I'm working more on the mental game than physical. Both are far from flawless but if I want to take a shot at the high average for the house I'll need to avoid any kind of mental lapse and slump. 2 years ago I managed a 221 average for the Summer which isnt all that high now a days except this house isn't as easy as others.

Shallow talent pool, difficult house, inconsistent oiling, break downs what ever the reason but 230+ average bowlers RARELY exist in this place. I'd like to be one of them. If I fall short there is always next Summer and the one after it.

The mental game is all about having confidence in the adjustments you make, and knowing when to make them. Any kind of indecision will leave you scratching your head and wondering what happened.

A PBA experience league would help you more than anyone on this site, if you can get through one of those with a 220 average then it should be no problem to get through your house league with a 230 average if it is difficult or 240 if you find out that it is easier than you thought.

It all starts with knowing what adjustments to make and when to make them and to trust what the ball is telling you how the lanes are playing.

tbill, part of what may be causing you to look up before the ball is at your target is fear that the ball is not going to hook.

You need to work on letting the ball swing your arm and extending your fingers through the target at the bottom of the swing and stop worrying if the ball doesn't hook. If the ball doesn't hook that means you can play a more direct line to the pocket which is easier to play and keep on line anyway so stop worrying. You will most likely hook the ball more after you stop trying to make it hook and learn to trust your swing.

Post a video if you need more help with this.

cg if you are picking up your speed without thinking about it then that is the kinds of instincts and reactions you need to be a top bowler. Barnes, Duke, and the guys don't think about adjustments, they just do it, that is great to hear that you are able to adjust that way. It sounds like things are coming together for you.

How about Stat Tracker for a name for your scoring software?

Brandon, when is your first lesson with your coach? Let me know how it goes and what he/she has you work on.

Increasing your spare % will boost your bad nights and keep you over 550 instead of 500 or lower these bad nights are what kills averages keeping them not so bad is how you increase your average.

Sticking to your game plan and remembering where to stand and aim at is also an area you need to work on, then adjusting properly off of that line when it burns up is another area you need to work on.

I look forward to hearing about your first lesson, I hope it goes well.

What caused you to loop your back swing in the PBA league?

What did you do to turn things around?



And double duped on this one

Your post is what prompted me to start this thread and see if I could help people develop a practice plan to achieve their goals for next year, and keep my bowling mind working since I can't bowl still.

Cal, I have found that most pro shops around our area tend to do what they want instead of what you want, whether that be right or wrong, mostly wrong, and are usually set in their ways. To develop a good working relationship with a shop you need to be able to trust that they will drill the ball properly and the way you want. I had a guy put 3/8 reverse in a thumb hole instead of 3/8 forward like I asked, my student kept dropping the ball and I had his pitch checked by my driller whose shop is 60 miles away and found that the guy put reverse instead of forward because that is what he wanted. Ball drillers can be very stubborn and fear what they don't understand, most of them I wouldn't let punch a hole in a bird house much less a ball.

I would suggest starting off by having him check your spans and pitches and tell you what he thinks, then tell him what you think, and what you are looking for and what your goals are, so you can get a read on where he/she is coming from and how their though process works so you can decide whether to trust them or not. It is hard to trust a ball if you can't trust the drilling.

As far as your approach goes, try walking up to the foul line then turn around place your heels on the dots in front of the foul line and take 5 normal walking steps back, look down, this is where you should start your approach. Grab your ball take your stance, place the ball in your belly then walk back to the line without swinging the ball and see the difference in pace from your old approach, repeat this several times until you feel comfortable with it then bowl using this same pace, then do the belly walk to the line again then bowl. It may take several sessions to get the feel of bowling with your proper tempo, but it will be well worth it.

Post back and let me know how it goes with the Pro Shop.

Learning to throw the ball straight at your spares will help increase your spare percentage and give you confidence in your spare game because you don't have to worry about how much the ball will hook in different parts of the lane because you are throwing it straight and if you do it properly it will go straight on any lane condition.

To throw the ball straight you need to follow through with your pinky toward the target, almost like a back up ball except straight end over end.

Difficult oil patterns are good to bowl on if you have a good physical game with sound fundamentals to where all you need to worry about is what the ball is doing and have fun playing the lane instead of trying to work on your swing or release or your timing, you can do that stuff anywhere.

Kegel Training center in Lake Wales, Florida has classes and clinics all year long check out their web site: http://www.kegeltrainingcenter.com/

Jim, I've noticed that about a lot of the shops too. I could probably get my current driller to do the changes, he shortened all my spans and changed the pitches last summer after he drilled a ball up for me and noticed all the reverse and the length of the span. At the time they felt alright, definitely better than the balls were before. The problem is he works out of his basement and I feel weird calling his house to go to there to get anything done, plus the last time I tried to get something done I couldn't get a hold of him.

The Pro Shop I am looking into is the only one that the guy said he wants to watch someone bowl before he drills a ball for them, so I figure its worth a try to at least talk to him to see what he says about my equipment. I have not had a ball drilled by this shop, nor do I know anyone that has but I know he has many repeat customers. I'd rather be able to just to walk into a shop during its business hours than have to call to make sure I can even drop bowling balls off to get something done.

Let's look at a chronology of events.

XMas '06: Tore the muscles in my sliding hip while at a release. This put me out 6+ weeks while recovering. Upon my return, I couldn't get any leverage out of my release, since I now can't bend at the hip or knee on delivery. I have no poser step.

Lessons in March, came to the realization that I had to work with what I now had, and I wouldn't be able to go back to a deeper release.

PBAX league in May '07 found me with a weak delivery and fewer revs that were magnified in this league. In an effort to gain more on the ball, I started to try to crank, turned my wrist behind me, developed a round swing and really screwed me up. While this was going on, I would step to the outside (result of my hip problem) and lose balance to right.

Each of these were addressed in lessons again, but found it extremely difficult to eliminate all. When one would go right, another problem would take its place. They still come back at times, with no apparent reason, except I noticed the backswing behind my back, and a round armswing when I tried to play inside or pick up 10 pins. This would continue for a ball or 2, until I corrected it by walking straight at my target and keeping my elbow in.

Feb of this year, finally found me becoming more tuned, with fewer relapses of my problems recurring. It does recur in a frame or so, generally after I shoot at a 10. I have given up on my spare ball, since I had no direction with it anyhow, and reverted back to my regular ball, rolling it straighter, with better success.

This Summer, I intend to retrain my entire body to repeat a motion consistently. I can't bend, so my ball has a slight loft now. I can recognize when I have an arm problem, so I have to minimize it. Hopefully, eliminate it. And, I have to improve my rev rate with these limitations.

So, I have my work cut out for me. But, it can, and will be done. Keys are coaching with a watchful and familiar eye, and lots of practice.