Expert: Susie Minshew - 12/9/2009

Question
Hello Susie, when should you make a ball change? Last Sat i shot a 256 1st game 268 second game and a 159 the last.  Shot started coming up high in last game after a strike in 1st frame of last game. Cudnt even get a double. Moved 2 boards left but kept leaving single pins. Was rolling with the Black Widow should i have went to my Cherry Vibe or Emrald Vibe?  I was standing on 18 and my mark was the eight board in between 1st and 2nd arrow. My ball speed is 16 - 17. Please tell me what happen.
Thanks
Allen

Answer
Hi, Allen!

Excellent question. Since I have no idea what kind of surface and pattern on which you bowl, how many people are on a team, and what type of rotation and tilt you have, I'll make some general suggestions for adjusting.

To move two boards when your ball reaction changes and the ball starts to move earlier is not nearly enough. In today's game, it's likely that your first move should be 5 with your feet and 3 with your eyes. What you have done, whether you intended to or not, is to find the too far right place with both your stance and targeting. Your most important next job is to find too far left. Moving a board or two at a time takes too long and turns into a 150 game before you know it, as you discovered. (By the way, leaving single pins and shooting 150 is almost an oxymoron. If you left all single pins and didn't miss them, you would shoot 190+. You must have left some designer spares or missed all those single pin 'clusters'!)

Also, you know you need to move a lot sooner than you think you do. If you are paying attention to your own ball reaction as well as the ball reaction of others (whether or not they throw like you), you will see shots beginning to creep a bit high. A tripped 4 pin, although a strike, is a fair warning that next time it could be a 4-9 or 4-10. Don't wait until that happens. It's okay to move off a strike!

In addition to moving your feet and eyes, you might also need to change the shape of the shot. Instead of down and in, you might need to belly the ball out a bit. If you are bowling on a house shot, the likelihood of finding free hook to the right is great. Use that hook; don't fight it. Move left and send the ball farther right than the board you laid it down on. That will create a better angle of entry into the pocket and improve your carry.

If you do these things and ball still moves too early, you could change to a less aggressive coverstock - something that will smooth out and elongate the breakpoint for you. Keep in mind that a resin reactive ball will move sharply when it finds a dry board. So, smoothing out that breakpoint with surface and/or hand position is a skill you need.

Whatever you do, don't give up the pocket. Make your spares. Shooting 256-268-190 is just fine. Even if you never struck in the third game, you would still have a huge series!

Susie