In
the final frame of the title match of a televised PBA (Professional
Bowlers Association) match, Pete Weber muttered, "Oh, man,
stupid, try to play (the lanes) the way I played all week instead of
what was out there now," as he was losing. The words may not be
exact, but, I think you get the point.
How
many times have people come to you and said things like, "I
practiced here last week and shot 250;" "During the
practice, I was throwing nothing but strikes;" or "The last
time I bowled here, I really scored well."
Actually,
how may times have you felt that way? It's not to say that there may
be times when you'll be able to play the same lines and targets
day-after-day or week-after-week. The odds are, however, that you may
have to make some adjustments - be it changing balls, hand positions,
or your line/target - to keep hitting the 1-3 pocket consistently so
your scores don't look like a roller coaster when graphed.
Once,
I subbed on the Monday night league and shot 257-236-213 for 706;
but, I tried to maintain the same ball and same target throughout.
To
paraphrase Pete Weber, "Oh, man, stupid, try to play the lanes
the same as the First game instead of playing what was out there in
the Second, and then the Third games."
Three
days later, subbing in the Thursday night league, using the same
theory, I shot 175-189-224 for 588 - "Oh, man, stupid, try to
play (the lanes) the way I played Monday night instead of what was
out there Thursday."
Would
I have shot better had I made some changes? Perhaps, but, I might not
have done any worse, I think; but, we'll never know because I didn't
make the adjustment(s) that were needed to get the ball to the pocket
strongly and consistently.
The
point is, the lanes will change and you cannot expect that every time
you come to bowl, the conditions will be the same. The variables are
too numerous to mention here; but, they range from the types of balls
being used by the other bowlers on the lanes to the temperature
inside the bowling center from one side of the house to the other.
Remember the saying, "the only thing that doesn't change is
change?" Well, change will surely take place as you bowl so you
have to get used to it.
One
thing to keep in mind though, is that the amount of adjustment that
must be made is not an exact science. In other words, no one can
throw a few balls and be able say exactly how many boards, which of
your bowling balls, or what position your wrist must be in to throw
strikes more effectively.
That's
why no one is dominating the PBA Tour; and, that's why, although you
have your high average bowlers where you bowl, they do not bowl the
highest scores day-after-day and week-after-week. Sometimes they
guess right and sometimes they don't.
Just
keep in mind that one of the keys to raising your average is to
become flexible in making adjustments when the lane conditions seem
different to you. So you don't like the fact that your ball is
breaking earlier on the lane than you would prefer it to? - ADJUST!
You
gotta play the current conditions the way they are and not the way it
was the last time you bowled on them. When in doubt, refer back to
what Pete Weber said in paragraph one, above.
