As I gear up for my first Regional Event, I am focusing on practicing more often in order to work on technique and stamina. Since January, I have only bowled about three games a week. While this is a good rhythm, it won't suffice when I will have to bowl at least eight games in one block of time. Tonight I took a drive over to Parkside Lanes. To my surprise, they had the WTBA Sydney Pattern down, which I took a wail at. The pattern, being roughly 33' matches closely in length to the 35' PBA Cheetah that I will be seeing soon. That being said, let's go for a quick run down.
Overview
Game one played pretty much how I thought it would for a short pattern. Stroking it right up the outside provided a nice look into the pocket. Adding any extra hit to the ball typically sent it passed the 1-2 pocket. Missing right with no hand meant the ball was on a straight path for the 6-10 area. The lanes played like so: get the ball to roughly 5 at the breakpoint and watch it scream on back. The Sure Lock provided an amazing look throughout the three game set. I noticed that I still need to slow myself down (not so much the ball anymore) in order to maintain consistency. Given such, my release will be more online; thus more hits in the pocket. Game two played similar to game one with very little transition. A small adjustment of roughly 2 and 1 provided ample oil to keep the ball online. By game three I think I rushed myself into a bad place. The poor pacing lead to inaccuracy and mental inefficiency on the lanes. I won't even continue on this one. I did get my spares though.
Lessons Learned
- Pace yourself. Breathe.
- Stay behind the ball
- Keep your ball on target (See 1)
- Spares are cool, too