The bowling thread

[Human_Paraquat]

I've been a one-night-a-week league bowler for the last couple of years after having only bowled a handful of times over my first 35 years.

Had my average up to 149 this season. Finally broke a 500 series a couple of times. Took a clean game into the ninth frame. Baby steps.

Then this past week came a breakthrough. 215-235-166. Second game set a new personal high. First two games were clean. First 600 series.

Obviously not just posting here to brag on my minor accomplishment. For other bowlers, what were the breakthroughs that helped you get better? (A big one for me was learning the importance of left-arm balance as a right-handed bowler.)

Any tips and tricks for more consistent spare pickups or pocket placement?

Or hell just any fun bowling stories from your leagues or random nights with buddies?

 

[Donny in his element]

Congrats, that's pretty cool!

Also, have you explored the Outside Magazine archives? /crossthread

 

[typefitter]

This is the most amazing bowling story ever. I know because its title is "The Most Amazing Bowling Story Ever."

(Seriously, it's really good.)

https://www.dmagazine.com/publicati...he-most-amazing-bowling-story-ever-bill-fong/

 

[Slacker]

When I was in college and bowled a lot, someone showed me how a wrist brace helps you roll with a power hook, and that improved my game (and scores) a lot. And almost overnight.

Your mileage may vary, but figure out how to cultivate that power hook. And lift (pull up hard) as you release the ball. I went from a 157 average to hitting scores above 200 pretty fast. Topped out around 240, and a lot of fun getting there.

EDIT: I hit 259 once. That was my best.

 

[RickStain]

There was a "kids bowl free" program that we got into last summer and took the kids almost every day. (We bought them their own shoes, but they got used to having pizza every time, so it wasn't all that free. But it was well worth it).

I got up to 180, after struggling to break 100 at the start of the summer. I wish we'd done that this year but just didn't get around to it.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Hey, just got home from my weekly bowling league.

I'm not very good, but better than I was last year. I averaged 130 last year and am at 140 this year. I changed several things about my approach which has helped. I think I should be better. Have bowled a couple games in the 190s this year, but no 200s yet. Luckily two of the guys on my team are among the best in the league, so we usually finish well.

 

[jr/shotglass]

I bowled loads in junior high into early high school. We had a good traveling league in the area, some 12 centers involved. Probably about a 150 average. And I bowled at one time or another for each of the three centers in my hometown. (The town now has none.)

I got back into it in my mid-twenties, because the paper had a late-morning Wednesday league at a local center. And again, I averaged around 150.

Then I discovered lift. I was always baffled at how bowlers rolled that late-breaking, dramatic hook. And I was always taught that your release should have no left-right motion to it. Well, I befriended one of the local pros, and he taught me how to roll a fingertip ball, snap with my fingers at release, lift and turn. And I got two balls -- a high-rev reactive resin Storm, and a clear "spare" ball to take the direct route.

I not only got up to a 200-plus average quickly, I loved the "magic" of cranking that Storm to the second board and having it make that left-hand turn in the final 15 feet. And damn, the pin action was unbelievable. The ball just exploded into the pocket.

I spent about five years seriously into it. I found a second daytime league. And having Sundays off, I began going to the area's ranking King of the Hill tournament, the one that had all the "names" in south-central Pennsylvania, the ones who were racking up weekly honors scores that made my co-worker's column. It was a double-elimination, one-on-one deal with 40-50 bowlers, coming down to a two-person final each Sunday night.

(Quick, funny story. The King of the Hill not only brought out the best, it brought out some of the most obsessive. There was this one skinny little guy who was all about style. He wasn't bad, but he thought he was on the edge of the PBA. One Sunday night against him, I was off a little bit, but actually crossed over to the Jersey side for three straight mid-game strikes. He was so chagrined, he called me a mother****er, packed up his balls and left the center in mid-game.)

At the top of my game, I was averaging 220. I flirted with a pair of perfect games. One, I left a ringing 10-pin in the ninth frame. The other, I threw 10 straight, then came up light on the 11th ball and left the 5-pin. I converted that for my all-time high, a 289. And one of my most memorable "athletic" moments came on the Sunday night when I somehow climbed through the best bowlers in that 50-mile radius and reached the finals of the King of the Hill. Once there, I ran into a guy who actually was having some success in PBA regional play. I lost that one 300-269. Matched him strike for strike for eight frames before cracking. People were leaving their post-game beers in the lounge to watch the battle. I was bowling with goosebumps.

Then two things happened. First, bowling in the county tournament one March, I stuck at the foul line and pitched face-first over the line. Not only was it embarrassing as hell, I could have sworn I had broken my kneecap when I landed. That got in my head. What had been a smooth, low slide at delivery, helping me get good lift at release, turned into a choppy half-step at the line. It hurt my game.

And then came the fire, at ABC East Lanes in Harrisburg, about 15 years ago. The place went up in flames one Thursday afternoon. My two trusty balls wound up as a puddle of chemicals somewhere along Eisenhower Boulevard. I couldn't justify the cost of buying new equipment, especially since I was working Sunday nights now and had a teen-age daughter who I wanted to see, at least occasionally. I never really got back into it.

But when it was good, it was really, really good.

 

[lakefront]

from the mlb thread...Mookie Betts rolled a perfect game at the World Series of Bowling

 

[playthrough]

Took a bowling class in college, that was the height of my bowling prowess. The studentuUnion at Indiana still has lanes, though back then they were manual scoring. Our final exam consisted of simply scoring a game correctly. Let's see the kids do that today.

 

[ICanRowCanoe?]

Kids Bowl Free is an awesome program. It's a regular activity for us during the summer. I pay the extra $20 so I can bowl, too.

I've always loved to bowl. Probably average about a 130, but one summer in high school the lane near me offered 50-cent games, and I bowled a ton. Was averaging about 175. Started one game with six straight strikes and finished with a 243, which I don't expect I'll ever top.

@Human_Paraquat, when you say your games were "clean," what does that mean? I'm not familiar with the term. No open frames? No splits?

My goal every time out is no open frames. It's embarrassing how rarely I achieve it.

 

[Gutter]

A thread that's begging for the return of @Lucas Wiseman

Any tips and tricks for more consistent spare pickups or pocket placement?

Congrats on the 600! 600 has been a rarity for me in recent years after some health issues, but I chalked up my second 600 of the season last night.

If you don't already, throw a plastic ball for your corner pin spares. A trick I've applied in the past few years ... when standing on board 39 (all the way left) and throwing at the 10 pin (or 6-10), I open up my hips a bit with a slight twist to the right before returning to my set position. Same thing when throwing at 7 pin and standing right. It helps keep me from tugging on my swing, something I've always had an issue with.

My corner pin conversion is probably at 95% this season, a marked improvement over previous seasons and I'm averaging 10 pins more than last year thus far. I've been lined up and making moves as the lanes transition, so that's part of the reason. But a big reason is making those corner pins, not being frustrated by whiffing on them and the resulting open frame.

Now I just need to stop leaving them.

 

[Gutter]

@Human_Paraquat, when you say your games were "clean," what does that mean? I'm not familiar with the term. No open frames? No splits?

Yep. No open frames. When you hear a bowler say "30 clean" it means they marked in every frame of a three-game series.

 

[typefitter]

I had no idea that bowling lingo is as much a foreign language as poker chat, but I probably should have known that.

 

[Human_Paraquat]

Hey, just got home from my weekly bowling league.

I'm not very good, but better than I was last year. I averaged 130 last year and am at 140 this year. I changed several things about my approach which has helped. I think I should be better. Have bowled a couple games in the 190s this year, but no 200s yet. Luckily two of the guys on my team are among the best in the league, so we usually finish well.

You sound like you're on basically the same team as me.

One of my teammates is one of the best bowlers in town with multiple 300s.

Another teammate is also very strong and has thrown a 300. Just to keep me humble he rolled a 783 series this week. Kept my 600 in perspective.

 

[Human_Paraquat]

When I was in college and bowled a lot, someone showed me how a wrist brace helps you roll with a power hook, and that improved my game (and scores) a lot. And almost overnight.

Your mileage may vary, but figure out how to cultivate that power hook. And lift (pull up hard) as you release the ball. I went from a 157 average to hitting scores above 200 pretty fast. Topped out around 240, and a lot of fun getting there.

EDIT: I hit 259 once. That was my best.

I have some hook, starting on the right-hand side and rolling into the 1-3 pocket. Took me a while to get the courage to go far enough right that I could take advantage of the oil pattern without worrying about dropping it in the gutter.

 

[Human_Paraquat]

If you don't already, throw a plastic ball for your corner pin spares. A trick I've applied in the past few years ... when standing on board 39 (all the way left) and throwing at the 10 pin (or 6-10), I open up my hips a bit with a slight twist to the right before returning to my set position. Same thing when throwing at 7 pin and standing right. It helps keep me from tugging on my swing, something I've always had an issue with.

My corner pin conversion is probably at 95% this season, a marked improvement over previous seasons and I'm averaging 10 pins more than last year thus far. I've been lined up and making moves as the lanes transition, so that's part of the reason. But a big reason is making those corner pins, not being frustrated by whiffing on them and the resulting open frame.

Now I just need to stop leaving them.

I only have one ball but it is drilled to fit my hand, which for anyone who wants to start playing regularly is a must-have. I learned pretty quickly you can't rely on lane balls. I was fortunate that my first league gave you a ball at the end of the season as part of the league fees.

I've always been sorta comfortable with the 10. It's the 7 and 4-7 that gave me real trouble. For a long time I didn't trust myself to stay right and slide it into the back corner. Part of the process of picking up a new skill every few weeks.

 

[Human_Paraquat]

@Human_Paraquat, when you say your games were "clean," what does that mean? I'm not familiar with the term. No open frames? No splits?

My goal every time out is no open frames. It's embarrassing how rarely I achieve it.

Yes, no open frames. In the 10th as long as you strike or spare with your first two balls the last one doesn't matter.

I got to 21 clean frames last week before I left the 4-7 -- and whiffed the spare. Next frame I left the 4-7 again -- and whiffed the spare again. Started to worry I wouldn't get the 150 I needed to finish the 600 but I rallied late.

It's not easy when you're still learning. Think of how many times you throw what felt like one of your best balls of the night and you leave some crazy split. Even the very best in my league don't throw a clean game every time out.

 

[maumann]

Grandparents and parents all bowled -- Detroit was one of the hotbeds back in the day. We'd all watch Chris Schenkel and the PBA Tour. I wanted to be Mark Roth. Now I look like Earl Anthony!

My first league was as an 11 year old at Boca Lanes in Florida. I think I averaged 120 with mom's ball. Eventually bowled with grandma's (drilled for a lefthander) and dad's before getting my own at 16, a cheap rubber model from K-Mart or Sears.

As a senior in high school in California, I was averaging around 140 at Walnut Bowl in Walnut Creek -- but couldn't seem to get a 200 game, always choking at some point. My buddy and I got the bright idea to enter the Nor Cal Junior Championships in the handicap division. The regionals were in Fremont or Hayward, and I promptly tossed a 206 right out of the gate and 1210 (handicap included) six-game set, which sent me to Stockton for the state. (I returned to my normal mediocrity there, unfortunately.)

However, that impelled me to get the local bowling shop to sell me a top-of-the-line Ebonite Gyro, expertly drilled. And suddenly, I developed a real nice **** Weber-like hook that I could throw on nearly any lane conditions at the time. If I could roll it over the second arrow, all I had to do was adjust my approach left or right to compensate. I averaged 187 on the house lanes (including my career-best 258 and 660 series) and bowled in a scratch league with WIBC professional Nikki Gianulias. I averaged at least one 200 a week that season, which seems more impressive the older I get.

But that spring, I fell while skiing and severely cut the knuckles of my right hand on the edge of the skis (because I was stupid enough to not wear gloves on a warm day). Since then, I haven't had the strength in my fingers to properly release a heavy ball, particularly one drilled for fingertip grips. I never graduated to the reactive resin or urethane balls. I've been told they're way easier to control -- and the way they're weighted makes them rotate through the pins better than my trusty "16-pound doorstop." (It's in the original bag in the garage, gathering dust.)

Back then, you might have two balls -- one for dry and one for oily. Now, guys are carrying racks of balls. It's just changed so much that I wouldn't know where to start.

Just a few years ago, Dad bowled in a senior league in North Carolina. Even though his finger span is way smaller than mine, I asked to borrow his urethane for two games and tossed a 180 with it (once I figured out that I needed to release it thumb up without adding lift and the thing would naturally hook to the pocket).

Still, there's something about a perfect pocket shot that clears the deck. And the frustration of throwing a perfect pocket shot and leaving a solid 10.

 

[jr/shotglass]

I had no idea that bowling lingo is as much a foreign language as poker chat, but I probably should have known that.

There's some of that, but I'll tell you where bowlers get really, really deep in the woods -- the balls. They affect your game so dramatically, it can be an obsession. It goes without saying, if anyone plans on bowling on a weekly basis, I'd strongly recommend at least buying one good ball.

When I'd get a new strike ball, I'd sit there with my pro-shop guy for an hour to 90 minutes, getting the finger pitch and span dimensions down to perfection. It not only helps your score, rolling a perfectly drilled ball is like shaking hands with a friend.

Bowling.com Bowling Ball Selector

 

[BTExpress]

One Sunday night against him, I was off a little bit, but actually crossed over to the Jersey side for three straight mid-game strikes.

I always called it a Brooklyn.