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 George Freeman's Expert Bowling Tips
Put Down That Ball 10/23/2000 - By George Freeman
First off, I would like to add something to last week's tip that really should have gone in there. Last week, I discussed the effect of losing or gaining weight had on muscle memory. Gary Fakuda pointed out that working out itself, which produces extra muscles, can have just as much an effect on muscle memory as losing or gaining weight. In fact, given that as muscle builds, the flexibility of those muscles decreases, the effect on muscle memory is even greater, because the range of motion will decrease, thus not allowing the full motion of something like throwing a bowling ball down a lane. So, it is important if you are choosing to work out to gain muscle, that you do the proper stretching before and AFTER exercising. This will help give you back at least some of the flexibility in your muscles. Thanks to Gary for keeping me straight on that.
Now, for this week's tip. As usual I'm going to draw on my own experiences, or rather my mistakes, LOL, to point out something else many bowlers tend to do. Many bowlers have more than one piece of equipment in their arsenal. Many times there will be one particular piece of equipment that a bowler will like better than the others for whatever reason. This ball will work very well on many types of conditions that that bowler sees. But what if it just isn't working? Sometimes, even on house conditions that are the same week after week after week, conditions may not favor that ball to be used. It is important to recognize when to put your favorite ball away and go with something that matches the condition better. If you are having considerable trouble with the lanes, and you are doing everything you can, sometimes a ball change is a good thing because it gives you a whole new read of the way the lanes are reacting. Many times the effect is purely psychological, you just "feel" different throwing the new ball, rather being in the rut with the one that is not working. Sometimes that new feeling is enough to instill new confidence and better shot making.
I know I've kept with balls too long on the lane, and ended up switching too late. Knowing that if I had switched earlier I'd have had a better squad or set. It can happen to anybody. So, next time you are in a rut and can't seem to find a way out, try a new ball out of the arsenal. It could give you the edge.
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