Bowling with Leverage
by David A. Leverage
David A. Leverage is a Former exempt PBA Player, Silver level certified coach,
an ASU Bowling Alumni member, A 6 time PBA titleist, has (40) 300 games
and owns 2 Phoenix area Pro Shops.
Getting ready for Nationals???
A great deal of people are beginning to get ready for Nationals and make their annual trip with their friends to compete against thousands of bowlers from all across the country. This year's Womens event takes place at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada. The Open Championships event meanwhile is taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Being a Bowling Coach as well as a Pro Shop owner I get to talk with a lot of people who have either already gone to Nationals this year or they are making arrangements and changes to their game to get ready for the Nation's 2 biggest tournaments of the year. The most common questions I get from people are; What is the shot like? What kind of ball do I need? And how should I play the lanes when I get there. Well obviously as many of you know, the lanes will play significantly different for different bowlers because we all have different styles, revrates, ball speed etc.
Now eventhough we all have various styles there are a few things you can do to better prepare yourself for the big tournament. The most common mistake I see when I look at a bowler's arsenal is the coverstock. Too often I find bowlers who will bring in 4 to 6 different bowling balls into the pro shop but all of those balls will be shiny. The outer surface (coverstock) of the bowling ball is the number one factor in how the ball will roll and the easiest way (and cheapest) to change how your bowling ball will roll and react on the lanes. Usually people make the mistake of having too many shiny balls because they are used to and comfortable with the "hockey stick" type of ball roll where the ball skids far down the lane and then makes a hard turn towards the pocket. Now this is definitely the most fun way to bowl by making the ball break hard on the back part of the lane, but it is not always the most effective.
By sanding or resurfacing one or two of your bowling balls you can dramatically change the way the ball rolls and hooks in the oil thus giving you a better chance of matching up to the Nationals pattern. Take a look at the outer cover of your bowling equipment and see if there are a lot of scratches or digs in your bowling ball. If so then that ball is a good candidate to be resurfaced and in most cases you can get that ball looking new again. It sure beats having to buy a brand new ball and in the long run will give you a better shot in Nevada. Sometimes a simple "shine" or "sand" of the ball can also make the ball roll a little better and hook more or less depending on what you desired result is. In either case though it is very important to have a variety of ball surfaces in your bowling ball arsenal.
Educating yourself and geting a lesson is also a great way to prepare as well by having a trained coaching eye help fix any problems or issues with your game. This will make you a smarter player and will help you coach yourself when things are not going quite as planned on those bad nights of bowling.
Another good tip is to find a player who is bowling well on the squad before you and watch how they are playing the lanes, where they are standing, where there target is etc. Ideally of course you want to find a player whose bowling style is similar to yours. These are just educated guesses and a guidleine for you to give you the best opportunity for success.
And finally, make sure you dedicate at least one of your upcoming practice sessions to shooting spares!!! For instance when you have your next practice session, use your first shot to shoot the 10 pin or the 7 pin. In most cases whether you make it or not you will leave the pocket still standing for your second shot. This will in effect get you twice as many shots in your practice routine and will make you a better spare shooter. For help with a spare system, don't forget the "Leverage 3x5" spare system as outlined in the April edition of the Desert Bowler.
Thank you to all of the people who have been emailing in real questions and ideas for upcoming articles. We always appreciate any and all input as we are always aspiring to help and educate bowlers so they can knock down more pins. As always you may email me at: daveleverage@yahoo.com.
"TEXT the Coach" As a new feature if you are having a problem and need a quick answer to that problem, send me a text message during your next practice session, league session, or tournament and I will do my best to reply in a timely manner. Text to 6025505788.