Summer is coming and I just bowled in my first amateur tournament. The conditions made something frighfully obvious while I was sparing and everyone else was striking, I need to add a couple of balls for different conditions. I'm a tweener and I only have one strike ball. The tournament conditions made it very difficult for me to get to the pocket strong with my R43. Its a medium hook potential ball drilled right over the label. I like being able to "make" shots in league. But those conditions were far from league.
I want to continue bowling tournaments and want to add a couple of balls to my toolbox over the summer.
I was looking for a medium/heavy oil ball and a heavy oil ball.
I was looking at the Ultimate inferno for medium-heavy and would love some ideas about that ball in those conditions about heavy oil options.
A friend of mine who drills balls suggested the Paradigm but I have seen alot of mixed reviews about that ball.
thanks for the help

You are looking in the right direction in checking out the Ultimate Inferno. I love Brunswick's ball line, however, I personally found this ball pretty weak for some reason. I had it drilled for a decent hook, but I got nothing out of it. I remember one day I was so frustrated with it that I came home from league and bowled it right into the dumpster-seriously. But, that was my experience with it, and someone else may love theirs.

I have had a lot of nice looks with the Scorchin' Inferno, and if it is a little too much ball for you, you can always have it polished a little...I have heard really great things about it even when polished up. I love my Scorchin and gets use on heavy-oil and tournament shots.

A particle ball might also be a possible consideration for you as well, so check those out too.

I'm sure others will have good advice for you too.

Best of luck!

I bought the Paradigm about 6 weeks ago. All I can say about the ball is wow. The ball moves well, hits like a truck, and rolls through the pit. I have also heard good things about the Paradigm Passion. That is basically the dull version. Now, there are also guys I bowl with who use The One. They have all been happy with it. After a bit of use, they do need to be cleaned well though. One of the message boards on here suggested soaking to help.

So to make the best recommendation we'd probably all like to know your stats as far as speed, revs, PAP and surface you bowl on, etc. The One is a great ball as well as the Big One. Storm is the ball of choice where I live, but not for me. A lot of paradigms and passions now. Passions are really agressive and tend to roll out from what I see on the house here. What ever you get you will want the ball drilled for control on heavy oil. No matter what you won't get the ball to snap on heavy patterns. I love my The One, but I'm currently loving MoRich's awesome flip. It has just as much hook as The One and is the hardest rolling ball I have ever thrown... Ball choices are abundant. Make sure you choose one for the surface you are bowling on as well as oil!

I think you are being TOTALLY misguided. Just because you couldn't carry in your first tournament, doesn't mean that its the ball's fault. Nor does it mean that if given a "magic pill" of a ball, you would have carried.

You said yourself that the conditions were far from league conditions. Well!!....that means you need to learn more versatility in your game. More about lane transitions. Not that you need a new ball. A new ball isn't going to get you the versatility you needed at that tournament. Only experience and coaching will help you adjust to a variety of lane conditions.

Sure a variety of equipment means that you "may" be able to go to a better carrying ball. ONLY, if you understand why you need to go from ball to ball, line to line on the lanes. Most times too many choices in equipment just makes the decision harder.

You got a wake up call. That's all. Every body does. You now know that there are conditions where you are not playing to your strengths. The solution is not in equipment. Its in you.

Erin

i agree with erin, but on the other hand i could imagine playing on soup with a medium hooking ball and see the frustration. so, no, a ball isn't going to be a magic pill. but on the other hand, when you play on something so heavy that you have to point your ball in off the corner and get no entry angle while watching everyone else throw strikes, you should give yourself another option or two. i personally love my w.m.b. by MoRich, although they have some newer oilers out. the seek and destroy is their newest one. they claim that it's a particle ball with angularity. Ebonite's xxxcel is their big oiler. alot of people will say that the big one is their new oil ball, but in the o.o.b. finish i find it's best for me on med/heavy to med. every ball, depending on it's drill is going to have the "perfect shot" to play it on. as it is now, i'm lucky that when my w.m.b. starts to over react, i can pull out the big one and have it's perfect line to throw usually. so, given my experience, those would be my recommendations.

and erin, i think you are way over-critical here. sounds to me like he recognized his problem quite well.

I don't disagree that one needs to have versatility to their game. However, I also feel that having several ball options is just as good.

With consistency of good shot making being the key, I will always choose to try different balls rather than change my game. Whenever I bowl I always try to start off playing the same line I always do (unless I know the pattern ahead of time will not allow it). If one ball doesn't work on the line I like to play, I will gladly change balls before changing my line. Perhaps it is just me, but I stay more consistant if I can change balls and play my 'regular' line as opposed to changing my line 1st.

Now, I am not saying a ball will be THE solution, and in fact, there are times where I may go through all the balls I have with me and still have to change my line.

I basically have enough balls that cross-function. In other words, one group of balls I have is drilled to match coverstock-the polished/weaker surfaces are drilled with weak layouts and the heavy-oil balls have max hook layouts, then I have the same set of balls the opposite, where the polished/weak coverstock balls are drilled with max hook and the heavy-oil balls are drilled with weak layouts. This gives me a lot of options before I change my game.

So while a ball isn't by any means the solution, it is the solution for me about 75% of the time. I was just thinking the other day about how too many people are getting caught up in having too many balls rather than just focusing on good mechanics and good adjustments, but then I think of how many times just one ball change has made the biggest difference between a bunch of spares and a bunch of strikes.

In the end you do need a good physical game and be able to play different lines, but I will try everything from a high-polished finish to a 80 grit wet sand before I change to my 'B' game.

After re-reading Erin's post, the one thing that is very important in what she said is that you have to understand when you need to change to a particular ball and why. In the beginning I had 3-4 balls and just got confused. So I think what is being said is that you do need to have a good enough game and know about your game to be able to make good decisions on ball choices as opposed to just saying "this ball won't hook, so I need another."

In the very beginning I was one of those who knew more about the balls than the lane conditions, so that left me making poor ball selections. And while I still do make the decision to change balls 1st, I do understand why I need to change to a certain ball and how it will affect my game and match-up on the condition I am on. That is the kind of understanding needed before getting into the concept of having multiple balls.

Okay, my turn. I will side with Erin on this one. The reason being that if the average in the profile is correct, then there is room for improvement. At 178, there is probably a good reason why this bowler wasn't striking. A magic ball will cover up some short-comings, but in the end good fundamentals are needed before any amount of extra balls are.

It's what we didn't hear that tells the story. Where were you playing the lanes? Exactly what was the ball doing? What kind of spares were being left? Was it a lot of single pins? Did you leave a lot of flat ten pins? Did you try moving your feet and changing targets? I would personally like to hear more about what you tried before telling you if you need another ball. You say that it wasn't a house shot, how do you know? Did you test the lanes during practice? Did you throw shots down certain boards to determine where the oil wasn't? Did you try different lines during practice to find the best one?

Pin bomber, I disagree with you on this point. I don't think one should just keep changing balls to find a shot. I have a teammate who used to think like you and it took a few years of frustration and watching me score better by not being afraid to move my feet for him to see the folly in his ways. You can waste a lot of time jumping from ball to ball experimenting. I do that when I practice. There is no need for guessing during league. I know exactly what each ball is capable of. I also know that I can use any ball to strike on almost any condition, as long as I know where the oil is and isn't. More often than not, I use only one ball during league play. I use practice to determine where the shot is and I pick a ball accordingly. Then I go from there with that ball. If I only had one medium oil ball I could still bowl very well on most shots. I would take my X Factor with me to use on most any shot and I could score. Heavy, medium, light, I have used it for each and I have scored well with it. It's just knowing how to play the lanes. PLAY THE LANES. Take whatever shot works best and run with it. Be versatile. Don't get married to one shot. And Pin Bomber, how many balls do you bring with you to league anyway?

Now if it were a PBA shot then that is different. That is a lot of oil. Then forget everything I just said.

Well, like with a PBA event, I was assuming that the original poster was either bowling on a sport shot or a really tough condition.

Now, when we are talking about an ordinary house shot, I know what balls I want. For basic leagues I take only 3 balls and one of those is a plastic one. For a tougher scratch league or sport shot I may take 4 until I figure which ones work best and then go back to taking 3 assuming the shot doesn't change. Now when I go to a PBA tournament, I cart the whole lot with me.

Let me say that when I do talk about having multiple balls for use, for the most part I am talking about using them in practice or when bowling on a condition for the 1st time to decide which one I like best. I don't do a lot of ball changing during the game unless the adjustment I need to make is a huge one. I will make minor adjustments...I don't mind moving 5 boards left or right, changing ball speed, and changing my target, but if a major change is needed I will change balls instead.

But I really am saying that if you throw your first shot in a practice/warm up and you really hate the reaction, I would go to another ball and see what works best and then play my game from there. If the original poster has been comfortable with the ball he had on several conditions and then was swamped with oil on this shot, I think trying out a new ball is not a problem-assuming he tried some multiple lines with his other ball and recognized why his ball wasn't right for the condition. I would not suggest to go out and get a new ball if you have been bowling the same way with one ball, went out on a diferent shot, bowled the same way and the ball didn't work. That would be a bowler problem, not a ball problem. But, if he tried different lines, couldn't get the ball to break the way it was desired without a major change to his game, I would see no problem in trying a ball more suited to that condition.

What part of it comes down to is preference. If I normally play the 8 board but I go to a tournament where the 8 is too slick for my league ball, I would rather try my heavy-oil ball out and see how it reacts rather then taking the weaker ball and searching for dry on the lane. If I can stay on my preferred line with a different ball rather than trying to find a line that works with the same ball, is that really all that bad? If I can't play well with anything I have on my normal line, then yes I will move/adjust/play the rail, whatever is needed.

Yes, you do have to play the condition the lanes give you, but I look at balls as lessening the amount that they can boss you around.

I agree with Erin and Smooth.

While choosing the right ball for the right condition has become a big (to big if you ask me) part of the game, I'm not really convinced that a ball change would be the solution here.

OK, I guess thats what I should have expected. Let me start by saying, As always I appreciate all input and advice. Sooo, I'm not looking for excalibur or magic beans or anything like that. I'm just looking to add a couple of options. I dont think that carrying 3 or 4 balls (1 being a plastic for spares) is unreasonable.
I have been competing 1 sport or another my whole life, I believe in learning proper fundamentals, working hard, practicing, finding proper instruction etc... that is all a process. I went to the tournament to see where I was at, and I have a ways to go. I have been bowling for just over a year, so i wasnt terribly dissapointed with how I bowled. But I felt like it was just too wet for me to get to the pocket as strongly as I would have liked. How I know it was not resembling the league patterns is that I bowl league in that house. And the shot was nothing like I have seen there or in the 2 other houses I practice in locally.
Smooth, I was leaving 4's and 4-8s from several different lines. It was only a 3 game set but I tried moving feet and changing targets. I was coming in light from many different lines. I bowled 216-178-187 living primarily on spares. We switched pairs every game and I was never really able to get comfortable.
The fact of the matter is that being a decent league bowler means very little if you dont test yourself elsewhere as far as I'm concerned. I would just like to have some options if I know the shot i need to throw is going to be difficult for me with the 1 ball I carry.
I am reading as much as I can about balls, drilling and conditions to understand the physics of the game along with learing proper technique. Unfortunately it is a complicated game and that too takes time.
Thanks for all of your input, I'll continue to work and learn and hopefully in time get better and better.
PS, the guy that drills my balls (normally) just finished his second senior event. Dave didnt cash this week, but keep your eye out for him and wish him the best. Rookie of the year? haha, i'm hoping. He was leading after the first day last week, here's his big smiling mug last week if your interested.
http://www.pbatour.com/news/features.asp?ID=4535

To better explain, I used to play golf at a pretty competeive level. I carried 4 wedges in my bag and sacrificed a long club or 2. Not because I COULDNT manufacture shots with 2 wedges but because I wanted the maximum number of options in the area of the game that mattered most. short game mattered most.
In bowling I understand spares wear a white hat, but you have to find a way to score. I feel more options cant do anything but help as long as you know your equipment and are switching for a reason, not taking a shot in the dark hoping another ball will fix it.
But again, I am a beginner and my opinions may be flawed or all together wrong.
That's why these forums are so valuable. sorry for typing so many words.

I think the debate here stems from lack of information. That was partially cleared up with the follow up, but still without seeing the OP bowl and assesing the skill level and consistency its hard (for me) to say which side of the debate is right in this instance.

I'm in a place now where I'm building my fundamentals. Pretty soon I'll start getting into the realm of multiple balls for varying conditions, but the truth is that if I had more than one ball right now or 3 months ago it would be overkill. First of all, it'd be one more variable to try and play with and confuse me when the real problem is basic skills. Second, as much as I complain that the house I've been bowling in doesn't take care of the lanes, relative to a sport or PBA shot, the lanes are pretty much the same every week. Sure there may be a little more or less oil, dirty or clean backends, but no variations that moving 5 boards lef/right can't fix.

That said, I can see myself toward the end of this summer venturing into the tournament world. Possibly being ready for a sport shot league in the fall. At that point, I think I'll need 1-2 more balls to match the new conditions I'll be seeing. As I progress further in the coming years onto various PBA shots, I'll need a couple more balls because I'll be seeing new patterns.

Will a new ball help? If its a pattern/condtion that is significantly different than what you're used to, then yeah, consider getting one of the recommended balls. But if you're still struggling with consistency on a house shot, then it might be best to wait on bowling new conditions altogether so you have one less factor to deal with when trying to win/place in those tournaments.

Chris

Actually Smooth, in my experience, PBA lane conditions generally have LESS oil than a house shot, but its distrubuted on the lanes differently than a house shot. There is no great Jaun Valdez oil slick in the middle, and the outsides are not the Sahsra desert. Couple the oil pattern used with the slickness of the Brunswick oil the PBA uses and lanes will seem to be a lot tighter than a house shot. On the other hand, Pattern 2 on wood hooks a lot more than Pattern 2 on AMF or Brunswick synthetics. You have to watch where the bowlers who are bowling well are playing, and then try and get into the same area pf the lane.

Again, you must have a solid foundation to do the above. If you cannot repeat shots, then no bowling ball is going to make you better. Your inablility to repeat shots may be masked by a house pattern with the right setup, but take down the wall, and your scores will plumment greatly.

You should learn 3 different speeds, with 3 different release, and 3 different lofts. If you can do that, then you will be well on your way to becoming a complete player.

Still, if you think a new ball will make your scores go up. maybe it will, and maybe it won't. If your current ball is ill-fitting, then yes your scores will go up. If your equipment fits you properly, and you aren't willing to adjust your line, and you buy a ball so you can play a particular line on a house pattern, then no, your skill level will not increase.

enough babbling for now

Zackneden - Can you explain where you were standing, where you were aiming and where your ball went out to and how it reacted? Can you also explain what you tried to do to adjust and where else you tried to play?

That might help provide the missing information.

Since you brought up golf, a good analogy to make Erin's point about having wake up call is the following..

Imagine you played golf all the time, and at the course they put up nets along the fairway that would redirect the balll back into play if you hit it left or right. Also imagine that all the pin placements were in locations that funneled the ball to the hole.

Now imagine getting used to those conditions and then the nets comming down and the pin positions being moved to where you had to make an accurate put.

Once the nets come down, accuracy is going to be much more important that club selection. If you're hitting a 2 fairway slice, there's not much that's going to help you

The same goes with bowling. If you're not consistantly hitting 1 or 2 boards (sometimes you might get lucky and find 3) on a non house shot, you're going to pay the price.

Having multiple equipment and knowing when you use your e****ent is a huge step to take.

Its totally common for tournament shots to be different then the house league shot. The lane guy knows that there will be mostly reactive balls played all about at the same area. Not like in leauge, where you have maybe 50% plastic played up the middle or off the gutter. So a higher volume of oil might have been his solution to keep the Hi hook players from being on the Mohave Desert by mid game 2. Without putting down a sport or PBA condition.

Plus we dont' know what your solution was for the oily condition besides just moving. Did you move outside with feet and target? Did you slow down your ball speed? Did you target closer to yourself in an effort to get the ball into an earlier roll? Just a few things that at your given profiled average, you should start thinking about. The scores you posted were great for the adverse condition. I remember my first Men's Naitonals at the Stadium. I had never seen a place like that or condition like that and came out of the box with a 119.

Erin

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA"> We switched pairs every game and I was never really able to get comfortable. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">This is very common in tournaments and the whole idea is exactly as you stated. No one gets all that comfortable. So the object is who can get as comfortable as possible the quickest. It also shows you that each lane plays individually. Which means that you almost always have to change where your feet and target are each lane you walk onto. It may only be a board or two, but that's the difference between hitting the pocket and striking.

If you only have an R43 (which is a Quantum in disquise) made by Brunswick for Elite, I'd get a spare ball as your #2 purchase.

Erin

i just want to clarify... i do agree with erin and everyone else, versatility is key. that and consistancy are worth all the balls in the world. i'd imagine that if you put me vs. norm duke on the lane with my choice of ball and lane condition and him with a plastic ball, he'd whoop the pants off me.

i do remember the first time i saw a heavy shot. here i am, 170 average bowler with nothing in the bag but Ebonite's "the one." i played on a sport shot for the first time ever with that ball. i tried to play my usual favorite line, ball skated. moved right, target right, ball skated. then (i was pretty new at the time) i started fiddlin' around with releases, trying to get more axis tilt for more backend, trying to have more forward roll for more arc etc. i adjusted my speed. i adjusted my targetting depth. i ended up pointing the ball off the 5 board and there may have been a wrinkle at the backend worth of hook.

when i made a good shot, i'd hit the pocket. but i left so many 5's and 5-7's it made my head hurt. that was the first time i HAD to try to be versatile. i practiced different things all the time, but on that shot with that ball, it was a different world. so on the one hand, it was very beneficial for me to implement some of the knowledge i'd gained here. on the other, had that been a tournament where scoring mattered, i'd definatly would have wanted a ball with some surface.

my point in the original post was based on my feelings the first time that i, loaded with knowledge, played a condition that i didn't have covered. that was the day that i learned that lane conditions do matter, and they matter alot. it's a big wake up call. i bet i could play that same shot today with the same ball and easily bust a 600 though, so...

i guess that i feel that an additional ball or two can somewhat compensate for what you lack in experience. that's the what it all came down to for me. if you continue to seek out different shots to play with what you can do, you will get better on harder shots. practice and experience are the real key. but another ball won't hurt in the meantime.

All good advice and ideas, Erin I do have a spare ball (target zone)when I referred to one ball I meant 1 strike ball.
I agree with a lot of what was said, what I really lack is experience. The problem with that is until nobody has any until they go out and get some. One thing that stuck out in all of this is speed control. I have to work on being comfortable slowing the ball down. It doesnt feel right because I dont work on it.
I'm going to keep working, go to tournaments when I can, and over the summer leagues add 1 ball. I just heard about a sport trio this summer at a house I dont bowl at much I'm going to take my time with that, hopefully my Pro Shop guy will be in town some and we can talk about it.
Thanks for all of the input. Lefty that was a good analogy, made a lot of sense.

a lot of those sentences didnt make sense i was trying to listen to a meeting at the same time.

I would not suggest a Sport League. At your current level I dont' think it will help you recognize your faults (which is all a sport shot does). And it can be very frustrating. Since a Sport Shot will expose any slight varience in your physical game, including targetting, it may be impossible to decide which variable is at fault on any given shot.

Since you are familiar with golf here's an analogy. Take a recreational putter, who has never been off the mini putt putt field and take them to Pebble Beach. Besides the "I'm at Pebble Beach" feeling, I don't think they'd learn much. Its just too big a jump in what's needed for skills. Get the skills first through lessons, handicap leagues and maybe some local house tournaments. Then gradually move onto tougher conditions.

Erin

Another good analogy, point taken.
Thanks, maybe it is a better idea to bowl the tuesady and friday night mixed leaugues I originally planed on and keep working on fundamentals. The crawl before you can walk thing has always been hard for me.
The ABT has tournaments in my area almost every week. What do you think of their tournaments?

I know the desire to bowl a tougher shot. Based on your profile avg and the posts it seems, Zack, that you and I are at about the same level so I'll give you what I've been told.

I am itching to try a sport shot league, but what my coach suggested was to ask one of the managers for a more competitive hdcp league first. This way I can get used to the more focused competitive environment and hopefully bowl with some higher avg bowlers to learn from, but also still work on my skills. Plus, he added and Erin pointed out, a sport shot might be too much for me to diagnose what I'm doing wrong at this point.

This is a good enough compromise for me, I'll re-evaluate in the fall (with my coach) whether I'm ready for a sport league. Plus, the house that runs the sport league puts the same shot out on 6 lanes Monday nights for practice, so I can always try it out and see how I do on it as the summer progresses. You might want to see if the house near you does the same, or if you can practice after the sport league finishes some nights to see how you do.

Chris

That all makes sense to me Chris. The last thing I guess I really want to do is commit to a team, get out there a realize I wasnt ready and then regret not continuing to improve at my current level. Consistency is a bigger issue than i'd care to admit right now, i'm flopping between 540's and 640's in league right now.
Keep me posted on your progress Chris, it would be nice to make some serious improvement this summer.
thanks
zack

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">The ABT has tournaments in my area almost every week. What do you think of their tournaments? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">I think ABTs are a great way to get your feet wet in the tournament environment. Its a good way to participate in a competative environment without having to get blown away by the 230 averagers. Normally the 230 and local PBA guys don't/can't do ABT. Depending on the local chapter of ABT they may use a house shot, or like Santa Clara CA have their own oiling machine they bring to do the oiling. And its not a house shot. You will have to deal with handicap though. And being rerated within the tournament if you continually do well. At an improving 180 range handicap helps you. At 200 or slightly over, it hurts.

Erin

Thats what I thought, Rose the high lady bowler in my friday night league (215 ave) said it is next to impossible for her to cash in those events, but she loves them and recommended those to me.
The way you described sounds like a perfect way to get some small tournaments in this summer.

I'll keep you updated Zack, you do the same. What is ABT, what does it stand for? It sounds like the perfect type of tournament for me to hop into at this point and if there are any in my area (East SF Bay area) I'll have to check them out.

Chris

ABT is the amateur bowlers tour. Its handicapped, you get 80% of 225. They have local tournaments (60 entries or so in this area is typical) and bigger regional tournaments. (the one next month regionally will have about 500 entries and pay 10,000 for first) and they have nationals also (much bigger and pay out 25,000 or more for first) . Here's the link so you can see if they are in your area.
http://www.amateurbowlerstour.com/

League tonight, 205-171-246
sigh.... always one game for me that just kills me.

Are you kidding??? You bowled 622!!! That's over your average by a long shot. A great series. Its always an exceptional set if you can be consistent throughout the three games. But its just the nature of the beast that you will have a game of struggle and transistion. You had the best of the best in that you adjusted (however you did that) and came back with a fantastic game.

One thing I've had to learn through hard knocks is to appreciate the good games that helped you compensate for the not so good. Do not dwell on the not so good. Instead remember how you came back from a 171 for a 246. That's an improvement of 76 pins in one game. That's incredible. A lot of people would have continued to sink into the 150s.

First time I got real close to 300 (I've not shot 300). I shot 297. When I called my Dad to tell him about my night the first thing out of his mouth was "what happened on that last ball?". Now....knowing that, is it any wonder I have problems accepting sucess? So take it when you get it and be receptive to the praise and skills that allowed you to do that. Its not easy if you have a background like mine. But you need to fight that initial impulse you "might have been" brought up with. Accept your accomplishments as hurdles you dealt with and excelled.

Erin

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">
But you need to fight that initial impulse you "might have been" brought up with. Accept your accomplishments as hurdles you dealt with and excelled.
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="VERDANA,ARIAL,HELVETICA,TAHOMA">You can't concenrate on what you need to do ahead of you if you're consumed with what you've already done. You're going to shoot bad games and make bad shots. That's a given for every bowler no matter who they are. But if you don't leave them in the past, they *will* effect the future.

When I've made bad shots or had bad games and let them get to me, it's killed me because it not only takes me out of my game, but it keeps me from focusing on what I need to do.

Thanks Erin!! the best part of it is my team was really struggling last night and we ended up splitting on the strength of our last game. We were down 160 pins after two games and won the 3rd by 171 to take the total by 11!
I've been really working on staying behind the ball and free armswing, putting the two together was a challenge for a while. Ron Cliftons site explains some things better than anything i've ever read, aaanywho things are progressing.
Two weeks ago i had 225-234-190 and I've had 4 600+'s in the last 7 weeks.
I also however had a 522 in the mix, my goal for the summer is to find some consistancy.

What I've found is that consistency is easier to find if you practise regularly and do not press yourself too much. Once you start pressing yourself and letting that pressure get to you, you tighten up and then the inconsistency gets worse. And its not easy to do.

Erin