Starting to Figure It Out?

I'm sorry for the lack of posts the past couple of weeks, but let's be honest; I may have a dozen or so loyal readers, so I'm probably not disappointing the masses when I get a bit behind. Nevertheless, for those who choose to peruse these blogs, I will try to stay more consistent. Oh, and thanks for reading!

I'm happy to report that things have been on an uptick lately. The more I stick with this no-thumb game, the more comfortable I'm becoming with it, and it's leading to much better scores. I carded a 623 (202-212-209) on the 17th and a 661 (223-266-172) on the 24th before really breaking loose on Halloween night, when I notched a solid 747 (258-256-233). Those scores have raised the average from just over 201 to just under 210, which is much closer to where I ought to be.

As you would expect, with more no-thumb practice comes more consistency. I'm also feeling like I'm actually playing the lanes now because I am confident enough in my delivery and release to trust that I'll get the ball on line. That really helps!

I made some surface adjustments to my DV8 Thug Unruly to make it a bit smoother, but I've still found more comfort and success using urethane or cored plastic. I used a Black Widow Spare (plastic cover, Gas Mask Core) all night during the 623, a score that could've been MUCH better if not for a couple of bad breaks and 1 or 2 bad shots at just the wrong times.

From there, I took a friend's old Natural Pearl and put it at 4000 plus polish, and I've been LOVING it! The polish makes it a bit cleaner up front than the Black Hammer I had been using, but it's still super smooth down the lane. As you can see from the scores reference above, I was +89 through two on the 24th and +114 through two last night. Obviously, I'm getting the look I want/need.

Last night was particularly fun. I needed 286 or better in Game 3 to notch the second 800 series of my career. Clearly, that's a tall order. Still, I gave it a run. I started that game with the front five strikes. The sixth ball was on line, but I missed the release a touch, coming up the back of the ball a bit too much instead of giving it some axis rotation. I thought I was going to be in for a 10-pin. I was right, but, sadly the 5-pin stood with it! lol Yep, pocket 5-10 broke up my bid at 300/800. From there, I rang a 10-pin and suffered a high-flush 4-9 before going off the sheet for a 9-strike 233 and 747.

The point is this. I'm having a blast bowling this way. When I use the Widow Spare, I can play up 1st or 2nd arrow all night long (leave it to me to go no-thumb in order to play straighter!), and I can have 100% control of the pocket, which is a nice relief. I'll never commit to going 100% no-thumb because I know that there are advantages to being able to bowl both ways. Still, for the time being, I'm getting everything I want and then some out of this experiment!

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, and thanks for reading the rantings of this Wanna B Bowler!