Get rid of individual faults only when necessary.



You may have a particular flaw in your game, but if you do the same thing consistently and successfully, do not change. There are bowlers today averaging 200 who do not have a good follow-through, or who have too high a backswing or who possess some other fault. But they have learned to incorporate that flaw into their game so well that they are consistent, and their game might fall apart if they at- tempted to change it. In this regard, I might point out that I am not referring here to those bowlers who are not high average bowlers and are afraid to change, despite the fact that they possess an obvious flaw in their game.

There are several ways in which to increase your speed. You might use any or all of these to succeed. Here they are:

a. Hold the ball higher in your starting position. This will help give you a longer pendulum swing.

b. Use more pushes away when you begin. Push it farther out, if you have been negligent in that phase.

c. Increase your backswing. Perhaps you have been bringing the ball no higher than your waist on the backswing.

Remember that you can bring it back as high as the shoulder without violating the fundamental rule in this regard. Work on more perfect timing. Perfect timing gives you the maximum amount of natural speed. If you have had trouble getting good speed, perhaps you have been coming to a full stop at the foul line before your right arm begins its swing. Perfect timing will increase your speed and is far better for you and for your game than trying to force the ball.

Do you play spares properly?

It's surprising how many veteran bowlers have never learned the right way to play spares. They go on year after year doing the wrong thing, and if told they are doing it wrong, they sometimes reply, "Why, I never play that shot any other way. I can make it from this angle better than from the one you say is correct." The trouble with this sort of argument is that the player has forgotten the number of times he failed to make the spare. He could increase his average several points a game if he really went at his spare shooting scientifically.

There are three specific rules for shooting at any spare. If you follow them faithfully, you cannot fail to better your game, and you will enjoy your game more because of the undeniable thrill of accomplishment. Here are the three rules:

a. Face your target from the correct angle. Square your shoulders to the target.

b. Walk directly toward your target. In the cases of the 7-pin and the 10-pin, this means walking directly toward that pin, which will cause you to go to the foul line at a slight angle.

c. Make sure that you have your right arm following through directly toward your target. Get your right arm out to where you are looking, whether this be a pin or a spot. If you do all three right, you will probably hit the spare dead center. If you do only two of these rights, you may still make the spare because of the diameter of the ball. If you do only one right, probably you will miss the spare. And if you don't do any of these rights, put your ball and shoes away.

Where should your ball roll?

Your ball should roll anywhere below the finger holes to about two inches outside the thumb hole, without rolling over the thumb hole itself. The narrower the "track" on your ball, the more consistently you are rolling it. A ball rolling over the thumb hole sounds lopsided and loses "stuff" every time it goes over the hole. A ball rolls over the thumb hole generally because it has been turned too soon. At the moment of release, the thumb is down. In most such cases, the action of the ball is dead. The majority of topnotch today have what is known as a "three-quarter roll" or a "semi-spinner." The roll of this ball is just outside the thumb hole. This type of ball gives a short-breaking hook that is highly effective and easy to control under varying conditions.

Try to get rid of your faults and try to play your best shots and try to play your spares properly. Those things can makes you to improve your game slowly. You should know when and how to play your pin or a spot. Try to identify the highly effective and easy to control methods under varying conditions.