I am starting to think this was a huge mistake. I knew it was going be a tough shot, that is why a joined, but I didn't think it was going to mess me up this bad. I just finished up my eighth week tonight and I have never been so confused in my life. My mechanics are so screwed up now I am gonna need to start practicing for my fall league right after this is over. I love to bowl and look forward to it every league night, but right now I am so frustrated it is driving me nuts. All the different patterns seem to be the same for me. I have too much hand to play outside and not enough to play in side. Oh well. I just needed to vent. I really need to start practicing weekly, but all the specials in my area are on Sunday mornings (church), or Wednesday nights from 10:00pm till 2;30am(work the next day). What's a frustrated bowler to do.

Do you bowl on each pattern a set amount of time before moving on? Do you know what you're bowling on before hand?

For the shorter patterns, you need to learn to use less axis rotation, and come more up the back of the ball. Even the pros with a lot of hand play outside on these patterns.

Yeah, PBAX has me all screwed up too.

I just do what I can, and quit being upset about it.

Yeah, I'm right there with you. I left the other night just scratching my head in disgust.

I've joined desertdog and have decided to just forget about it the minute I leave the alley.

Back off your hand, and just concentrate on keeping the ball in play. Don't try and destroy the pins. You have to repeat shots on PBA patterns. Consistant release and approach will get you a lot more than trying to blast the pins off the deck each and every shot. Rememeber, less is more, meaning the less you try to do to the balll, the more pins you will knock down. Bowling on harder patterns will make you a better player, if you focus on repeating shots.

I don't know about you, but I fully intend to take over the high series and high game positions on Monday now that we go back to the longer patterns. I at least have something playable on those patterns, without totally changing my game.

I wish I'd joined a PBAX league. I thought I'd have the same experience as you guys, but I've had a chance to practice on the same patterns and have done better than I expected.

The key for me has been, I've had one shot I could throw with success on every pattern. I have enough variety in my game (and in my bag) that I can choose from several different shots in most conditions, but with the PBAX patterns I have to do exactly what they tell me to do to be successful.


The great thing about getting to practice on the patterns is, I'm starting to build a list of equipment to buy. Instead of casting around for anything that might work, I'll be looking for a specific reaction under specific conditions.

I've said this privately to a few on this board. Now I will say it to all. The PBAX is supposed to be a learning experience. If you are thrown into it without the proper explanation and guidance, it could hurt you if you cannot read the lanes and adjust accordingly. Don't get into bad habits that will cause you much time and practice to get out of.

The better PBAX leagues here have pros watching the bowlers and answering questions during the night. They even give lessons afterward to those who wish to learn. There is a tutorial sheet explaining the pattern, recommending how to play each. Hands on instruction is the best way to learn them, IMHO.

Otherwise, it is like taking a quantum mechanics test with a third grade education.

Just bowling on these without the instruction and without being able to adjust may not be the best for you at this stage of your bowling experience. Pros have coaches. So should you in this league.

This is the main reason our Association went from 13 PBAX leagues last year, down to 2. The 2 are full and have hands on coaching help. These bowlers have improved. We now have PBAX Honor scores on our honor list.

When I joined a Sport league (the first year it was available) it sent me into a 3 year slump! The shot was not a PBA shot, it was flat 50'. That's what the league secretary and coordinator wanted and that's what we got on 40 year old wood lanes. No one in our league averaged over 192 and we had Regional PBA tour winners on our league. It was a nearly impossible shot.

I was at 200+, just over that and though my physical game was good (at that time) my mental game was not. And it took the toll. Then all the stuff you are mentioning came into play. My good phsyical game went out the window as I tried to score on these lanes. My mental and physical game got a lot worse.

Bottom line. A Sport or PBA Exp. league will NOT make you better. It will show you the weaknesses in your game if you are an elevated enough level to recognize them. That being said, an untutored PBA or Sport league should not allow people under 190 to bowl in them. This type of league is for the big guys.

If you want to experience such a condition then look for something that has coaching also involved. They don't just throw you into h ell that is the sport condition with no tools available to help.

These types of leagues do not infuse you with greatness. They expose your weakness. If you have coaching available to help overcome some of these weaknesses then its educational. If not, then it can just be a frustrating experience.

Sport and PBA leagues DO NOT infuse you with greatness. Just because you bowl one doesn't mean you are going to get better. That's a huge mis conception you can thank USBC for. To join and get anything from these leagues you have to have enough knowledge to know when you threw a bad ball and what was bad about it and how to go about fixing it. Even if you know that, you have to accept that you are not a robot and do not execute the same every time. Therefore you are going to be exposed on such shots. Now if you are bowling in such a league with well experienced regional bowlers, they will know how to break down the lane to their benefit and not necessarily your benefit. So you have that to deal with too. For most people its just jumping into more then they can cope with. And I don't think USBC marketed this idea well at all.

Now like Dennis has said, if you have coaching available that truely uses this as a learning experience (and not competition) then you will get something from it. But you also have to keep in mind that finding coaches that know how to deal with these patterns is nearly impossible. You'd have to have a weekend clinic with several high level and performing coaches that actually have personal experience on these types of conditions to help you. Otherwise, you've been thrown to the sharks.

You are at a similar level that I was when I joined such a league. My suggestion would be to attend coached clinics in the area. Bowl in as many local houses as possible on house shots. Now when you can average over 200 in over a dozen or so houses (on their house condition) then you are getting close to the point where you could tackle competative PBA league situations. I've bowled in many situations that were PBA or Sport compliant and NONE of them matched up to that mess we had that first year Sport was sanctioned.

Erin

I have said it before also. I want to bowl on actual PBA patterns and I haven't seen one yet. Until my house irons out the oiling machine issues and gets it right, I will not participate again after this summer session.

They simply need to run the strip cycle once, then oil cycle and not combine them, but I can't get them to listen to me. They talk to me like I am a 3rd grader and I don't know SSSS about the game.

I have averaged over 200 in 3 different decades, won scratch tournaments, competed with PBA members, and worked in the Bowling Industry quite a bit in the past, so I think I might know at least a little bit about the game. That being said, I have taken my business elsewhere and my background where its appreciated at my local 10 lane center.