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There's a school of thought in
the sport of bowling that says scores have spiraled out of control.
PBA exempt bowler Jeff Carter recorded a 261 average for a full
league season. My buddy Norm Duke nearly averaged 230 for a complete
PBA Tour season. A 17-year-old rolled three 900 series in a matter
of weeks. Pete Weber's Tour-leading 215.43 average in 1989 would
have ranked him 44th on this year's Tour. What does it all mean?
Has the sport become too easy? Aren't scores just relative?
I have spent much time and space in these columns and in other places
describing why I think the scoring pace at all levels of bowling
has increased, but I think a much more useful discussion for bowlers
out there is how to do the things that the pros do to maximize their
scores. Obviously, scores are relative and the best bowlers usually
figure out how to get the highest scores or, better yet, whatever
score is needed in order to win. And it is usually not mentioned
much, but technology usually favors the better players much more
than it does the average player. So how do average players harness
all of that technology out there into better scores?
The first way has very little to do with technology except with
respect to how to neutralize it and that is to learn how to throw
the ball dead straight to make your spares. One of the reasons the
pros are so good at getting the most out of their score is that
they rarely miss spares. Not only do pros not miss spares very often,
but they tend to convert difficult combinations such as splits,
washouts and other multi-pin leaves that most bowlers usually write
off as an open frame. The main reason this is important is not just
because it saves you extra pins but, from a mental standpoint, it
allows you to keep your momentum going and focus on getting back
to the task of stringing strikes, which is the best way to throw
big scores.
Now, speaking of stringing strikes, how do the pros do this so easily?
Obviously the ability to find mistake area on the lane and then
execute consistently shot after shot helps, but here's a little
trick I use to stay on top of the ever-changing lane condition.
When I'm lined up and stringing strikes, I actually move a fraction
of a board left between every shot. My reason for this is to anticipate
the breakdown of oil and stay ahead of it so that when it does change
more significantly I will be in a better position to both strike
on that particular shot and then, once I recognize a major shift,
to move where I need to in order to get right back on the striking
train. Getting in the habit of moving left in tiny increments will
not only get you ahead of the micro changes, it will also get you
into the mindset of making constant adjustments as the lanes break
down, which they inevitably will. The other benefit to this approach
is that it will keep your mind on making shots, rather than wandering
to the scoreboard and seeing all of these pretty X's lined up next
to your name and what a shame it would be to ruin it by chunking
up an ugly 6 - split up at the end of it. Stay focused on the battle
that is going on between yourself and the lanes and you'll find
yourself stringing a lot more strikes and improving your scores.
Next time, I'll talk about even more ways for you to improve your
scores, so until then, make sure to throw straight at your spares
and keep your mind out of the gutter - or should I say, off the
scoreboard and on the lanes! |
