How do you practice for changes in lane conditions?

[Chase]

I was recently getting in some practice, and was talking with a friend of mine who has only been bowling for about 1 year…and he’s doing great, averaging about 180. Anyway, I mentioned to him that bowling for a “score” in practice is not reality of how you will bowl in competition…and he understood. Then he asked me, “How do you practice bowling for when the lanes (oil) “break down” with multiple people bowling, etc…?” And actually I don't know...but, I told him that I guess when you practice it’s a good idea to practice on your weaknesses…. which in my case (and his) is “spare-making”....but for changing conditions...???????

I also told him that when I practice by myself, I usually (like most) will bowl pretty good. But, when I get in a situation with others, where adjusting and adapting to a different “shot” has to happen…I am still basically a “newbie”. I know this because I have bowled by myself and went 268, 279, 223, 232, and 279. And then went over to join in a pot-game with 5 others… and couldn’t break 190…. yet some KNEW what to do.

Now my question is this - “How do you learn to bowl on oil-changing conditions when you practice by yourself?” Is it even possible? Is this something that just comes from experience?

[jermarace miller]

Really I can't give a "pro answer" but I will give what I know. When I was preparing for this tournament called the Keystone Bowling tour we would get about 3-4 pairs of lanes for about 6-7 people, we did this when the lanes had no leauges or on one of their slow nights. 2 people on a pair of lanes and we would each throw 1 game no practice. After that we would shift over to the next pair of lanes and bowl another game and so on and so on until each person bowled at least 10 games. With these different bowling styles, bowling on different lanes would in fact create a new pair of lanes the next time you bowl on it.

This I believed prepared me to on adjusting on the lanes. So I would have to say that a lot relies on experience and seeing these lanes breaking down before. Its really hard (well to me) to bowl by your self trying to figure out the lanes breaking down since you have no one else but your self to push the oil down or around. Now I have only bowled for 10 years and 8 of those years have been me learning the game inside and out and I believe I have only been bowling competitively for 2 years, but in all those years I have looked at different oil patterns and how the oil reacts. So like I said I believe that experience plays a part in it.