The dedication needed to become a top-notch bowler will easily transfer to disciplined DI practice and smart advantage play.

Glad to see your post, Homer. Write more to keep us posted on the challenges and accomplishments of your practice!

😎 😎 😎

PS: Be sure to update your profile to show you’ve taken the Primer class!!

"Timmer" wrote:
The dedication needed to become a top-notch bowler will easily transfer to disciplined DI practice and smart advantage play.

Timmer is right on the money with his advice here. A good bowler needs to be able to focus on a target and hit that target with accuracy. He also needs to be able to "zone" out all the pressure and noise around him in the alleys. Bowlers have a set routine they follow religiously for every shot they throw. He must be able to control his arm swing so that it is the same motion with each ball he delivers. A bowler needs to keep balanced, square shoulders and deliver his ball while remaining square to his target. The follow through to the target is a critical component of an excellent bowling shot. Bowlers want to develop muscle memory through repeated practice of good habits so that they can go on auto pilot when competing. He needs to be able to "read" the lanes so that he can adjust his throw for the conditions that day. You don’t want to squeeze the ball with your fingers because your thumb could hang up in the ball at release. Your thumb comes out of the ball first and the fingers impart lift on the ball which will give it the proper spin to drive thru the pins. This is similar to how in a proper craps throw the dice slide off the thumb first and the fingers impart spin on the dice causing them to have the backspin necessary to slow the dice down when they hit the table. If you tighten your fingers in craps you will not make a proper throw, the same is true in bowling.

I mentioned pressure already but I need to elaborate a bit on that because the parallel to craps is so strong. When a game, match or money is on the line and you need to make 3 good shots in the tenth frame as the final bowler there is a lot of mental and physical pressure that you come under. Also if you have thrown the first 11 strikes and need one more for the coveted "perfect" game of 300 for 12 strikes in a row, the same thing happens. You want each and every one of those shots to be executed the same way you execute a perfect practice throw in your practice area at home. You need to be able to calm your mind, block out distractions, keep your muscles under control and be able to deliver a controlled shot just as if you were at home in a relaxed environment (or in the case of bowling, as if you were on your home alleys practicing your best throw). In order to do this you need to have some relaxing techniques (meditation, mantra, deep breath in thru the nose and out slowly through the lips, etc.) and thousands of practice throws under your belt, so you can get to that quiet place where you are able to execute your best throw.

I think you can see from this, there a many parallels between a controlled throw in craps to a controlled throw in bowling.

Remember the grip, that is where it all begins.

Doc