gotten a couple of really good ideas to try.

Another issue that hasn't been mentioned is adrenaline. When you start bowling you are not fully warmed up, streched out and perfectly fluid. As the games go on, you get warmed up and most people start throwing the ball harder. When you throw harder the ball is going to hook less. So watch yourself and see if you are speeding up too much.

Erin

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">Since you have recognized this as a trend, start just habitually moving before it starts happening. As soon as you see that 4 pin leave you should move maybe 2 and 1 inside. That's 2 with your feet, one with your target....inside. Try that for starters. Don't mess with your ball speed and hand position until you gain enough skill to control the differences and are able to consistently implement the changes. Very few people, even elevated scratch bowlers can do this. As you've seen if you try to speed up you get less accurate and more reckless. Just move. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">That has really turned out to be good advice, especially now that I've been practicing it for a bit and am learning to tell the difference between starting to hit weak and just making a bad throw.

I think at first I was adjusting to early because I wasn't being honest with myself about if the shot was good or not. Now I'm trying not to move untill I honestly make a good shot and it just hits weak, not necessarily as soon as I leave a 4 or 9.

"...by the third game its more like a little girl throwing a plastic ball down there and I knock over a few and leave some strange splits."

I love this line. It makes me laugh everytime I see it. I must say, however, that the last time I went bowling, there was this little girl a few lanes down from me and she was AWESOME. I actually watched her bowl and tried to emulate her delivery/follow-through. I happened to bowl my all-time high that day.

Erin, I can't thank you enough for that advice about watching the 4 and 9 or 10. I'm applying it everyday.

The only thing I've found is that if I'm watching for the high hit or the low hit in the pocket and I'm honest about if it was a good shot or not that suggestion of a one board adjustment is more often than not too much. I'm having much better success with small adjustments to my feet position once I find the right line, maybe 1/4 or 1/5 of a board. Of course if I lose my balance, stumble or just miss my target, then I don't make an adjustment at all I just try and do better next time. It really worked well tonight, I got a 5 bagger, a 4 bagger, and multiple doubles and turkeys.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA"> The only thing I've found is that if I'm watching for the high hit or the low hit in the pocket and I'm honest about if it was a good shot or not that suggestion of a one board adjustment is more often than not too much. I'm having much better success with small adjustments to my feet position once I find the right line, maybe 1/4 or 1/5 of a board. Of course if I lose my balance, stumble or just miss my target, then I don't make an adjustment at all I just try and do better next time. It really worked well tonight, I got a 5 bagger, a 4 bagger, and multiple doubles and turkeys.
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">If you need a small adjustment, try moving closer to the foul line or further back from the foul line when you line up (instead of moving left or right). I'm not talking an inch or two up or back -- it takes about 4-5" to make a difference for me. Sometimes this is more effective than trying to move 1/2 or 1/4 of a board for the reasons you stated above.

OK, I will give that a try.

So 4-5" up would be a hit farther back in the pocket while moving 4-5" back would higher in the pocket right ? Or do I have that backwards ?

You have it right. That is just one solution/adjustment. Depending on the condition, it may or maynot work. But its pretty simple to implement as far as fine tuning your pocket hits. When lanes break down, you probably won't find it too helpful.


Erin

I was reading through this topic. I plan to work on this myself as I've seen the same problem. As far as strange splits go, last Tuesday during league play, we were bowling a team that was much, much better than we are. On three occasions (one for me, two for a member of the other team, who happens to carry a 215 average), the ball hit the pocket beautifully (or so it appeared), but left a 7-10 split. I guess we angered the bowling gods. I'll sacrifice more beer to them next week.

The pocket 7 10 is usually because the ball just had to travel too far then it's coverstock wanted to. So by the time it hit the pocket properly it was "dead". Similar to the 8,10 only not quite as disappointing. For me, its a sure sign that I'm playing too much in the dry, instead of following the oil line.

But you also have to add in there that there may have been a cracked pin in the rack, some pins may have been off spot. You might not have given the release the same amount of "fingers" you did in the others. Those are excuses that may have some credibility.

Erin

Erin,

Can you say that may be happening when you leave the 10 pin. Last week, I kept leaving the 10 pin. Each time I move back a little bit, but the 10 pin remained. Moving a board left or right produced the same results.

All night I thought the 10 pin was glued down or had a force field around it

Could be Scout. There seems to be an almost infinate amount of reasons the 10 pin (for right handers) stands.

Erin

Our house uses Velcro on the 10-pins! I'm sure glad we don't have something as formidable as a force field!

Chewing Gum on ours!

I wished the places where I bowled used velcro or bubble gum ... I would at least make it wobble.

I had an incredible practice last night. The lanes were very similiar to league conditions (I was shocked), so I decided to play it like I would in league play. Always beginning my approach at the far right and aiming for the center arrow. I was coming back into the pocket most of the time, but never getting a strike. I'd also practiced on Friday night, so I was a bit tired and noticed that I lost some hook. Well, I decided to grip my ball a bit differently and take a different line. I started my approach from the center dot, aimed for the third arrow from the right. I changed my release to the point that my swing passed very near my left ankle and I was more behind my ball than on the side when the ball came off. It didn't generate as much revs, therefore, less hook, but incredibly controllable. It also seemed effortless. My scores went from disappointment (much the same as on league nights) of lower 130s to upper 170s. Best of all I could duplicate it on almost every release. I'll continue to work on it, plus use it on league nights. Hopefully, my scores will continue to rise. By the way, I did use the advice Erin posted about moving up or back for the start of my approach. Things are looking up!!!

Thanks all,
Tony