Time to catch up a bit

The one advantage of having a very small following is that you don't have to worry about letting too many people down if you get behind in terms of adding content; nevertheless, due to time off of work and the holidays, I got way behind on my blogging, and that ends now. To any who actually take the time to read these, my apologies for the recent slacking. I will try to stay on the ball as things go forward.

Suffice it to say, the last month and a half has been a struggle for me on the lanes. The month of December saw me go 592 - 680 - 615 for an average of 209.66, and January has been worse as I have shot 634 and a season-low 564. For those who don't feel like doing the math themselves, that's an average of 205.66 for my last five weeks. My highest game during that stretch is a 234, and my lowest is a 171.

There are several elements playing a role in my recent struggles. I have been experimenting with some different things in my setup and release, which, while probably good for my long-term development, has left me rather inconsistent in the here and now. The biggest problem seems to be knowing when to utilize the different little tricks that I've added.

Basically, at times, I'm sticking with the screwdriver when the job calls for the wrench so to speak. That was crystal clear two weeks ago when after having a very nice look going up the lane with my Brute Strength during Game 1, I proceeded to leave nine 9-counts en route to a 190 something Game 2. I realized what needed to be done for Game 3, and I scored better, but, obviously, I had already thrown away the possibility of a big set at that point.

In the end, I'm still optimistic. Yes, I've had far too many lackadasical mistakes lately, but I don't really feel like I'm throwing the ball that badly. I'm just not throwing it as well as I can as often as I should be. That's what I want to get back, consistency. I guess we'll see what the next opportunity brings!

As always, thanks for reading!