hitting your mark?

[Ray1010]

y is it that on some days you can hit your mark just fine but on other you cant?

[hbhammerhead]

because you're human and no human is perfect. everyone has a bad day every now and then. it's your ability to get past the bad day that makes you a winner. usually when i have a bad day it's because i'm not focusing as much as i should be. other reasons might be i'm not making the right adjustments according to lane conditions. hang in there and just keep your mind positive and most importantly enjoy yourself.

[Sin City Hammer]

Sometimes it's because I will turn my wrist at the last second that causes me to miss my mark, and after it happens a few times would start to effect my game because I would let it get to me.

Once that happens then all bets are off because with my BWS or BWP I had to start with the 10 board and eventually stick with the 12 board in order to hit the pocket consistantly, and if I turned my wrist I would get the 7 pin instead.

[madden05ds]

Yeah, i have the same problem. My hands sometimes swell, or i try to grab the ball harder, and that causes me to consistently miss my mark. Getting frustrated also makes you miss your mark.

[blistershurt]

some days you take your time, and use your whole pre-shot routine that makes you comfortable, and ready to just throw like you know how to and follow through with the results.


Most of the time when I miss my mark its because I didnt follow my pre-shot routine...I usually grab my ball, wipe it off with a towel, put the ball in my left hand(holding onto it for now), put my hand over the air drier (sometimes I'll use a rasin ball if I'm sweating alot), get up on the lane after checking both sides and making sure I'm clear, then I'll position my feet at the right place, and finally I'll put my hand into the ball and usually I'll fidget a few times to make sure I have a good grip with my fingers (otherwise someone in the back gets hit with a ball, no fun) and then start my push away.

[uberamd]

We are all human. Look at golf, Tiger Woods is an amazing golfer, but even he has those days where he completely blows it.

[bluerrpilot]

you might want to read this

http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip46_files/tip46.htm

[Rowdy]

How big is the mark and how far out on the lane is it? I've helped more than a few guys with this complaint and it always seems like their shooting at a mark thats either way too small or way too far out on the lane. I aim at a mark thats two boards wide and try to hit the line down the middle. That leaves me a board to be off on either side. The mark is also a foot to a foot and a half out on the lane. You can hit something THAT close,right? Plus it gives the ball more time to read the lane. If you need to loft the ball some,throw it OVER the mark,but still keep it close.

[BowlingRay]

That's one of m biggest problems...hitting my mark. I'm working on it though. After reading this thread and posted link I think I am focusing too hard on hitting my mark and not relaxing. I have noticed that when I don't stare at and focus on my mark I make better shots that are on the mark! It gets very frustrating as I thought the more you focus and concentrate on my mark I would hit it, but it hasn't been happenning like that.

[Rowdy]

There comes a time when you have to shut off your mind and trust your swing. There's an old saying in baseball that applies here: Stop thinking so much,you're hurting the team.

[jackhammer]

Most of the time you are hurrying your footwork. Once your footwork is off your whole game is off.

when you're not in snyc the following will happen. you'll find you drop your shoulder, try to overpower the ball and miss your mark, drop your head( believe it or not it makes a difference), come over the top of your ball, etc.

a good word of advice try to do some perfect practice. Treat your practice as though it was a league/tournament. Don't worry about your score and bowl against the pins. Concentrate on the basics because they work.

Remember to have fun!!!:D ;)

[jackhammer]

one thing that I do is a shot routine.

I wipe off my ball, dry my hands, clear my head and picture my shot, take a deep breath and tell myself that i'll make this spare/strike.

works for me

[Stampy79]

Well, I aim at a mark roughly 35 to 40 feet down the lane. Also known as the break point. But that is not my target when I let go of the ball. I use the DOTS and the boards around them about 5 to 6 feet out on the lane. I line my breakpoint up with whatever dot I need and draw a line between them and go. This helps keep my armswing very free and keeps my attention span where I need it. Close to me. When you look way down the lane, you are then able to see your surroundings. Then concentration comes into play even more. When I look close, its less likely that I will be distracted even on days when my concentration isnt at its best. Just something I learned from Ron Clifton and it has helped my game.

[mr_kennedy]

in my case i tend to drift abit which is not good

but most of the time its patchy lanes

[acvar]

The two biggest reasons most people miss their mark are:

1. Bad timing. As somebody else mentioned you may have quick feet, although quick feet are less likely to cause you to miss your mark then a fast armswing. With late timing you can still consistantly hit your mark, but with early timing it is nearly impossible to consistantly hit a mark. As long as your timing is consistant, and not early you should be fine.

2. Muscling the swing. This usually happens right at the bottom of the swing because you are trying to rev it up, your ball is late and you are trying to bring it back in time (quick feet), or you are trying to get more ball speed.

You can bowl very well with fast feat as long as you do not muscle the ball to compensate, and you just let the ball be late, but most don't have that kind of trust. Losing a bit of power because your ball is late is better then muscling it and missing your mark.