Bowling Adjustments Including Bowling Balls And Lane Play By MDM Bowling Coaching

Making Bowling Ball And Lane Play Adjustments

Pro Tip Friday: Succeed or Fail by How You Adjust

Pro Tip Friday: Succeed or Fail by How You AdjustToday’s bowling is all about adjustments and your job as a bowler is to anticipate them. From ball changes, angle adjustments, zone shifts, ball speed changes, and lofting, there are more adjustments to choose from today than there ever have been. Every tournament and league night are different – some will put you in a different part of the lane because of oil, topography, wear and tear, and other bowling balls going down the lane. If you try to make adjusting formulaic, you will be frustrated. The only way it happens successfully is if you’re an observant bowler and gain experience over time. If you observe your environment and how the ball hits the pins, 9 times out of 10, you’ll be the better bowler that day. This past weekend, I bowled on the one of the hardest lane conditions that I can recall at the Member/Non-Member PBA regional in Tavares, FL. This tournament had my partner and I anticipating and adjusting very quickly with confidence and fortunately, this weekend, it got us the win. We led the tournament with +642 over 2 days and 32 games, winning 6 out of 8 matches before finishing the final more than 100 points ahead of the second-place team. The oil pattern was a very demanding 45’ Shark. League patterns and easier tournament conditions usually allow for more hook that creates more angle down and results in higher scores. In this tournament, there was a not a lot of oil on the lanes, so my ball hooked very early but not very much, so I had to play a very tight line in the middle of the lane. When I go to a bowling tournament and don’t know anything about the pattern or center, I’ll bring 6-9 balls with me. I’ll start off with a very dull, aggressive bowling ball to see how early it’s going to hook. I throw it on the slower side – I want to see where and how much the ball hooks to see where the oil and dry is on the lanes. Even if information about the pattern is available, I don’t assume that it will play the same on each lane. The house we were at last weekend was expanded over time and each bay played very differently as a result of wear and tear. The takeaway is that you shouldn’t make assumptions – even if the pattern is laid down the same on each lane – they could all play differently. It’s your responsibility to assess and react.Once I’ve established a good starting place and ball, I’ll watch the ball go down the lane (For more about that, check out these pro tips: https://www.facebook.com/MDMcoaching/videos/279641116199318/ and https://www.facebook.com/MDMcoaching/videos/345162446041978/). Knowing how the ball hits the pins is critical to adjusting with confidence. Remember that adjustments are all educated guesses – sometimes they don’t work and we have to be ok with that. It’s critical to be confident in our choices so we gain the most information. It will never be as easy as “this ball now, then game 2 in frame 5, you move to this ball, and in game 3 frame 2 you start lofting”. It’s all feel and guessing based on observation and experience. You might be wrong but don’t get frustrated, even if you get lost.This weekend, it was really nice to have a partner behind me to watch me throw shots. He helped me be more confident in making the adjustments – whether it was a weaker ball or 3 and 1 to the left or give it air and loft it (like the shot in the video – that was an extreme example of an adjustment I made on one lane and it didn’t work this shot). It’s always nice to have a second pair of eyes behind you to watch you bowl and support your decisions. Even if you don’t have that, watching other people bowl around you is an extremely important tool. It can give you an idea of what you’re doing when you move or guide you if you’re lost. Try to find a bowler who is bowling well, see where he’s throwing it, what he’s throwing and how it’s hitting the pins. Use all of the information you can to help you make decisions while you’re bowling. Remember to keep evaluating and stay confident in your choices. If you do that, you’ve got a much greater chance of success. #mdmcoaching #protipfriday #iambowlersmart #adjustorfail #bowling

Posted by MDM Coaching on Friday, December 7, 2018

Today’s bowling is all about adjustments and your job as a bowler is to anticipate them.

When To Change My Bowling Ball

A lot of our customers and my students ask this question. Knowing your equipment is vital because it helps you from making bad adjustments. A lot of times people will make adjustments based off bad ball reaction, and nobody can out bowl bad bowling ball reaction. Ask yourself is the ball designed for what you are trying to use it for? Also ask yourself is the surface correct for what you are trying to use it for. Also let the pins tell you what to do, if you keep leaving flat 10 pins you might want to consider making a ball change. Check out BowlersMart.com or any of our stores for advice on setting up an arsenal to help you accomplish your goals.

Bowling Lane Play Adjustments

From bowling ball changes, angle adjustments, zone shifts, ball speed changes, and lofting, there are more adjustments to choose from today than there ever have been. Every tournament and league night are different – some will put you in a different part of the lane because of oil, topography, wear and tear, and other bowling balls going down the lane. If you try to make adjusting formulaic, you will be frustrated. The only way it happens successfully is if you’re an observant bowler and gain experience over time. If you observe your environment and how the ball hits the pins, 9 times out of 10, you’ll be the better bowler that day.

Some Bowling Lane Play Advice From Experience

This past weekend, I bowled on the one of the hardest lane conditions that I can recall at the Member/Non-Member PBA regional in Tavares, FL. This tournament had my partner and I anticipating and adjusting very quickly with confidence and fortunately, this weekend, it got us the win. We led the tournament with +642 over 2 days and 32 games, winning 6 out of 8 matches before finishing the final more than 100 points ahead of the second-place team. The oil pattern was a very demanding 45’ Shark. League patterns and easier tournament conditions usually allow for more hook that creates more angle down and results in higher scores. In this tournament, there was a not a lot of oil on the lanes, so my ball hooked very early but not very much, so I had to play a very tight line in the middle of the lane.

When I go to a bowling tournament and don’t know anything about the pattern or center, I’ll bring 6-9 balls with me. I’ll start off with a very dull, aggressive bowling ball to see how early it’s going to hook. I throw it on the slower side – I want to see where and how much the ball hooks to see where the oil and dry is on the lanes. Even if information about the pattern is available, I don’t assume that it will play the same on each lane. The house we were at last weekend was expanded over time and each bay played very differently as a result of wear and tear. The takeaway is that you shouldn’t make assumptions – even if the pattern is laid down the same on each lane – they could all play differently. It’s your responsibility to assess and react.

Once I’ve established a good starting place and ball, I’ll watch the ball go down the lane (For more about that, check out these pro tips: https://www.facebook.com/MDMcoaching/videos/279641116199318/ and https://www.facebook.com/MDMcoaching/videos/345162446041978/). Knowing how the ball hits the pins is critical to adjusting with confidence. Remember that adjustments are all educated guesses – sometimes they don’t work and we have to be ok with that. It’s critical to be confident in our choices so we gain the most information. It will never be as easy as “this ball now, then game 2 in frame 5, you move to this ball, and in game 3 frame 2 you start lofting”. It’s all feel and guessing based on observation and experience. You might be wrong but don’t get frustrated, even if you get lost.

This weekend, it was really nice to have a partner behind me to watch me throw shots. He helped me be more confident in making the adjustments – whether it was a weaker ball or 3 and 1 to the left or give it air and loft it (like the shot in the video – that was an extreme example of an adjustment I made on one lane and it didn’t work this shot). It’s always nice to have a second pair of eyes behind you to watch you bowl and support your decisions. Even if you don’t have that, watching other people bowl around you is an extremely important tool. It can give you an idea of what you’re doing when you move or guide you if you’re lost. Try to find a bowler who is bowling well, see where he’s throwing it, what he’s throwing and how it’s hitting the pins. Use all of the information you can to help you make decisions while you’re bowling. Remember to keep evaluating and stay confident in your choices. If you do that, you’ve got a much greater chance of success. #mdmcoaching #protipfriday #iambowlersmart #adjustorfail #bowling

 — at BowlersMart Winter Park Pro Shop Inside Aloma Bowl.

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