anyone into 10 pin bowling

[juanchan]

6 games goes so fast lol.

was wanting to do seperate lanes to get more practice in but not same having some competition.

 

what was tournament like.we always thought we would not be good enough to enter a league or competition.

 

we was playing from 10am to 250pm

 

They go way too fast!

 

Most leagues are pretty beginner friendly seeing as they tend to have handicaps. I bowled in my uni club and over the course of one year my average rose from about 105 in the first week to regularly scoring 150-160+.

 

I'm tempted to try and join a league at some point but the only decent one near me that I've found meets on the only night of the week I'm busy

 

The tournaments were pretty awesome. It always gave you an excuse to feel smug seeing yourself with a similar score to someone who bowled 8 strikes in a game, all due to your massive handicap!

[foodfreak]

Having your own ball drilled to fit your hand will improve your game a lot.

 

I've 2 fingertip reactive balls, it's great when you get the cruve just right. My best is 280 so far, just don't have as much time anymore. For people in the Dunstable area, there is a great bowling alley with a pro shop online run by a guy called Andy Penny

http://www.ballmaster.co.uk/bios.cfm,

gives very good advice

John

[MONKEYmark]

getting a lot better now i got my own ball.its only a

Ebonite Maxim Glow Captain Midnight cost £57 including drilling.

have just joined a doubles league its over 12 weeks 3 games a week and just done 6th week and we are at top of league.

 

best i have done with a house ball is

245 high score

6 strikes in a row

and 10 strikes in my 245 game above with a 12 pound house ball

 

went other week and did a good consistant scoring

played 25 games on morning and did 7 games with 200+ games best been a 239 then went back to play the 3 league games.28 games in 1 day lol

 

just been on monday to do league games and i have got best handicap out of the 6 teams in the league we play in.im down to a 29 handicap.have come on loads since we got new balls.i have had below scores out of new ball

 

matched my pb of 245

matched 6 strikes in a row

 

its not such a big deal getting a 200 like it used to be.but its harder trying to try get better than 245.my average over 18 games i played today was 172.and over my games in league it is 167.

 

i seem to cant get enough of it at min.i ache all over when i have finished playing lol, from 10am - 3pm.over half has got her PB of 230.we make a good consistent team playing in league.its 1st time we joined a league,it was just to see how we did against other people.

 

took a few pics on sony/erricson w900i phone i just bought off this site.

 

we were playing in practice with our handicap`s to see how we would do.

 

my handicap is 29

margaret`s is 45

 

below is our best scores of today with handicapadded on.

 

mine is 245 with handicap of 29 = 274

margarets is 230 with handicap of 45 = 275

[creative]

my old man used to play league many years ago... a regular in the 250's most games and got loads of badges for impossible spares.... (7,10 split is it??) used to love watching him play when I was a kid. Hes getting on now so hasnt played in years!

[Thorin]

Bloody hell Mark that's bloody good going!

[AndrewOW]

Yeah amazing scores. I thought my best of 204 was pretty good, but then I don't have my own ball!

 

Do you do the Fred Flintstone tippy toe technique before each bowl per chance?

[Thorin]

Do you do the Fred Flintstone tippy toe technique before each bowl per chance?

 

That's how I'd picture Mark going down the lane yeah

[MONKEYmark]

Bloody hell Mark that's bloody good going!

hi lad

just something i seem to be getting into.good fun.i dont do all the fancy shots just ain straight down middle and to side a bit seems to work.when u see the more serious bowlers looking down where there feet are placed and the slow motion run ups its quite funny when they only knock a few pins down or get in gutter.

most strikes i have had in one session was about 90 and 80+ spares.

i dont see why i should change to a curve ball just yet when consistency is there.can get 4 and 5 strikes in a row quite a lot.

maybe i should put same effort into getting car sorted lol.

[MONKEYmark]

Yeah amazing scores. I thought my best of 204 was pretty good, but then I don't have my own ball!

 

Do you do the Fred Flintstone tippy toe technique before each bowl per chance?

 

i dont do that just get footing right then go straight down middle.

 

best i done with house ball is 245 and did 10 strikes in that game

and6 strikes in a row.

my hand aches when u finished.maybe too much playing up to 28 games in a day lol

just seem to move up stages.used to be happy getting 150s then was getting 180`s now seems to be getting 200`s a lot more.

[foodfreak]

When you get the technique right,

you will pick up more strikes with a reactive 'curve' ball. The spin throws the pins around more.

BUT.....you have more room for error & have to consider how well / little the lanes are maintained or oiled. Well oiled = more spin but less curve at the head. A dry lane will give very little spin, but the ball can hook very quickly in the head.

 

Most bolwers keep a 'straight' ball for picking up spares / odd shots

John

 

Try bowling for 6 hrs straight.....liquid skin helps a lot:)

[MONKEYmark]

When you get the technique right,

you will pick up more strikes with a reactive 'curve' ball. The spin throws the pins around more.

BUT.....you have more room for error & have to consider how well / little the lanes are maintained or oiled. Well oiled = more spin but less curve at the head. A dry lane will give very little spin, but the ball can hook very quickly in the head.

 

Most bolwers keep a 'straight' ball for picking up spares / odd shots

John

 

Try bowling for 6 hrs straight.....liquid skin helps a lot:)

 

does look good when you see the curve ball in action.most i have seen have been hit or miss.will keep as i am for now.some of them splits can be a nightmare.at hollywood bowls they do unlimited from 10am to 3pm but they just told me they extended it to 4pm now.good session for £6 per person.

last time i went down to santapod to watch pro v8 cars we stopped in travlelodge and went for a few games of bowling near tesco.2 young lads there were doing all the curve shots and were so cocky doing poses before they got a strike.was chatting to him his best score was 287 he had been playing 7 years.

[Soonto_HAS_soop]

I've not played properly for about 18 months.

 

Used to play 4 times a week when I was younger, played for my county from age 12 to 19, was part of the Great Britain junior team at 15, played for Great Britain at University Level (briefly), been all over the world to play, furthest place i have been to play was New Zealand, and have been to Reno to play in the US Open with a few mates from the UK.

 

Have played in many tournaments at club, county, university and country levels and used to average 196 ish, was generally upset when I scored less than 170 in a game.

 

Gave it up as was getting a little tired of it TBH, still enjoy a good game with mates, but only for a laugh and a few beers. Used to be knackering to carry 5 balls and a pair of shoes around with all other associated kit....

 

Best score was 299 (that's 11 strikes in a row and a 9, bloody 10 pin)

Best Series was 802 (that's the the grand total of 3 games)

 

I've still got all the kit in the garage, 3 polished reactives, 2 matt reactives and a clear polyester to fling at the 10 pin.

 

It is definitely not a cheap sport to get into to.

 

If any of you watch the old bowling on sky every now and then, I have, at some points in my life, bowled with a lage majority of them.

[MONKEYmark]

I've not played properly for about 18 months.

 

Used to play 4 times a week when I was younger, played for my county from age 12 to 19, was part of the Great Britain junior team at 15, played for Great Britain at University Level (briefly), been all over the world to play, furthest place i have been to play was New Zealand, and have been to Reno to play in the US Open with a few mates from the UK.

 

Have played in many tournaments at club, county, university and country levels and used to average 196 ish, was generally upset when I scored less than 170 in a game.

 

Gave it up as was getting a little tired of it TBH, still enjoy a good game with mates, but only for a laugh and a few beers. Used to be knackering to carry 5 balls and a pair of shoes around with all other associated kit....

 

Best score was 299 (that's 11 strikes in a row and a 9, bloody 10 pin)

Best Series was 802 (that's the the grand total of 3 games)

 

I've still got all the kit in the garage, 3 polished reactives, 2 matt reactives and a clear polyester to fling at the 10 pin.

 

It is definitely not a cheap sport to get into to.

 

If any of you watch the old bowling on sky every now and then, I have, at some points in my life, bowled with a lage majority of them.

 

wow bet u were gutted not getting your perfect game.sounds like you were top of your game.its quite good in a league seeing how you compare against others.sort of spurs u on to play well.

my best scratch series was a 578 giving me a 192 average for 3 games.its great when its all going right for u.must be great been so good you play all over world.your 802 series is an amazing score.what sort of balls u got any certain make is better than an other.is it hard to get to grips with reactive balls and are they fingertip holes.in league get to meet new people too,look forward to going now.

also how do you work your handicaps out.the fun league im in has 3 games per week over 12 weeks.my handicap was 44 then gone down to 29.just trying to work out how its worked out

 

im happy getting a 160+ games.

[Soonto_HAS_soop]

Wow, MEGA Pissed off, just sat a wrote a giant reply to this and the fooking forum kicked me out for having an out of date password - 13659 days overdue! Why bring this change into this forum, it's like being at work with mulitple different bloody passwords!

 

Anyway, for a ball, all mine are finger tipped, if you want to try it, go onto the http://www.stormbowling.com website and find something that will go long and then hook gently. You are bowling in a fun league, so they don't spend much time on the condition, get a ball that can go straight as well as hook as it will take time.

 

Now to raise a thread for the stupid password change crap!

[JustGav]

I'm off bowling tonight actually, missed last weeks.. and I need to spend some time with with my ball *grin*

 

My new ball and I have not been getting on too well...

[AndrewOW]

Now to raise a thread for the stupid password change crap!

 

Happened to me today too!

 

I've managed to score 299... on Sims Bowling on my mobile phone

[juanchan]

Holy Thread Resurrection, Batman!

/vbb/images/smilies/bbcode_cool.gif

 

I've been thinking about investing in my own bowling ball for a bit now. I'm in a league at Bitterne which is going to last until next June/July, so plenty of time to get used to curving a ball

 

My average with a house ball is about 140, and I've borrowed a mates bowling balls for a couple of games, and I scored about 100, which I didn't think was too shabby for a first go!

 

Seeing as some of you guys seem to know a bit about them, what do you reckon I should go for? I'm thinking of going straight for a reactive ball, without getting a plastic ball to start. I practiced with both, and the extra curve of the reactive one made the strikes that little bit more satisfying! Or would that be jumping in at the deep end without armbands on?

 

We clearly aren't going to win the league, so my average suffering for a few months while I get used to it won't be a big disappointment. Thoughts/ideas welcome! I'd be willing to spend up to £100/£120 on a decent ball

[AndyT]

Holy Thread Resurrection, Batman!

/vbb/images/smilies/bbcode_cool.gif

 

I've been thinking about investing in my own bowling ball for a bit now. I'm in a league at Bitterne which is going to last until next June/July, so plenty of time to get used to curving a ball

 

My average with a house ball is about 140, and I've borrowed a mates bowling balls for a couple of games, and I scored about 100, which I didn't think was too shabby for a first go!

 

Seeing as some of you guys seem to know a bit about them, what do you reckon I should go for? I'm thinking of going straight for a reactive ball, without getting a plastic ball to start. I practiced with both, and the extra curve of the reactive one made the strikes that little bit more satisfying! Or would that be jumping in at the deep end without armbands on?

 

We clearly aren't going to win the league, so my average suffering for a few months while I get used to it won't be a big disappointment. Thoughts/ideas welcome! I'd be willing to spend up to £100/£120 on a decent ball

 

Get the better ball mate. Your average will come up in no time.

[juanchan]

Get the better ball mate. Your average will come up in no time.

 

That's what I'm hoping. A few people in the league commented that I seemed to pick up the technique for spinning pretty quickly, which made me think of getting the reactive one. I sense an early Christmas present to myself in the next couple of weeks

[AndyT]

That's what I'm hoping. A few people in the league commented that I seemed to pick up the technique for spinning pretty quickly, which made me think of getting the reactive one. I sense an early Christmas present to myself in the next couple of weeks

 

Get it drilled for your mitt mate. Will make it a darn sight more comfortable. ie you won't suffer as much pain from chafe.

Or see if Soon To Has will sell one of his.

[Dash Rendar]

I love tenpin bowling!

 

When I was 15/16, I was ranked 12th in the UK under-19s category, according to the World Of Tenpin magazine.

 

These days I don't bowl so often and I'm not so good, and my current league average is a lowly 185. (14 years ago, it was about 15 pins higher.) I've bowled a 290 game twice (that's 1 spare followed by 11 strikes), but never a 300. I've also bowled several scratch 690+ series (that's three game total)in matchplay/league play, but keep seeming to miss the 700, which is really annoying!

 

I bowl with a fairly big hook and a reasonable amount of revs, but I would consider myself more of a 'power-stroker' than a 'cranker'.

 

I used to coach bowling and I've had 'students' hit 300 games. I'm happy to give any advice on technique if anyone is interested.

 

To juanchan: you have a few decisions in front of you. Perhaps more important than whether you go for a plastic/urethane/reactive or particle ball is whether you decide to go for a fingertip drilling, rather than a 'conventional' drilling. (Obviously, a 'fingertip' drilling is where only the figertips go in the ball.) If you want to create hook and revs, this is the only way to go. (There are very few bowlers with a 180+ average who dont use a fingertip drilling.) However, most bowlers usually experience a 20-pin drop in average when they make the switch to fingertip, because of the increased control that is required. You'll never get much hook with a conventional drilling.

 

BTW, you want hook, not 'spin'. They are two different things. Hook increases the angle of attack into the 1-3 pocket (assuming you're a right-handed bowler), thereby decreasing deflection and increaing the frequency with which you 'carry the 5'. (I.e. straight balls tend to deflect and often leave the 5 pin, even when they go in the pocket.) Spin, on the other hand, is what happens when you rotate your hand as you release the ball. This can cause a small arc, but kills the forward roll on the ball and actually results in less hitting power in the pocket.

 

IMO, switching to both a reactive ball AND fingertip at the same time is just too big a change for an inexperienced bowler, especially if you currently average 140. It will greatly increase any inconsistency you already have in your game.

 

On the other hand, getting a reactive ball with a conventional drilling is fairly pointless, as they're designed for deliveries that create a reasonable number of revs. (And you can't create a lot of revs with a conventional drilling.)

 

So, if I were you, I would get a non-reactive urethane or a polyester (plastic) ball, drilled conventional, or a non-reactive urethane ball, drilled fingertip. The urethane ball with a fingertip drilling, when delivered properly, will hook some, but without the aggressive snap of a reactive ball. Consequently, it will allow you to develop your release and your hook, but without sacrificing too much consistency, which would certainly happen if you were to go straight to a reactive.

 

Furthermore, a dull surface urethane ball will give a more predictable hook on most lane conditions than a reactive ball.

 

Hope this helps.

[juanchan]

That's a lot of info, thanks!

 

I'm after getting a fingertip drilling, which is what the reactive ball I borrowed was drilled to. They weren't quite right for my hand, but given I've never had lessons I didn't think I did toooo badly! And hitting a couple of strikes in my first game was a bonus too.

 

I think the main reason I'm only getting a 140 average is due to bowling straight. I nearly always get the ball into the 1-3 pocket (yep, as you say, I'm right handed), but getting a strike is pretty uncommon. I've got all my spares to thank for the average I have. There are some people in my league who say that getting a strike with a straight ball is pretty much down to luck, unlike a hook ball (I'll get my head around the terminology correctly eventually!).

 

The plastic ball I borrowed didn't really hook at the back of the lane, but the reactive ball did. That may be down to my lack of technique/ability/experience, but the difference was very noticeable.

 

One of the main hesitations I have over getting a plastic ball is that, granted I can use to get my hook technique correct, but give it 6 months, a year, I'll be wanting to get a reactive ball anyway. Why not just go for the better ball now, accept that I'll be very inconsistent, and just take it from there? Won't I have to re-adjust to a reactive ball if I did get a plastic ball? I'm not ruling the option out, but that's my current thinking.

 

I'm in the league for the fun really, I'm not in it for the winning (yet....I'm usually highly competitive!), so being inconsistent for the next year or so won't be the end of the world. Would you recommend getting a few lessons on how to hook, or just go for it?!

 

Cheers for the info again, and haivng re-read my post it seems like I'm turfing your idea out the window, which is not how I meant it! Just putting my 2p's worth in, but always willing to listen to those in the know!

[Dash Rendar]

Well, there is still a good argument for getting the polyester ball first. In six months time, as you say, when you feel you've got the hang of it, then go and buy your reactive. By then you'll be getting a fair bit of hook and you would struggle to hit the ten pin using your hooking ball. So that's when you use your polished polyester ball... for sparing, since it goes relatively straight. As you've already noticed, a plastic ball on a properly oiled lane will hardly turn at all, even if you get loads of revs. (Of course, going through the middle of the lane to take the spare should result in less hook also, since - if the lane is properly oiled - there should be more oil in the middle.) And as a bonus, they would both be drilled the same, as they should be.

 

If you're going in the pocket every time and never getting strikes, then you're doing something wrong, even with a straight ball. Try standing further to the right to increase the angle to the pocket. The high amount of deflection may imply you are throwing the ball too slow, or not getting any lift. (Again, lift is increased through having a fingertip drilling.)

 

Remember that a consistent 8-spare scoring gives you a 180+ average. So, as a coach of mine used to say, "concentrate on the spares, and the strikes will look after themselves."

 

If you are dead-set on getting a reactive ball as your first fingertip, then you need to also think about what kind of reactive, and what kind of surface you want. For example, a polished reactive slides longer, storing the 'energy' longer, resulting in a later and more violent hook. With a well-oiled lane and a properly stripped (i.e. dry) back-end, this will give the best scoring result, but is hardest to control. On a dry lane it will give you more length (i.e. distance before it starts turning), which is also useful.

 

A dull or sanded ball will start to turn much earlier. Novices automatically assume that a sanded ball therefore hooks more. This isn't the case; it just hooks sooner. So, on a fairly dry lane, the ball turns early and then 'rolls-out'. (Lots of cool terminology.) When a ball has rolled out, it has no energy when it hits the pocket; it is no longer turning, although you still have the advantage of increased angle. On a heavily oiled lane, a sanded ball is beneficial, since a polished reactive can slide too long, or barely hook at all. The dull reactive finish gives a more predictable shape to the hook, so it might be better for you.

 

But speed is also a factor. The slower you throw it, the more opportunity the ball has to hook. So if you put a slow hook bowler on a poorly oiled (dry) lane condition, he'll be stuffed as the ball will hook well before the pins.

 

So now you see why most high-average (180+) hook bowlers typically carry three or more balls. They typically have two or three reactives (usually one sanded and at least one polished) and a polished polyester/plastic.

 

But a beginner can keep it much more simple. The basic arsenal for the beginner hook bowler is this: one polyester spare ball, and one moderately reactive ball (but not too aggressive).

 

Which Pro Shop are you visiting?

[juanchan]

That's a good point about using a plastic ball as my spare ball further down the line. I was only considering getting one ball - spare balls weren't even being thought about!

 

With regard to my current technique, I was told to try and slow down my bowling when using my mates balls! I'll give the standing to the right a go too, see if that makes a difference. Also, what's lift?!

 

Now you're throwing even more factors into the equation! From the beginners perspective, the dull/sanded reactives balls sound like a good first step into reactive balls. Leave the polished ones to the people who know what they're doing!

 

The alley that we use has wooden lanes, so the oil does tend to dry out throughout the evening (the wood absorbs a fair bit, or so I've been told!). It's closing and relocating next summer though, so it'll probably have plastic lanes. Would that a make a difference, or just prevent the lanes drying out to the same extent?

 

I was going to go and have a chat with the guy who runs the ball shop down at Bitterne - the shop's called Blacky's. Not sure if that means anything! He comes quite highly recommended, but then again, the people who bowl there regularly are going to say that!

[liam1]

me and my wife thats how we met i bowled for around 20 years had a 300 the highest score you can get 12 strikes in a row had a couple of 299's left only one pin my league average when i stopped was 208 played in lots of leagues and played county level. my wife played for the ladies england team in the bowling world cup in israel one year she got two silver medals her league avg around 196 we stopped because it became very easy for people to bowl high scores with the latest bowling balls available who had little skill and limited ability they took the skill out of the game.