Hi all. I ended my first year of league last year with a 138 avg. lots of missed spares. this summer while practicing I noticed that when I throw my spare ball it always rolls straight on a line that is 5 boards to the left of where I aim. It is really consistent. I am picking up an additional 2 or 3 spares a game by aiming 5 boards to the right. Question Should I be concerned that I dont hit what I aim at(remember I'm a beginer)or should I just dance with who I brung and aim 5 boards to the right of the line where I want my ball to roll? Plastic Spare ball is thrown straight with little or no rotations.thanks for any input

Its normal to have a hit vs aim difference. As a bowler you just need to learn what that is and keep it the same.

Erin

Actually to me it sounds like you have an eye dominance situation. Read the attached article. It explains the concept quite well.

http://www.beyondbowling.com/html/article_6.htm

OMG that is exactly what is going on. I am right hand left eye dominant. It is important to me that I trust aiming at the wrong target knowing that it will hit the right target, and knowing why that is. Many many thanks.

wow i learned something new today. this mite help knowing this. amazing i never knew of this. you just helped me too thanks !!!

Ok, this is really messing with my head. I have always thought I was left eye dominant, but using the test at that link shows that I am right eye dominant. So I did some searching and came up with a number of similar tests for determining eye dominance. With some of them I come out right eye dominant, yet with others I come out left eye dominant. I can't believe I am doing every test wrong, so is it possible to be equally dominant on both eyes? Or maybe since I have always used my left eye for most focusing requirements for so long, it has been trained to be dominant as well?

TenPin, its not a huge issue. All you need is some practice with a spotter that you trust and have them keep Track of your actual hits. Then you can determine your hit vs aim margin of error.

One way to do this is to have worksheets independant of each other. You write down what you are aiming at and the spotter writes down what you actually hit. Do not discuss it. Then after a pre set amount of time you compared your results But I'd make sure its a couple games worth of shots.

Erin

This is a very good topic as it is one that has not been ran into the ground.

What determines eye dominance is which eye lid opens first. With two eye lids opening and closing constantly, one will open slightly before the other, this determines which eye is dominant at that time. If you do the test and open the right eye first then you are right eye dominant if you open the left eye first then you are left eye dominant, the key to the test is to see which eye is dominant when you don't think about it to do this you need to do the test several times, and be honest and not bias it one way or the other and see which eye you are dominant with.

When does eye dominance matter? It only matters when you are trying to play a specific line. Like you see other people playing the second arrow out to the 5 board and having success, and you want to play the same line and you are left eye dominant and you need to aim 5 boards right to actually hit that line, or your coach says to stand on x board and aim at y target at the arrows you will need to aim at y - 5 boards to the right.

How to reduce or eliminate the eye dominance factor:

Set up with your head over your non sliding foot, opposite eye dominant bowlers should be set up with their left eye (right handed) over their right big toe, right eye dominant bowlers with their right eye over their right big toe. If you need a reference on what this set up looks like, check out the video of Bill Hoffman that ijohn83 has in this thread: http://www.bowlingcommunity.com/b/ubbthr....html#Post67011

If you set up with your head over your non slide foot and it is pointed at your target and break point and you start the ball under your head and let the ball swing back under your head then the ball will be on target and your eye dominance will have been greatly reduced or eliminated all together as it relies on the gap between the eye and the ball to create a problem, once that has been eliminated then there is no problem.

I have always known I am right handed but left eye dominant.Since the solution is looking 4-5 bds to right of target
I want to hit, the easy way to do this is to set up my line lookin right at my target in line with my center out toward a breakpoint.It is easier to line up center. Center is about 5 to your left so same as looking at point 5 to my right. Now once center is lined up I will add Jim's tip of setting ball in line with my left eye and RIGHT big toe.Make my approach eys on my center mark.Follow through with arm swing in front of face.
Dianne

I have always known I am right handed but left eye dominant.Since the solution is looking 4-5 bds to right of target
I want to hit, the easy way to do this is to set up my line lookin right at my target in line with my center out toward a breakpoint.It is easier to line up center. Center is about 5 to your left so same as looking at point 5 to my right. Now once center is lined up I will add Jim's tip of setting ball in line with my left eye and RIGHT big toe.Make my approach eys on my center mark.Follow through with arm swing in front of face.
Dianne