It's the end of the road and I can confidently say that I achieved my goal. Not only did I get the 600 series once, I got it twice. I also almost got it a third time with a 599. The amount of fundamental change I went through is enormous. My new ball really exaggerated the process as well, as I thought I might not have been able to achieve it with my old equipment only. In the beginning I was having thoughts that I might not be able to do it during the 12 week time period, but I underestimated myself. I been in a league for over five years and I have gotten pretty far. From averaging around 80, to around 180 now is insane! Increasing your low average is much easier than a higher average. This is because you have to be even more perfect. Remember, leaving just three pins on three different frames on the first ball cost me 52 points!
I went for a good practice round a couple of days ago and did pretty good. I ended with a 176, 182, and 214. This is around my legit average at the time. I even could be a scratch bowler on some days (average above 200). I think in the future my final goal is to become a scratch bowler, but I don't intend to go pro or anything. I'm looking to become an engineer at NC State as my career. However, I can say that bowling will play a part in my life as a hobby.
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It is pretty much the end of the road for me. The league is over and I think my team won the whole thing. I finished with an average of 165 which is increased from around 155. The reason that my average isn't as big as it should be is because that I had about 15 weeks of games before the most recent ones. During those times I would average around 155 trying to throw 20 mph. If I were to continue next year, I would probably start at around an average of 180-190. My average the last 4 weeks were over 200, so that means I'm technically a scratch bowler. That means I would have no handicap to add onto my score which could be good or bad. The range from 175-200 has to be the hardest jump there is. You have to be almost perfect in your shots and have a majority of strikes. After 200, it gets a little easier as a couple of pins can mean a whole lot of difference.
We're getting close to the end game and I can confidently say that I have achieved my goal. At first, I had some doubts on whether I can accomplish my goal or not, but I started to realize that it was much closer than I thought. It is amazing how little you can change your game and be rewarded with greater score changes. When I pick back up, I could average 180-190, barring any rusty first games. Next week I will be getting more technical on why this method works compared to my earlier strategies. Last week I almost achieved another 600 series with a 599. Yes, I choked the last game because I was getting tired and I scored a 149. I consistently throw at around 16 mph and with an rpm at around 350. This is a perfect balance that complements each other that directly affects each other at the same time. I stand at around the third arrow (which is about the middle of the lane) and throw it towards the first arrow (left side of the lane) then the rotations will bring it back to the pocket. This is where I improved the most because I used to not have the amount of hook as I do now. This had everything to do with my drastic increase in my scores.
I am going to join the adult/child league that is over the summer. There wasn't a lot of teams in the original league so maybe there will be more. It's crazy how much I have changed my game and it shows up pretty good on paper. The Jackal brings so much power and control to my game compared to the Hy-road. The difference between the two involves its point of contact. The Jackal carries through to much more that the hy-road that is more likely to deflect. This could be partially due to the extra two pounds of difference, but the biggest factor is the angle at which they come at. The Jackal goes through the pocket at more of an angle. Last week I had successfully completed my goal once again. I never thought I would be able to accomplish this feat multiple times. I am focusing on beating my high score which is 248. You know what's funny? That game had 9 strikes that were scattered all over the place. The other 3 frames that I didn't get a strike, I had 9 then closed them up with a spare. So what that means is that those three pins really accounted for 62 POINTS! That is the difference between a 225 average bowler verses a 275 average bowler. There is a slim difference between the two even though there is a massive average difference. You have to be pretty perfect to average over 250 which is why it is so rare. Even more for a 300 game, you have to shoot 12 strikes in a row. That is why it has only been done on air around 40 times in history!
My team has successfully gotten first place for the second half of the league. On Saturday, we will be doing a roll off which is pretty much just a three game match. We will be going up against the last seed and if we win we will be going against the winner of the other match. We have won our match 4-0. I almost put up another 600 series as well! I finished with a 599 series (I choked) with scores of 203, 247, and 149. The last game I was tired and wasn't able to finish like I wanted to. I even almost broke my personal record. I could've tied it with a 248, but overall I had a really solid day. I plan to be in a mix/adult league over the summer. I have been on vacation for the past week and haven't been able to go bowling over the weekend. The league is coming to an end and I think there's only one week left. This week it's a roll off. A roll off is the competition at the end to see who wins the league as a whole. Even though I might have the highest average there, the whole thing is based on handicap. The distance your average is to 200, is your handicap. I would say my handicap right now is around 25, meaning I average 175. Got to feel bad for the people that average above 200 ha ha. I think that my team is around second or even first. I haven't really kept track to be honest. If we are first then we will play three games against the team that won 4 months ago via handicap to determine the winner. Most members right now have a high handicap because they have started not too long ago unlike me. So this just puts us at equal footing.
It's pretty funny how this Saturday I indeed got the 600 again. I shot a 217, 212, and 193, which adequately satisfies 600 with a 622. A month or two ago I thought that his goal could go unfinished because of how hard it looked to me at first. My new ball has indeed given me a step up. I started my first game with a streak of 6 and the rest is history. I can't believe how much I improved and I'm looking to keep it up so I can break my personal record! Last week I had successfully achieved the 600 series. This means a series of 3 games that add up to 600+. I got 248, 224, and 169. This pretty much qualifies as one because they don't all have to be over 200. I have decided to create a new goal for the last half of this project. This new goal includes beating my newly broken personal record of 248. Not only did I get a 600 series, I demolished it with a 641. I was getting psyched out on the last game, but when I figured out I only needed a 128, I calmed down. The league will end in a couple weeks when I will be on vacation, so I will have to go practice on my own. I will aim to go around once a week.
This Friday, I went to throw a couple of games to pre-bowl for this Saturday. I got a 196, 193, and a 167. As you can see, the difference in scoring is very noticeable from week one. I throw with way more angle and power which rewards me with more back end pin action, and that results in a lot more strikes. Not only have I achieved my main goal, I have increased my rev rate by double, even triple. I can throw from the very right side and push it left and still have the kinetic energy to bring it back to the pocket. I don't plan to go again next week because I will be on vacation, but I plan to pick right back up when I return. I'm pretty sure I have achieved one of my goals-increasing my rev rate. I started at about 200-225 in the beginning and I worked up to around 300 RPM. Because of this, the angle of my hook has drastically increased. That is also partially due to the decrease in ball speed which allows it to grip the back-end surface that has no oil and pull through. At first my ball would pull too far and go through the nose, leaving me a lot of splits. Now, I found out a way to keep that from happening. That is to move a couple boards right to push the ball left first which allows it to cover more distance. I throw around 16 mph now which is significantly less than before. I'm super happy with the Jackal as it has been giving the results I'm looking for.
Speaking of results, I have successfully achieved a 600 series. It was on Saturday of week six that I threw a 248, 224, 169. This totals up to a 641 series! Not to mention, 248 beats my old personal record of 246. I have finally been able to control the Jackal and stay consistent with it. I threw with faster revs and slower speeds which allowed for an exceptional amount of hook. Since I have achieved my goal I thought I should make another one. I feel like breaking my personal record again would be most appropriate. My 248 game had multiple 9 pins on the first ball and if I'm able to clean those up, my score would drastically increase. That's how much 1 pin can change your score! If you get all strikes except one frame with a 9 spare, your score would be 290. So beating my new high-score will be the next goal I will be pursuing. Last week wasn't a very good week. Although I did have a solid 190, it cost me some of my thumb. I jacked up my thumb and ripped off some of the skin on the side. I will have to let it heal to be able to bowl Saturday. I am aiming for around an average of 175 for the week. I found a technique that will allow me to throw with a higher rev rate. In order to increase rev rate, you must find some sort of leverage point, whether that be putting your hand under the ball or snapping your wrist last second. Normally a person wouldn't be able to cup the ball with their wrist alone. That is why I have figured out that using my arm in combination will help me create more rotations. This week I had a pretty solid day. I averaged around 175 for 3 games. I had found the best approach and it gave the results I was looking for. I had more carry through the pins then normal which in turn gave me less leftovers. If you had recognized the arrows on the lane, this is how I would describe it. I stood about third arrow from the left and I throw/push the ball towards first arrow on the left. Then it is mostly the ball's job to do the rest of the work. That's really all it takes! If you release the ball effectively, your ball should do the rest. That is the type experience I picked up a while ago. This week I slowed my speed to about 16 mph, which rewards me with the best maximum hook potential I could ask for. Comparison of some shots I had made from week 1 and week 4 below. Sorry for bad quality, it'll probably get better. I have drilled out my ball and I have decided to not get a thumb insert. If I did get one, we would have to drill out more or the thumb hole which is pretty much committing to it. I have no experience with thumb inserts, so this was the safest option. While drilling, the guy asked me an important question. Do I want to make it snap at the back end, or hook more in the middle of the lane. I decided with the latter. I still have a decently low rev rate, but I noticed my ball speed decreased to around 16.5 mph. I even have had trouble with how much my new ball is hooking. Because of my recent decrease in ball speed, my rev rate has gone up. This is causing it to miss the pocket and go through the nose a lot, which leaves a lot of splits.
In order to decrease the amount of splits that I leave, I will have to make some adjustments and there are different ways to do this. First, I can increase my speed a little bit to get the ball to push more down-lane to try to match my rev rate and path of continuation. Second, I could move right some boards and throw it exactly the same. This would give the ball more area to cover before it gets to its target. And last, I could change my axis rotation on the ball and get it to react in a different way like snapping back at the end, or beginning it's path when thrown. All these different ways require practice, and I will be picking one of them to avoid a downfall of my scores. Because of my recent problem with muscling the ball, I have seen a pattern of inconsistency. I throw my 12 and 13 pound equipment around 19 miles per hour. As a result of this, I will be getting a new ball. It is the Motiv Jackal Ghost. This ball will weigh 14 pounds for the purpose of slowing my ball speed down. The ball has a super reactive cover with an asymmetrical core that provides a spot for a maximum center of gravity. This ball will allow me to hook it with more ease while working on my rev rate. Even low rev rates and high ball speeds have no effect on the Jackal, and it will continue to carry through the pins with determination.
I will be getting this ball drilled Friday or Saturday depending on when it will arrive. Usually getting an aggressive ball will require finger inserts for more grip and comfort. I have gotten the ball and my first throw was a strike. I finished that game with a 194 with five strikes at the back end. I'm pretty pumped about this new ball as it gives me more back end power through the pins. I also noticed that it slowed my speed down from about 19 mph to about 17 mph, which will give more space for hooking potential. I'm super excided to test out more of the Jackal and work on getting the 600 series. |
AuthorHello my name is Josh Clodfelter. My favorite hobbies are football, bowling, and software editing. I enjoy math and science and will strive to become an Aerospace Engineer. Archives |