Help aiming for beginners

BY SCODADDY:

One basic rule I follow when aiming is to pick a target arrow to throw at.  I am right handed and usually throw between the 2nd and 3rd target arrows to the right of the middle arrow.  Then I stand around the middle dot on the approach and foul line indicators when releasing the ball.   I throw a few shots and if I am missing to the right of the pocket then I move my feet to the right of my original approach point.  If I miss the pocket to the left then I move my feet to the left of my original approach point.  However, my aiming does not change.  I keep aiming between the 2nd and 3rd arrow.  So a simple reminder is to find a target arrow and keep it.  Then if you miss left, move your feet left.  If you miss right, move your feet right.  Hope this helps!

When purchasing a performance ball...

By Scodaddy

Just wanted to remind anyone who purchases a performance ball for the first time, or maybe even if you have bought them before, remember that the ball is going to require maintenance.  Generally you will want to get a ball cleaner and a towel (preferably oil free or microfiber).  Over time a performance ball will soak up the oil from the bowling lane.  Once the ball soaks up enough oil it will lose its hooking ability and will not perform well.  So what you want to do is to prevent as much oil as possible from being soaked into the ball.  You may notice professionals on tv or maybe even league bowlers at your local center toweling off the ball.  They are wiping the oil off the ball before it has a chance to soak in.  After you have played a few games, even though you towel the ball after every shot there will still be some oil that soaks in.  So what you want to do before putting the ball up for the night, is to use a cleaner to help extract the oil to the surface of the ball and then use your trusty towel to wipe of the extra oil.  You will want to try and clean the ball evenly around the surface so make sure to cover the entire ball.  Cleaning the ball with cleaner is really only necessary when you have finished bowling for the day.  You dont want to clean in between shots or games.  So to make sure your ball works well for a long time, keep it cleaned. 
Also, on a side note, please keep your bowling balls stored in an area that does not have drastic temperature changes.  Usually a locker or closet works fine.  You do not want to leave it in your vehicle because the temperature can cause the ball to crack! 

If You're Looking for 'Magic' to Revive Your Game, It Might Just Be a Stone's Throw Away

BY TOM KOUROS : Reprinted Courtesy of Bowlers Journal International

IN THE MIDDLE AGES lived a sorcerer named Merlin. He performed many miraculous feats, one of which was to embed a sword in a huge boulder, making it impossible for anybody but the next King of England to remove it. Many tried, but all failed. Then a young man named Arthur stepped forward and easily unsheathed the sword.

Some time ago, a struggling bowler known as Sam entered a pro shop. There, a ball drilling sorcerer designed for him an artful creation of magical properties. As a result, Sam left that shop a new bowler.

The metamorphosis was astounding. In short order, his average skyrocketed and his teammates started calling him "The Slasher," denoting his new ball's effect on the pins.

With regard to King Arthur's feat, that still remains an enigma. Indeed, for hundreds of years, much has been postulated. Some say it was simply Merlin's black magic; others say it was Arthur's great strength. There are even those who believe that Arthur used something like WD 40 to get the sword out of that boulder.

But there's no mystery about Sam's success. It is known as the "exotic ball experience," and across this nation, pro shop wizards - better known as ball technicians - are increasingly arming average bowlers with the formidable equipment of today.

In that vein, I recall what I wrote years ago: "Physically, bowling is a sport comprised of two elements... accuracy and action. In terms of priority, develop your accuracy skills first. Once you are hitting the pocket on a regular basis, then begin enhancing your action technique. Keep in mind that, in bowling, action is primarily applying a torque (force) with the hand to the ball. This torque is comprised of three factors... lift, turn and extension. And be careful not to stress accuracy at the expense of action and vice-versa."

Well, since writing those words, the game has changed somewhat. It still requires the accuracy skills of the past, but the action aspect is a different story. Much of the ball action today is built into the bowling balls by the use of sophisticated weight blocks, dynamic balancing and modifying the coverstock with more or less porosity as the lane condition demands. It is a fact that revolutionary weight blocks and dynamic imbalancing have inserted much of the torque requirement into the ball, thus lessening the responsibility for the hand to apply a strong torque.

For example, the farther the weight mass is located away from the axis, the greater the torque effect it has on ball roll. Briefly, the principle is this: In order to overcome a resistance, you must expend a certain amount of effort. This is always the product of the force which you exert times the distance through which you move the force. What you lose in distance you gain in power and vice-versa; 10 ounces moving one inch is the same as one ounce moving 10 inches. A torque working through an angle is work, just as a force acting through a distance. Understand that the definition of work in physics is not quite the same as the dictionary definition. Work always implies motion. It is the product of a definite force acting through a definite distance.

To be sure, these modern balls have been a boon to bowlers young and old, as evidenced by the many honor scores registered of late. Where par in bowling was widely recognized for many years as a 200 average, that distinction has now been upgraded to a 220 average. And if you are still holding on to that ball that Aunt Sarah bought you for Christmas 12 years ago, do yourself a favor and get down to your local pro shop and modernize your weaponry. Trust me, no matter how talented you are, you can't compete using old, antiquated equipment in today's environment.

LPs are a thing of the past. Likewise, give that "old apple" a descent burial and get in on the fun.

Dealing with a Late Season Slump Is Like Coping with an Unexpected Summer Cold

BY TOM KOUROS : Reprinted Courtesy of Bowlers Journal International

MOTIVATED BY SUMMER LESSONS, new equipment and/or strong resolution, thousands start off the bowling season with much exuberance and hope. Sure enough, the first half of the season was promising, as our average climbed to new heights. But by the flagging days of March, we were hit upside the head by a harsh reality check.

That's when some of us discovered how unpredictable this challenging sport can be as we played more and seemingly enjoyed it less because of something called a late season slump.

Rest assured, many of us have experienced this. And once affected by this malady, a bowler can't help wondering if the preseason practice and commitment were worth the effort. The initial excitement and enthusiasm is gone. Instead of eagerly anticipating the bowling night, we now dread it.

Yet bowlers often make a grave mistake during one of these downturns. They overreact. They go from one coach to another, or from one written source to another. This makes things like the swing and release even more confusing, which leads to even more complication and discouragement. And when confusion sets in, they realize little enjoyment when playing the game.

The cure is not always rooted in a review of one's methodology.

That's why the first thing to do when in a slump is to ask yourself if you are still having fun. If the answer is negative, then that is where you want to begin your efforts to "break" the slump.

Simply put, if you are not having fun, then you are not playing the game. Bowling is great exercise, but not manual labor. It's a game, and like other great sports, it's an escape from the harsh realities of life. In other words, if the top professionals can't perfect it, then it's unreasonable for you to have that expectation.

Over the years, many pros have told me they played better once they accepted that precept.

Average bowlers often get too serious about the game, trying to turn it into an exact science. They have little understanding of the mental game. As the season progresses, they tend to keep adding tidbits of methodology until their minds are glutted with technique and alternatives. Early in the season, their mental faculties were clear and unencumbered. They were patient and steadfast, working on a few fundamental keys. As they began adding one thing after another, their mental game became overburdened, eventually resulting in the inability of their minds to function in a highly sequential manner.

Slumps are periods when your physical or mental skills operate at a much lower level than normal. Even the most consistent pros are not as consistent as many people believe. A slump, however, is a continuation of poor performance without any upturns. In other words, a slump is a phenomenon introduced to your game which is preventing you from realizing the upturns. Aside from the major reason described above, slumps occur because of a bad habit, too little practice, too much practice, or a personal problem in your life.

To prevent bad habits from occurring, or to correct a bad habit, avail yourself of a qualified coach. "Eyes on the bench" are critical to a consistent high level of performance. And listen to one coach, not several. Remember the adage, "Too many chefs spoil the meal." Another good idea is to have yourself videotaped when bowling up to your expectations. Then you have something to gauge when a slump occurs.

Obviously, the cure for too little or too much bowling is to adjust your practice time. As for any personal problems you might have, they can best be addressed through counseling, with a friend or professionally.

Above all else, never forget why you play this great game... the challenge, the social aspect, the exercise, or just to have fun. That's a pretty exciting parlay.

Why Does It Take 16 Seconds Longer to Make a Shot Today Compared to Bowlers of Yore?

BY TOM KOUROS : Reprinted Courtesy of Bowlers Journal International

RECENTLY, TIGER WOODS WON another golf tournament. What was unusual about this one was that his conduct on the links may have been as big a story as the victory. "Tiger in time warp," blared one headline. "For a man who supposedly has everything," wrote a cynical reporter, "Woods evidently needs a stop watch."

Yes, despite his popularity, the game's ruling monarch was admonished for slow play. On the 16th hole of the final round of the event, Woods and his opponent were "put on the clock" for falling a full hole behind the group in front of them.

That shows you how concerned golf's leaders are about the ever slowing play of the average golfer.

This is a wide spread problem, and also pertains to bowling. In fact, "slow bowling" has contributed to the dramatic decline of team bowling. Today, the average male rolls 16 shots a game, 4.5 of them strikes. This adds up to about 48 shots in a three game series, totaling 240 shots for a five man team series.

Now, consider that it takes the average five man team three hours to bowl a three game series, or 10,800 seconds. Using the same 240 shot denominator works out to an average interval of 45 seconds between shots today.

Back in the 1940s and early '50s, the average male rolled 19 shots per game, which added up to 57 shots in a three game series and 285 shots for a team series. This was an era when the pace of bowling was primarly governed not by rule or proprietorship, but mostly by the pin boys, who would pound the kickbacks with a bowling pin while uttering caustic remarks if you did not arrive on the approach when your turn came. Consequently, five men would normally finish bowling a three game team series in two hours, 20 minutes, or 8,400 seconds. That broke down to 29 seconds as the average interval between shots (8,400 seconds divided by 285 shots).

So, although today's bowler utilizes fewer shots in a three game series compared to the bowler of yesteryear, he squanders 16 seconds more between shots. This results in a five man team taking 40 minutes longer to bowl a three game league series. So, how did this insidious slow pace evolve?

We go back to the early 1950s to address that question. The introduction of a "miracle machine" went hand in hand with center modernization and bestowed innumerable benefits to proprietor and participant alike.

However, along with this cornucopia of beneficence came slow ball returns and a substantial number of minor malfunctions, such as a pin stuck in the ball door and 2for the machine's distributor "double feeding" the table, or a re spot cell failing to pick up a given pin in a spare leave. These seemed to be minor prices to be paid for such revolutionary advances (obviating the need for pinboys as well). On the other hand, it wasn't unusual to see the pinsetter clear away the dead wood, and set your spare leave, only to have your ball arrive on the ball rack some three to five seconds later.

In addition, it wasn't unusual for a 12 team league with five men to a team to have 25 to 30 nuisance calls (minor machine malfunctions) during the league session.

In consequence, these two factors took us from a normal two hour and 20 minute league session to one of two hours and 40 minutes.

The 7 p.m. league now finished at 9:40 instead of 9:20, and the 9:20 league now starting at 9:40 didn't finish until 12:20 instead of 11:40. That additional 40 minutes meant a lot to the bowlers, especially to those who had to be up at 6 a.m., or earlier.

But they stayed with it.

Then came the early 1960s when PBA style bowling found competitors waiting two lanes to either side before bowling.

If the PGA isn't using its stop watch for Tiger Woods, maybe they could loan it to today's league bowler.