How the hell do you get better????

[Isom]

I bowl in 5 leagues currently, in 5 different houses. It's likely I will average 230 in all 5 houses (maybe a little less at Cedar Creek, although it's a house shot, it's so over and under that it gives me trouble sometimes). Everywhere that you go, the lanes are easy and getting easier (as if they weren't easy enough).

With that said, how do you get better at this sport? Where do you go, to practice and challenge yourself? We complain that joe bowler can only play up 10 but when joe bowler walks in almost any alley thats where the shot is, up 10. So can we really blame him if that's all he really knows to do? Where can you practice where the conditions are challenging so that you can test yourself other than going to nationals etc or regionals... spending hundreds of dollars to bowl on shots that you have NEVER seen before only to get your head bashed in by people that have had much experience on similiar conditions?

[Chase]

Hey, this response does not really address the particular question that was being asked (How the hell do you get better?)... but it is an important observation that I have been making ----

When I first read this post, I was in TOTAL agreement about how much easier the shots in most bowling centers are these days. But, I also did a little research in actually looking at individual scores of a lot of bowlers I know, and compared their present scoring to their book average…and believe it or not, the MAJORITY of the bowlers are not bowling ANY better, and some are actually bowling a lot worse than normal.

So, I think…in my new discovery that I also want to ask this question…especially to Isom, Akil, and Greg Black (and others too:)

“Although the shot may be easier in many of the bowling centers… do you think it’s ALSO possible that YOU GUYS are BETTER BOWLERS this year than... than you were last year...along with an easier shot?”

[Martin "BLUFLAME" Seay]

Let's not forget the variable of people keeping their average at certain levels for certain purposes.

[Akil Razzak]

To answer that Chase. I'd say no. I beleive you do get better but from bowling in the past I have noticed the oil patterns have been easier on leage shots. If you throw it bad and shoot 750 then you know something is wrong. The problem some people have is they don't know when they threw it good or bad because of them bowling on patterns that allow you to throw it bad and yet score well. Now I've watch Greg and Isom bowl and I will say they are legit. I've seen them play on some of the tougher condition and do well. I don't beleive it's all about putting out a sports shot but allowing a bowler to learn to adjust to what they are playing on. I had to start to learn the hard way by loosing alot of money in tournaments. I knew if I elevated my game then I could compete and as I get more into it the competition brings you back to more and more tournaments. Bowling is additive and challeging at the same time. But when it becomes less of a challege then participation is down. As well as if you feel you don't have a chance then what's the point.

[Chase]

ok. ...well, there are a lOT of guys that are bowling on easier patters...and they are not NOT doing that great then...LOL

I will not name names.... but the list is VERY LONG

In my opinion, Isom and Greg ARE better bowlers this year... including a few others I know.

[Isom]

Im going to tell you what I think it is. Just a few short years ago often the lane condition would often be inside. I would often start in around 4th arrow or even 5th arrow even on a league night. For many to most bowlers this is a difficult angle to play and also to carry, but the way I typically tilt a ball it was still pretty easy for me. I would watch bowlers try to play to the right of me and see their balls hook early if they tugged it just a lil and never finish if they tried to force it to the right. I would generally have an advantage not because of a difference in skill level, but simply because they would play the wrong part of the lane.

What seems to have happend recently is that every alley, as if they had a meeting to take a vote, have moved their shots back out to the right around the track or the gutter where 95% of bowlers feel most comfortable and at the same time increased the hold in the middle. I nolonger have the advantage that I used to have. Now all we really have to do is stand right and throw hard, harder, and hardest and watch our scores go up, up, up.

My favorite house used to be Forest park fun bowl because it was challenging. If you threw it right, it stayed right and I respected the house because of that. This year if you throw it right, it comes roaring back. My average is in the 230's this year and last year I think i finished with somewhere around 223. Am I 10 pins better this year, NO. Are the lanes 10 pins easier? I think so. I dont want to single out this house as a stand alone example though, I think in general all the houses found a way to get easier. I remember hearing conversations in the past about how easy the houses were on the north side of town and how crappy they were on the south side. Well now I dont think there is a difference anymore, they have all gotten easy.

[Chase]

ok, i understand.

My question now is.... "why do you think there are not as many other bowlers that are doing any better then?" I am just looking at the numbers... pure numbers.
I actually have a league sheet from forest park in front of me right now...

High Scratch Game (so far) 297
High Series 806 (Greg)

..and about (11) 200+ bowlers are not bowling at there normal averages...and instead of being 10+ pins, they are closer to being -5 to -7.

I agree with you Isom, but I also think both you and Greg are better bowlers this year. I actually watched Greg one night... and He just seemed to be a different (better) bowler than the guy I remember last year at Embssy Row Tournaments, etc....

Maybe you're not giving yourself as much credit as you should...
Just my opinion. But, like you said - yes, Foerst Park is definitely easier than it EVER has been.

[Isom]

Well I would have to say, and keep in mind, that this is just my opinion, that the reason for those stats at forest park is because although the shot is easier than last year (the out of bounds is just about gone), in an effort to make the shot more open, they have dried them up so much that you HAVE to get inside pretty far to take advantage of the hold and swing to the bump. They have dried the track up sooooo much that you have to get in at least to 4th arrow to find some hold and most people just dont want to, or cant, get in that deep. So again, im sort of at an advantage in that house because people just wont get in deep enough to find the hold.

I define, in my mind, easy lane conditions as 'hold to my left and bump to my right'. And it doesnt matter where this hold is on the lane, I feel that a good bowler should be able to make use of it if its there. Most bowlers are just comfortable when this hold is around 3rd arrow and the bump is near the track or gutter. But if the hold is around 4th or 5th arrow and the bump is around 3rd or 2nd arrow, the idea is still the same, in that you have hold if you tug it and you have bump if you get it wide, its just on the inside part of the lane. What I see at forest park is that bowlers are hesitant to get in there and make use of the area and they are struggling trying to make it work on the outside part of the lane which has no hold.

So going back to the original point, I honestly dont feel that I got better this year in that house, its just that now im able to do what i couldnt do last year, and that is get inside and throw it right without fear of hitting out of bounds, thus taking my average up 10 pins over last year.

Also embassy row was a tougher house than anything we are bowling on this year. First off it was wood, back ends were screaming and there was little hold in the middle. Then almost always the heads got dry while at the same time the backends tightened up. This year we just dont see anything like that anymore.

[Chase]

Ok - I see... I understand now.

Thanks man.

...Bear with me... I am still kinda green to a lot of this... and you just explained a LOT of what I had never even thought about.

[Isom]

No problem man.....

[Akil Razzak]

Dang the old man came out with sum wisdom! LOL. I agree with most of what you were saying man! Now let's go make sum money.

[F.O.X]

well, stated isom. well. stated. yet, there will those that won't believe you. trust me.

[Wayne Gibson]

Believe it or not the average male averages 173 and the average female averages 139. This is nationally. Was shaocked to find this info out as would have thought both would be much higher. Also thought they would be closer to the same. Perseption has a lot to do with it.

For how shots can get easier and averages either drop or stay the same. There are a few causes but one I think is the biggest Isom touched on. There are a lot of bowlers that fall into that "tweener" area. They will suffer with over/under till they make some sort of big change. More forward roll doesn't always help. They will likely have to either take lots of revs off or figure out a way to rev it up more.