Feel Players

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SomyP
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Feel Players

Post by SomyP »

Just curious how many of you are feel players. Personally I'm a feel player. I don't have a specific board I want to stand on or target on the lane. What I do is look down and see where I need to stand based on ball reaction and what the lane is giving me. From there I "aim" at an area I'm targeting and actually look down at the foul line during my whole approach. I've been doing this for nearly the past 10 years now and have averaged as high as 213 while doing it.

Other members of my team are more analytical than I am. Most of them aim for a specific board and know they were standing on board 20 sliding on board 23 while landing the ball on 12 out to 7. Maybe it's just me, but I bowl better not knowing the details of the game. I'm better off focusing on ball reaction and staying in a rhythm. A quieter mind can create a bigger score.

Final thing I want to discuss and that's scoreboard watching. Don't ever do it in my opinion. Just focus on the shot in front of you. Let others tell you the score when all 10 frames are bowled. In practice focus on what you are working on, whether that be slowing down your timing, faster ball speed, more rotation etc., focus on that. Next time you implement that the results speak for themselves. I only say this because I love stats and looking ahead. If someone tells me I have a chance at 260 or whatever I'll think oh I have to throw 6 in a row to finish for that. The reality is I might only throw a turkey and some spares or opens because I thought too much about the end instead of the shot in front of me.

So in closing my questions are: are you a feel player?, do you scoreboard watch?, and what are good practice habits you have that the community could use?
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BigDog
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Re: Feel Players

Post by BigDog »

I am definitely a “feel” player and a rhythm player. What you described is how I bowl also. I have tried targeting specific boards and keeping my eye on that board through delivery of the shot and find that I actually do not hit that target as often as when I look at it first and then look down at where I want my feet to finish. When I am at my best I subconsciously make minor adjustments in my release as if my body knows when I am slightly off target. Different strokes...

One thing I always do is calculate my score from each frame as if I will strike out from whatever frame I am in. It helps me to think I can strike out at any time.
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Re: Feel Players

Post by Pinbuster »

I'm analytical. I know where I'm standing and what I'm targeting. I square my body to that target and go.

I don't worry about what board my foot stops on at the foul line nor where my lay down board is.

I have bowled many years with a feel player. The biggest issue they seem to have is when a pair is mismatched. They throw a shot on one lane and it does one thing and they often adjust on the other lane and it reacts totally differently and they get lost.

You need to follow your ball down lane regardless of which method you use. This gives you feed back on where the ball is sliding, reading the midlane, and the backend. If you do that you know where the ball should be as it goes down the lane even if you haven't assigned a board to it.

I have seen bowlers use from the foul line dots to the tracer boards and it really doesn't matter much but individual preference. But you are still using an aiming spot to give you the line you want the ball to start on.
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EricHartwell
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Re: Feel Players

Post by EricHartwell »

I am not a feel bowler. I focus on individual boards. When I am really focused I will split those boards in half with my focus. Aim small, miss small kind of thing. I wish my accuracy was as good as my focus is.
I also change where on the lane I am looking depending on the length I am trying to get. Using the arrows to get the ball down the lane further or the dots to get an earlier reaction.

I do know of several bowlers that are feel bowlers. Their focus is the pins. They pay attention to where they start their approach knowing what board they are standing on looking at the pins the whole way through their approach and release. Never knowing where they lay the ball down or even what arrow they are rolling over. Making adjustments and/or ball changes based on how the ball is going through the pins. One of the guys is a lefty and he has the smoothest release I have ever witnessed. Rarely can you hear his ball hit the lane. He averages close to 220 in all of his leagues in 3 different houses.

I am not one to say that one way is the right way but when I taught my kids how to bowl I used the spot method cause that is the way I do it.

The end justifies the means. Success can be had using different methods.

I watch the scoreboard. I know if I have at least 80 in the 5th frame I can still shoot 230. I put pressure on myself in the 1st frame to get a strike. I have screwed up more 300's in the first frame than I have in the 10th. I started doing this when I got tired of getting 11 in a row awards for 279's and 290's.
I also bowl in league where individual points matter so I am aware of my opponents score as well as my own.

There are times when I pay attention to score when practicing. When I play a game called Par Bowling where the object is to get the lowest score. Gutter balls count as 10. Excellent practice for corner pin spares.

When paying by the game, my normal practice consists of shooting corner pins on my first ball then picking my spare up by shooting at the pocket. That way I get the most shots in for my money. I don't really pay attention to score when I practice like that but I do know If I shoot a 110 I would consider that a perfect game. Meaning I clipped out 1 corner pin and picked up the spare every frame.

I do not pay attention to score when I am comparing reactions from ball to ball. Rolling different balls on the same lines to see how they react as compared to each other.
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krava
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Re: Feel Players

Post by krava »

There are a few things I "feel". #1 Is I feel how far down the lane the ball is getting before it starts to break. I also "feel" how is the ball rotating. Feel can be substituted for watch also. I am a little confused about the word. I watch which board I am aiming at and the line I have drawn from the pins to that point. The the path of the ball it takes until it hits the pins.

Scoreboard watching. I definitely watch that to see where I stand. I am usually never negative. If I find myself behind I say all I have to have is 4 in a row, 6 in a row etc to get back into it. I am usually a super negative person but when it comes to that I am pretty positive. I want to at least get 20 a frame or I get behind. if I get 4 or 5 in a row to start, scoreboard watching isn't important, I know I have 200 no matter what.

The best advice I can give is remember how your last shot went on the same lane and also the shot you just did so you can adjust from there. if you throw the ball and hit the pocket and leave a 8 10 or some crazy split as if the ball didn't do anything, then you got to do something immediately some big change. Either a ball change or probably a 3 and 2 adjustment.
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kajmk
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Re: Feel Players

Post by kajmk »

Opinions

The most important "Feel" is that of physical awareness. Knowing what your physical game feels like, that's akin to a musician being in tune and in time.

Analysis, most definitely, plan, quantify, observe. Hone that in practice until it becomes natural and easier.

Splitting boards, "aim small, miss small". Practically speaking, we are not machines, but striving for excellence (not perfection) , lends itself to constant improvement "Kaizen".
That philosopy will help you prevail on more demanding conditions which put physical and mental stress on an athlete.

We are all different, that's for sure.

There is a term in baseball, "guess hitter". Guess hitters can have streaks of greatness.
Without awareness (analysis) they will lose the guessing game to the pitcher and catcher.

Like I said, just opinions ...

Cheerio.
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
contribute in some way to that happiness
and to that freedom for all.

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SomyP
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Re: Feel Players

Post by SomyP »

Thanks for the words as Kaj. Always insightful. You're right in that I can be a "guess bowler" and have great steaks. My game is at a point that I know what feels right and wrong for sure. But if I can't figure out where I should play based on the pattern I for sure can get "streaky." There have been weeks where I've shot a 750 or better set for a couple of weeks. Then all of a sudden I lose a look and struggle to hit 550.

What's great is I bowl with people who know my game very well. My team members are usually my family or friends of the family who have seen me bowl for years. If I am not scoring how they are used to seeing me score, the issues get corrected quickly. They know that I am a feel player, but can be analytical if needed. So what they tell me such as moving 2 and 1 or 3 and 2 so on and so forth, I apply to my targeting system.

It's great to have another set of eyes who can analyze your game and help fix it so that it's for the good of the team, and most importantly the good of yourself. At the end of the day we are our worst critics, it's better to resolve our issues on the lanes as quickly as possible as opposed to beating ourselves up with what if scenarios on the drive home. So if that means carrying all your equipment but only using 3-4 balls all tournament (excluding spare) so be it. If you had to use all of them and play all 39 boards for a decent look so be it. The game is how many not how.
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Re: Feel Players

Post by krava »

How do you go from 750s to 550s? Do the lane condition change? I have had 3 different lane conditions the past 4 times I bowled. I shot 759 wed then 687 (those 2 same condition) or so Thurs, then 691 Wed (extremely slick with no room for error), then things went to hell. Things went to hell 3rd game of 691 when I had to move too far left. I was going from averaging 244 the first 2 games to 207 or so. 1st game Thursday I had to stand left further then what I am used to from the start. If I threw a ball going up 8 or 10 it would either not make it to the pocket or over hook the pocket. Storm match wouldn't make it to the pocket, a ridiculous wouldn't make it but the riped hammer over hooked. I had to throw 12 or 13 out to 9 and back in. The problem is I think, I was looking at the bottom of the 6 pin then the breakpoint and then 12. I couldn't ever get the ball out far enough right most of the time. I target the 6 pin when I am throwing 10 to 8. I got lucky to get like 178 then 187 etc. The last game I thought about it and wondered why I was targeting the bottom of the 6 when I need to move that target over. I moved my eyes to the right side of the 10 pin then looked at the breakpoint and then 12 and managed to hit 236 last game. But it is a weird feeling twisting your body in a diagonal position while walking straight. I got to get to Dallas to get someone to train me how to throw the ball more of a / angle while walking straight
SomyP
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Re: Feel Players

Post by SomyP »

It's not so much the conditions changing. More so the reason is me. Being a power player I will for the most part try to over power the lanes and get in and really wheel the lane. The best course of action would have been to stay right for as long as I could or ball down and simply go up the boards. Most of the time it's over under reaction as well.

I'm a team player and since I don't have a urethane piece, that would be my last resort. Simply pulling out urethane and going up the boards with the ball.
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