Any bowlers?

[firewired]

I have been bowling for over 10 years now......and all of a sudden I don't remember how to throw correctly! It's driving me nuts. I have a fingertip ball and normally when I bowl, my ball has a pretty good hook on it. I switched to fingertip about 3 or 4 years ago, and have bowled several 200+ games, including a 255.

I started off great in league this year, but have been getting worse every week! I can't seem to remember how to release the ball so it hooks hard. I'm talking about almost not breaking 100 bad....I hit a 116 last night. Besides getting frustrated with myself, it sucks letting my team down.

I'm probably thinking about it way too much now. One of the guys told me to clean my ball with soap and water, and that will help to get all the oil out of there. I'll try that this weekend, but what do I do about the release Maybe I can find some time to go up there and just relax and bowl.

Anybody else had this trouble?

 

[7santiago]

Funny, cause ive never bowled in my life and just a week ago i played and found out i am good. Good enough to have beaten a six-year-player.
I think your having a mental regression

 

[CNCreefer]

I like bowling, too bad all the bowling alleys are disappearing. There used to be like 10 bowling alleys within a 20 mile radius, now I can't think of any. One right up the street from here was recently razed and now they're building condos there. My other favorite bowling alley is now a harley davidson dealership

 

[adnedarn]

...maybe it's the ball. If it is a good ball (non plastic) you can put it in the oven on "warm" for a few hours and it will sweat out the oil... so the ball can get some grip. Or go to your local proshot, and they can checmically treat it to help get the reaction back. The alley also might have changed their oil or the amount of oil they lay... I'd look into the ball if it has been progressivly getting worse.
Andrew

 

[Alvin Meister]

You probably thought too much about your technique one day and started being too conscious about it. Now your worrying, which leads to the throwing being non-automatic. It's a self perpetuating circle. The pros call it 'choking' when you try too hard and fail.
Best bet would probably just to practice on your own, just for the fun and hell of it and I bet you'd get the knack back.

 

[firewired]

I think that you're right Alvin. I had a bad game and then starting thinking too much about it and ended up making it even worse. I know the main guys that run the bowling alley, and one of them is going to watch me and help me out a little bit next week. I could probably get it back by practicing, but I'm not sure if I ever had the "proper" style of bowling, maybe this is a chance for me to fine tune it with someone who really knows what he's doing.

Hopefully I'll post back here with a 300 game in a few weeks.

 

[aprilh]

I throw a 16lb fingertip ball. Like most women, it's a backup ball. If you throw a big hook, I'd suggest looking at your feet when you first get up there. Try to keep off the oil on the very outside of the lane. I adjust where my feet go all the time, sometimes as little as a 1/4 board. I wipe my ball off between each shot, and use a resin bag on my fingers and in the fingerholes. I throw between the second and third arrow from the left. I'd say just relax and go out with some friends and practice, keeping in mind that the score doesn't matter.

 

[firewired]

That's a heavy ball April! Mine is a 14 lb fingertip. I don't have a backup ball.

Generally I stand on the first dot to the left of the middle, and throw at the third arrow from the right. (You must be left handed?)

That is a good idea to just go out and practice with some friends. I bowled with some friends this week and bowled a 169.....which is a pretty decent game considering my scores recently. I had money riding on that game hehe

This kind of reminds me of that movie, "The Legend of Bagger Vance". Have you guys seen that? He was trying to find his golf swing....I'm trying to find my bowling "swing".

 

[aprilh]

nope, I'm right handed..I just have a backup ball. And yeah...it's a heavy ball, LOL!

 

[Dyflam]

Sounds to me like you need a couple warm up beers.

 

[aprilh]

Yeah, the warm-up cocktails are part of the process!

 

[firewired]

I don't take part in the warm up cocktails....but I did have a great night of bowling this week. It wasn't in league, it was with a friend bowling for fun.

I bowled a 168, 212, and a 177. Probably my best series ever of a 557. Would be great to hit a 600 series someday......preferabley in league

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