The Most Important Thing In Bowling

SPARES COUNT

 

What is the Most Important Thing for higher Scores?
Even with bowling centers that have easier house patterns which takes less effort to roll a strike, this tip affects all types of bowler's scores. Beginner to advanced, cranker, tweener or stroker, I can sum this up in one word, SPARES! Spare shooting is still the most important part of the game of bowling.


 It can cost a professional a match in tournaments or be the one thing that keeps you from that new target score. Doing a simple calculation, one missed spare is minus 11 pins. This is usually pretty close. As an example, if I were to have a clean 200 game, but with an open frame or a missed a spare, I would have about a 189. This does depend on your pin count (Note: This is just a ball park figure).


 Another way to look at it is I had a 200 game with 1 open frame, but I would have had about a 211 if I would have filled the open frame with a spare. To sum it up I know it sounds basic, but it is true, spare shooting is still the most important part in bowling.
 

The Life of A Bowling Ball

How Long A Bowling Ball Lasts 

How Long Your Bowling Ball Lasts 

How long does a bowling ball last? This is a question I have gotten a lot. I will mainly be talking about the newer reactive bowling balls. I will not go into too much detail about the plastic, rubber, or urethane balls. 

I also must note that this is my personal opinion and experience only. This question could go into some detail and I may address it more in later posts. A plastic ball could last for quite awhile, but you will get lots of chipping and cracking. 

These balls do not absorb much lane conditioner and have a semi-hard cover even though it is brittle. You could have one of these balls for many years or only a few months. Remember, these are not high performance bowling balls so scoring will suffer. 

Urethane bowling balls have some oil abortion and have a durable cover, but usually do not have much track flare. They do not score as well as a reactive ball. These balls could last you a couple years if cleaned and maintained properly. Some problems are there are not many companies that make these balls anymore and they do not score as high as reactive balls. A reactive ball scores higher normally, but the longevity of the ball is short so you will sacrifice performance and scoring. 

I have seen some reactive bowling balls only last 30 to 50 games, yet I have seen some work well for a few years. Now the lane center’s choice in conditioner seems to play a factor, but I have no scientific proof of this. 

Some conditioners seem to have properties that kill the ball faster. One factor is the oil absortion rate. A lot of these balls are made to soak up oil like a sponge. It only makes sense the faster the ball is designed to soak up this lane oil, the faster it will lose it's hooking action. 

My point is a highly absorbing bowling ball will not last as long as one that has a slower absorbing rate. These are a couple factors. The question was how long will my bowling ball last. With the new high performance balls, the one time a week bowler will probably have to get a new ball every year or two because most the time the ball only last an average of 100 to 200 games. 

If you bowl a 33 week season at 3 games a night that would be 99 games. Then add probably at least one practise game weekly and you would equal 132 games a season. If you bowl more than that let say 2 or 3 times a week, you are looking at 2 or 3 balls a year for top performance. Proper cleaning and maintaining your ball can help make it last longer. In brief, the more you bowl, the more new equipment you will need. 

Good Luck and Great Bowling.

Bowling Tips for the Beginning Bowler

The Basic Steps To Learn as a Beginning Bowler

1. Get a Good fitting bowling ball. In addition, beginners should only use a conventional grip bowling ball. Don't buy an expensive ball at this time, but get a name brand ball and not from a department store get one from a pro-shop, bowling center, or on online retailer.

 2. Learn the 4 step approach,

 3. Learn spot, arrow or line bowling.

4. Learn spare shooting. This is very important spares especially as a beginner will really improve your bowling score.

Practice those 4 things over and over again, along with reading and asking questions. In Addition, if you can find a certified USBC bowling coach in your center that can help tremendously, a good place to look is in your centers Jr bowling program most programs have certified level 1 coaches and would be glad to show you the 4 step approach , line bowling, and spare shooting. 

The Different Hand Positions

Bowling Hand Positions - The Different Hand Positions In Bowling

Bowling Hand Positions
The Different Hand Positions in Bowling
How Changing Hand Positions Affects Bowling Ball Roll.

Bowling Hand Positions - There are many different hand positions in bowling. I am only going to start out with a few of the basic ones. Cupped, Straight, and Broken are the 3 basic vertical hand positions. The 3 basic horizontal wrist positions which are at 12 o'clock, 10:30, and 9 o'clock. Using different combinations of these changing hand positions in bowling will affect the ball roll. This affect causes the bowling ball to have earlier roll or later roll. It can also cause different angles to the pocket and cause the ball to hook or roll at different spots on the bowling lane. At times it can substitute for bowling ball speed problems. These basic wrist combinations, along with different finger positions in gripping the bowling ball may be all that’s needed. Try them before changing bowling lane lines, or even changing bowling equipment, or bowling ball layouts.

1. The Cupped Release - The cupped release is when your wrist is curled so that your fingers and hand are angled upward in a 45 degree angle. This causes the bowling ball to roll sooner. It also gives you an earlier break point. (Note: most crankers or high revolution bowlers like this wrist position).

2. The Straight Release - The straight release is when your wrist is straight. There is no break upward or downward. This release is a starting position. It is a release that should be used most of the time. You should then adjust from this point. This is a medium wrist position. (Note: most straight bowlers or strokers like this wrist position).

3. The Broken Wrist Release - The broken wrist position, or release, is when your hand and fingers are angle down toward the ground; also your wrist is broken. This release position is used when you want to delay the break point or if you want to get the ball down lane before it hooks. It is also used to get through the heads. (Note: the heads are the first part of the bowling lane). It can also substitute for ball speed or for drier lane conditions. I have seen famous professionals like Norm Duke and Brian Voss use this release a lot.

4. The 12 o'clock Release - With the 12 o'clock, or 10 degree, release as you hold your ball your thumb comes straight up with no (or very little) side turn. Your hand and thumb will be at the 12 o'clock position as it is released. This release will give the bowling ball a lot of end over end roll. It causes the bowling ball to delay its break point. This release is used on dryer lanes and to help get the ball down the lane before it hooks. (Note: this is also called a 10 degree axis rotation).

5. The 10:30 Release - With the 10:30, or 45 degree, release as you hold your bowling ball your hand is turned horizontal and your thumb is pointed at 10:30 on a clock, or at a 45 degree angle. This release is the most common. It also should be used as a starting point. This release gives the bowling ball a slight inward turn toward the 7 pin. (Note: this is also called a 45 degree axis rotation).

6. The 9 o'clock Release - With the 9 o'clock, or 90 degree, release as you hold the bowling ball your hand is turned horizontally to the side facing 9 o'clock. This release causes the ball to have a lot of spin. It sometimes causes what we call a spinner. This means the bowling ball is spinning like a top. It also has very little ball to lane surface contact. This means the bowling ball will not have much hook or drive as it rolls down the bowling lane. When it hits the bowling pins it may hit dead with not much action. (Note: this is also called the 90 degree axis rotation).

Bowl-A-Roll Birthday Parties

The Four Step Approach