Week 29 Recap

Game 1: 166
Game 2: 214
Game 3: 192
Series: 572
Week Avg: 190
Season Avg: 191

Summary
 
Coming into the night I planned to just focus on staying behind the ball and hitting my marks. If I could do that, I was confident that everything else would fall into place. I had a hard time getting loose during practice and really didn't get a good shot off before the first game started.

I had a spare and a strike to start the first game, but it was downhill from there. I missed two 2-4-5 combos and a 2-pin. I consistently missed my mark when shooting spares to the left of the headpin; however, I was much more accurate on my first shot. The ball was hooking later than usual, so for the most part I was hitting light. I tried moving back and slowing my ball speed to no avail. I was getting frustrated again, but gained my composure in the ninth frame with a strike. In the tenth I struck and spared to salvage a 166 game. It could have been much worse.

To start the second game I moved one board right on the approach. That was all it took to find the pocket. I fired eight great shots for a four bagger, two 9 count spares and a double. In the ninth frame I hit light and left and converted the 1-2-5. In the tenth frame I left the 2-4-5-8 and again only clipped the 5- and 8-pins. I hate to open in the tenth. I really hate to open on a makable shot. And I despise opening to finish what should have been a great game. I finished with a 214.

The third game started with a double. I made the 2-5-7-8 split and converted a lot of single pin spares. I did miss the 10-pin late in the game, but otherwise I felt pretty comfortable with my strike shots. I started to come in high on the left lane in the seventh frame, but forgot to adjust in the ninth and left the 10-pin both times. I finished with a 192 game and a 572 series.

Lesson Learned

For some reason I create an invisible boundary on the approach and while adjusting to the lanes I subconsciously avoid moving my body beyond that boundary. I think it is because I have not had to play so far right in a while and I am afraid that I will not be able to hit my mark and keep the ball to the right of the headpin. Earlier in the season that boundary was the 25th board, but I realized after struggling for a few weeks that I had to move further right of that spot if I wanted to succeed in the heavy oil. But I never really moved beyond the boundary, I just pushed it to the right to about the 23rd board. I struggled again the first game Thursday night because even though I was making adjustments, the ball would still not come into the pocket. Eventually I realized that I had to move beyond my new boundary if I wanted to have a good shot, and once I moved I was fine. Hopefully this will be the end of my boundary issues and I will not be afraid to go where I am needed to let the ball do its work.