By Lawrence Lang
Tuesday and Wednesday saw back-to-back solid nights of bowling league. Starting with Tuesday Night League, as learned from Monday Night League, playing left of the center dot on the approach was the mindset going into Tuesday.
Game One 227 Solid Start
Now, playing four boards left of the center dot and up ten ( second arrow in on the left side of the lane) is interesting because it’s on you to keep your mechanics in check. After all, it’s on you when things go wrong. A pocket eight-pin to start the night could mean you are in for a long night. In this case, it was only sometimes in a situation like that, which means you have a little more area on the lane and little room for error. So a simple two-board move right made for a double. Then, back-to-back seven pins meant to move back to draw more energy for the bowling ball to get that seven out. Then, with another eight-pin in the sixth frame, it was time to make a ball change. With a ball change, remember you don’t have to stand in the same spot with the new ball. Make a move as well.
( I always need to adjust on the other lane when making a ball change; I’ve been trying to remember for 15 years).
The seventh- frame saw success, and the eighth- frame forgot to move, so the six-pin is deserved. Then, with a strike in the ninth frame and the proper move in the 10th frame, Turkey came early as a treat for Halloween and a solid 227 to start.
Game One ball of choice DV8 Pin Up Damn Good Verge Pearl Frames one threw- sixth DV8 Pin Down Damn Good Verge Pearl seven-ten.
Game Two 287 Almost Perfection
With a pocket eight-pin to start, I thought this might be another bump-and-grind game, but sometimes all you have to do is take a deep breath and breathe ( words my uncle says all the time to lefties JUST BREATHE!!!). With another minor adjustment, pins flew all over the lane from frames two- 11, and even a few messengers helped take out pins. It’s always fun getting them since I don’t get them as much. With the fill ball in the tenth frame on, I got super fast with my feet and tugged the shot for the split, but since it’s the fill ball frame, I didn’t have to shoot at it over. Everything was in line that game, and it was always a great feeling to get that 280+ game.
Game Two ball of choice DV8 Pin Down Damn Good Verge Pearl
Game Three 212 The Grind
Now, sometimes you have to grind a game out when you can’t carry at all, and that’s when you have to keep a strong mental game and keep it in check before everything goes down the drain and you ruin what you have to get a great series. Third frame: when you get fast with your feet, you pay for it. Seven-pin after and then short-arming it to miss it is on me. When you do that, you deserve to miss it. Open your shoulder for a six-ten is on me again. Make the correction on the next seven pin, follow through to make it, learn from the mistake, and be rewarded. Now pocket five-pin.
Only note for this: the ball muscled it, and it could have been worse. The most important part was making it because when talking about this, I want to say something other than a missed five-pin cost me 700, even though we will talk about it if it occurs—a four-bagger to end the night for the 212 with one open. The important part is that the mental game stood firm in recent years. A missed seven-pin or any single pin open would have taken me out of my game, but that’s the power of bowling, keeping a solid mental game. When stuff like that occurs, you forget about it and move on to the next frame.
Game Three ball of choice DV8 Pin Down Damn Good Verge Pearl
Series 726 Entering average 230.35 New Average 229.67 (-0.68)
Wednesday Night League
Wednesday night brought the make sure you follow through when making your seven-pin spare.
Game One 212 Follow Thru.
Now, overall, this game was great. I only missed the pocket once, and that came after having the front five when suddenly, the ball I was throwing, the DV8 Brutal Collision, dove right through the headpin, and a four-seven was left. On the spare attempt, I stood the last dot on the right side of the center dot where I stood. I shoot for a seven-pin. That was the wrong spot for this spare. Usually, two boards left of that is where it should have been for this spare, and when you make a mistake like that, you pay for it, and I did. Then, with the seven spin after that in the next frame, like we did the night before, we short-armed it and missed back-to-back mistakes on me. After that, I made a ball change because I did not like the way my DV8 Brutal Collision was rolling, so DV8 Pin Down Damn Good Verge Pearl and a double to set up the tenth frame was good until another seven-pin and short arm shot cost having a great game to kick off league that night. I was a little frustrated because I was short-arming it back to back when it came to leaving the seven-pin, but I remembered “Just Breathe.”
Game one ball of choice DV8 Brutal Collision frame one-five and DV8 Pin Down Damn Good Verge Pearl eight-ten.
Game Two 268 Bounce Back.
Hey, frame one another seven-pin and a tap on the head done by yourself. Remember, follow through, and make your seven-pin. Frames two through seven were all there, and some messenger pins helped get a 290 pace going. Then, a beautiful shot in the eighth frame led to a ten-pin that shouldn’t have been there, but there is no sense in complaining once you let go of the ball; what’s left on the deck is left on the deck. Just cover your spare and move on. The fill frame for the game was on me a little fast with my feet, and six-pin is deserved. Notes here: remember, if you are struggling to make a spare you’ve been missing lately, don’t think of the last one you missed. Focus on making the one in front of you. If you dwell on it, history will repeat itself, and you could miss it.
Game two ball of choice DV8 Pin Down Damn Good Verge Pearl
Game Three 226 Almost cost Me a 700
Now, in the first frame, you get fast with your feet, and you will pay for it. Remember, you’re not in a race to be the first one done bowling. Take your time. Sixth frame, hey, you followed through again when making your seven-pin. Eighth frame, what didn’t I do? Follow through, and it could have been a big time cost, but we take a deep breath, relax, and forget about it. To end the night with 700 already locked up, sometimes the higher-ups make you go through one more test before the night is over with one more seven-pin left. “LAWRENCE FOLLOW THROUGH THE SHOT AND MAKE THE (BAD WORD) SEVEN-PIN!!!”. Remember, people, you’re not going to make all your spares, but you can come near close when you repeat the shot and make sure you follow through at the attempt. If you don’t, you have more room for error. If you don’t short-arm it shorting arming, it will have you doing the arm dance for it to move.
Game three ball of choice DV8 Pin Down Damn Good Verge Pearl
Series 706 Entering average 222.04 New Average 222.21 (+0.16)
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