Archive for Featured Articles
Slow Down, Be There, Enjoy
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With the internet, cell phones, texting, email, Facebook, Twitter, and Ipads we are often scatterbrained as we go through our day. We drive while talking on the phone, we surf the web while watching TV, and though some call it multitasking and think they are getting more done, they are likely only kidding themselves as you can see below.
While multitasking can get stuff done, it doesn’t ever get anything done at a level of greatness. And lets face it, multitasking doesn’t leave much room for enjoyment. It adds a degree of stress to everything as we must take our brain back and forth when it is geared to only effectively do one thing at a time.
All this great technology at our fingertips and we somehow manage to use it to stress ourselves out, rather than use it productively.
What does this have to do with bowling?
So many people take their scatterbrained lives and carry it right on to the bowling lane. This is especially true of the youth bowlers I coach as they gleefully text in between frames. While coaching my high school team we had to institute a no cell phone rule. Don’t think adults are off the hook either as I know some are worried about work, their lives at home, or maybe the fact that their New York Mets might seemingly never make the playoffs ever again (or maybe that’s just me).
So with all that said the take away point is this. When you enter the bowling center, slow everything down and enjoy the game. Pay attention, focus on what you are doing instead of thinking of other things (this includes outside influences like work, as well as that corner pin you just missed last frame).
And to take this a step further and apply this same technique off the lanes. Pay attention when you are doing something as mundane as brushing your teeth, and you’ll find that you can actually enjoy the task.
When we slow down and believe me it’s not an easy thing to do, not only can we enjoy what we’re doing, we can truly achieve greatness in our lives.
Please comment below on what keeps you from being present for every shot during your game.
Scoping Out a New Bowling Alley
Posted by: | CommentsThis fall I got a group of my coworkers together to bowl in a league at a house I’ve never bowled at before. I always like to check out a center ahead of time and there are some things that I look for that will help prevent me from making mistakes and allow me to take advantage of all that is available at the new center. Here are just a few things I’m looking for when I’m scouting out a “new to me” bowling center.
Lane Markers. Some of the newer Brunswick lane surfaces have markings beyond the standard arrows to help with targeting. If you see these markers it’s easy to watch the ball’s breakpoint and determine how far out or in you need to keep the ball.
Dots. When lining up on the approach it’s common to use the dots as reference points. Some centers have one set of dots, others have two and though it’s rare, some centers actually have 3. It’s important to know where you line up in relation to foul line distance so you can start from roughly where you expect to be. Also be sure to reference everything from the center dot. Some centers have 5 dots, while others have 7 and if you reference off the left or right dot you can be a whole 5 boards off where you thought you were. Don’t laugh, I’ve seen this happen countless times.
Carry. Different centers carry 10 pins differently. You will find that being a pinch light might afford you some great carry, while being dead flush sticks you with a dreaded corner pin or worse and 8, or 9 pin. Maybe one center will get a lot of messengers while others the pins just seem kind of dead. This is good to be aware of as you my find odd leaves at a lively house, or better yet find that whatever garbage you left behind gets hit in some odd fashion.
Also some centers just have some characteristics on spares that are just different. A spare that carries differently in some houses is the 1-2-8. You are going to want to be pretty high on the head pin or slightly crossing over to carry this spare, but you’ll find in some houses you can carry this shot consistently by hitting it with a light pocket shot(though I don’t recommend you aim this way, it’s just nice knowing you have some insurance if you completely mess up and get the ball too far right). In some houses though you’ll notice that it won’t carry the 8 pin out. My point is just to understand that just because it works in one house doesn’t mean it will work in another.
Lane Oil Breakdown. Different centers will oil with different patterns, different volumes of oil, different types of oil and put them on different kinds of lane surfaces. With all the variables in this equation the one thing I like to do is go in after a league has been bowled and see where playable areas of the lane still exist. This will give me an idea where I could end up playing toward the end of a league block.
Ball Returns. I am fortunate that my home center has ball returns that are not on the approach. I often take this for granted as it’s easy to play really deep angles whether you are on the left lane or the right lane. If I wanted to play really deep inside at a facility with the ball return on the approach I would have to practice walking around the return and get to where I wanted to be. So pay attention to ball returns, especially at houses where the shot tends to breakdown after only a few games, or if you know a large amount of games will be bowled on them before you are done.
Approaches. Some centers have wood, while others have synthetic approaches. They both have different characteristics and it’s important to be ready in the case that you would need to slide more or slide less. Whether it be interchangeable soles, a shoe brush or some other means to get the slide you need, make sure you are prepared.
Now there are more things that can help or hinder your game from center to center which are less critical, but still important to be aware of. Ideally you would bowl at a center just to get a feel for simple things like ball return height, approach height (is there a step up, or do you walk straight out on the lane), lighting and reflections on the lanes. If you are aware of all these little things before you start bowling, you will feel more comfortable and better prepared.
Maybe you are flying across the country to bowl in a national tournament. What if your thumb swells or shrinks because of humidity or elevation changes. These things happen, and if you are not prepared with tape or a tool to workout your thumb you can really make a long trip a total waste of time.
All of these aspects can be applied to a tournament, league or casual bowling while you are trying to impress your friends and show them you totally know how to dominate bowling. Regardless of the reason, take some of these things into consideration when you are not at your home center. All bowling centers are not equal.
Walter Ray Williams, Jr: The Next Two-Handed Bowler?
Posted by: | CommentsWhile some would argue that two handed bowling is ridiculous, it’s hard to argue with the fact that three bowlers are currently participating in the World Series of Bowling using the two handed delivery. Right handers Jason Belmonte and Osku Palermaa as well as the lefty Cassidy Schaub all can be seen tearing up the lanes, delivering balls with rev rates that are off the charts. But recently an unlikely bowler has adopted the two handed delivery and it comes from none other than arguably the best bowler of all time, Walter Ray Williams, jr.
Jason Belmonte Demonstrating the 2-Handed Delivery
During the World Series of Bowling, after having little luck with his normal approach Williams decided to take a page out of Belmonte’s book and throw the ball with 2 hands. Belmonte in a recent interview on PBA: 39X60 initially smirked watching it, as he assumed Williams was just screwing around in the tenth frame. After the ball went dead flush knocking all ten pins back, Belmonte realized that it was the first frame of the fourth game. Williams was not only bowling with two hands, he was bowling to win.
Williams admitted “we’ll probably have to work a little harder in the future, but this is all I’ve got right now.” He went on to say “[you] never know when you need to take another trick out of the hat.”
As a surprise to everyone around including Belmonte, Williams had scrapped the style that had given him the most tour titles in history and adopted a lessor known strategy to combat the current conditions he was facing. So much for all the arguments that Williams is one dimensional (bowlers often proclaim Williams is only good at throwing the ball fairly straight). And who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
With this dramatic shift in approach this late in his career, I wonder if this will ever amount to anything for Williams. I think this style could give him a look that he is lacking for instances where he would like to move inside and generate some serious revolutions. It still makes me wonder if he can perfect this style and have any success with it before his career is over, but it certainly will be fun to watch if he ever decides to do it on a televised event.
I think this is a lesson to all bowlers, as many often think they know all there is to know about bowling and keep a fairly closed mind. This is what separates the “league bowler” from the world champion bowler. For Williams to be able to have no fear or reservations about throwing the ball in a controversial manner, throwing out 26 years of perfecting his own style on tour, speaks volumes to the bowler that he has become. This is simply why he is a champion and arguably the greatest our sport has ever seen.
