PBA Experience (summer 2008)

[McCallum]

ok ladies / gents!!

i have 5 weeks till the start of this league and would greatly appreciate any and all advice on shot selection etc.. regarding the PBA patterns.

i can throw a crank shot and a tweener with equal consistency. getting very excited.

and do they tell you which pattern is out each week or is that part of the learning curve - we get to figure it out?

[BigDawg70]

The few times I've bowled on those patterns it seemed the best results were from "rollier" layouts. What I mean by rollier is balls with a lot of midlane. Something you can control and that won't make a huge move on the back.

[jhays]

I totally agree - midlane forward roll is best for most patterns - PBA.COM has the pattern layouts graphed with objectives for shooting on them. I have been studying them for 3 weeks now, as my PVA experience starts in 2 weeks. Monday's are the night I will be on suicide watch. BUT - I'm looking forward to it it will be the first chance you can shoot a 190 and look around to see how many people you beat, rather than shooting a 268 and seeing which 5 people beat you for jackpot.

[McCallum]

well said. and thats the difference i am looking for.

[McCallum]

hey hey look what i found!!

http://www.bowl.com/sportbowling/articleView.aspx?f=12&i=12807

[joebud]

I'm looking forward to it. It will be the first chance you can shoot a 190 and look around to see how many people you beat, rather than shooting a 268 and seeing which 5 people beat you for jackpot.

yes sir i can relate to this

[McCallum]

Well week one is in the bag!! i didnt do so well cept the nerves (first practice shot slipped right onto the 'ole tail bone...can you say FOUL light) dont know why i was so nervous but got most out by the end of the first game. Was somewhat disappointed though as 80% of the bowlers are just there cause its a good night to bowl. Was really hoping to see more serious folks but there are a few so i still should be able to learn which after all is what is all about.

Weeks 1-4 are going to run on Cheetah.

I opened with a foot position of 10L (of center) throwing out over the 15-17 with a break point on the 3-5 board. I was using my BreakPrearl which has a 3.5" pin and a VAL of 20% so was hoping to rip the backends. Will probably work as a good line when not nervous. Pulled 3 easy single pin spares and lobbed one in the gutter to finish with a whopping 161.

Second game i settled in a bit more switched balls to my WidowBite also with a 3.5" pin with a weaker drilling. Moved feet to 5L and a target of 5-7. Excellent adjustment. As long as i didnt go outside the 5 i was good. Launches to the 2-4 the ball didnt have enough time to get back. Its true what they say about these patterns- Accuracy is crucial. only 2 opens finishing with a 200.

Third game stayed on same line however had a problem getting my speed right first couple frames. Opened 1, 2, 3 which was frustrating. pulled it all back together and finished clean for a 178.

All things considered a 180 average for first time out on a PBA shot. 8 opens sure took a toll. Looking forward to next week.

[jhays]

Congrats on Week1 and yes a 180 is very nice for any PBA shot, and don't look into Cheetah as the highest scoring pattern on the tour - lol. No pun intended there.

Just stick in there, and you'll learn a lot, accuracy here will make you tear up the house shots and give you advantages to tourney shots.

My PBA leagues got pushed until June 2, so I'm revisiting my arsenal bag - I went to a different pro shop last week and wow, was I impressed. When I asked them what do I need with what I got, they laughed. We have to see you bowl, measure your circumference, pitches, release points, revolutions before we can tell you what you need.

I'm scheduled to go back next Tuesday to go through the whole ordeal - this should be fun and interesting. I stood there and listened to 2 of the guys for almost an hour on issues, adjustments and ideas on questions I asked them.

[McCallum]

week 2

Week two.... what a difference.

Took some excellent notes and dam did i get a lesson in PBA breakdown. I am thinking this is really gonna be a fun time after all.

Game One. Checking my notebook from Week one I had my Global900 BreakPearl and BlackWidow Bite ready to go. Opened with the Pearl standing 10left of center and rolling over the 15 (that was my target) with the ball breaking out on the 5. 9 strikes. i threw one really bad shot out over the 12 that broke too early and left a nasty split through the heads. Probably the most consistent game i have ever thrown. i Nailed my mark + 3 boards 10 of 12 shots. finished with a 224

Game Two. If it works dont fix it! Same ball and line opened with Strike, Spare, Four bagger- then the breakdown started to come into play. Moved my target inside to the 18-20 clicked my heels and finished with a 201.

Game Three. WTF? best describes my frustration. EVERYTHING ive read says on the cheetah pattern rev rates over 350 need to move in so thats what i did. a near perfect NO-TAP game. lol just could not carry leaving 9's, 4's and 10's. sloppy 161

586 series which brings the average up 6 pins so happy but had to figure out what i did wrong. So i stopped in to see my Drill man! As a regional Tour member and he knows my game I sat with him and explained what happened and then got hit with the deer-in the headlight question. "Where did you move your feet?" DOH. It seems what i did by only adjusting my target was create a very high entry angle to the pocket. He was kind enough to explain that i needed to move my line, feet- target and break point together. AHHHHHHH

On the up side i get to Sub on his PBA league next week and they are also shooting Cheetah. The difference there.... like 8 Regional PROS in that league. Gonna go out and watch a Regional event this weekend. They are shooting on Scorpion. - cheers!!

[stickybowler]

Congratulations on your scores. Sounds like you are doing very well with the patterns. I bowled some sweepers on PBA patterns. I averaged a 228 on the cheetah pattern. I use my Total NV with the long and strong layout (pin 1in. above the center of the finger holes and the mas bias kicked out 2in.) I keep my speed right around 17mph. I have a very high rev rate but was able to play straight down 5 on synthetic lanes. When the lanes transtioned, I moved made a parallel move left and started playing down 4. Once the lanes broke down, I moved left and started standing on 8 and using 5 as my break point. I hope that any or all of this will be useful information to you. Oh!, one more thing you really need to pay attention to is how other people play the pattern. Be mindful of how they push the oil.

[McCallum]

thanks for the tip. i didnt think of trying a line that far outside i might has to see what that does. i ordered a ball yesterday im gonna drill up without finger inserts to help curb some of the revs which should give me another option! lol yeah..i am offically an addict

[stickybowler]

Let me know how it works out for you. Good luck!

[banjoec]

I'm finding the PBA patterns don't always play according to textbook. This last week on the Shark, I waisted 2 games trying to get a reaction playing the inside line. I could get to the pocket, but the hits were weak and never carried. In game three I shot a 217 playing straight down and in from 5-7 board. Not your typical approach to the shark where outside of 10 board is usually out of bounds. Next time in practice I'll take my benchmark ball and throw over every arrow, before deciding on what line I'd like to play.