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How
to Use Your Warm Up to Your
Advantage
It
would seem such a simple task during
your warm up session.
 You
are trying to get your body warmed
up for your game.
You know how the first
ball or two thrown will be to
physically condition your body for
bowling. But, most bowlers
miss the opportunity to gain helpful
insights as they warm up.
Instead of just warming up, you may
want to consider using this time to
enable yourself more productively.
Consider this as your opportunity to
learn how the lanes are reacting.
Learn how to use each ball thrown to
your advantage. Now you can
warm up physically, and gain
insights how you will enter your
competition, both at the same time.
Because you are committed to
identify how to enhance your
bowling, you should take advantage
of an early set of ideas how to warm
up as you prepare to bowl, and how
to elean tips that help zero in on
reading the lanes even before you
begin bowling.
 Here
are some items you may want to
consider.
First Practice Ball
Let's
take that first ball delivery, and
gain two tips with one ball. Use
your favorite aggressive ball you
normally select for your strike
shot.
The
first warm up ball is usually the
weakest. Your roll is simple
and relatively slow. After
all, the primary purpose of a warm
up ball is to "warm up" the body.
You will add one additional task:
line up to bowl the opposite corner
pin. You don't actually
care if you actually hit it.
In fact, you don't care if the
corner pin is there or not.
You are not bowling for score, but
for information you will use later.
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Watch the
Ball
By
carefully watching how the ball
skids, hooks and rolls, you gain
insight as to how much lane
conditioner is in the center area of
the lane.
If your ball skids
more or less than you would normally
expect, and you make note of whether
the lanes are normal, oily or dry.
Knowing your first ball delivery is
not yet at full speed, you know
whether you will have to adjust your
alignment to compensate for the lane
conditions.
Where is
the Breakpoint
In addition to
learning how much oil is in
the center of the lane, you can
identify how far down the lane the
ball transitions from skid to hook,
and you gain knowledge of the length
of the oil pattern.
Second
Practice Ball
Having gained your first two tips on the lane
conditions, your second ball delivery is very
similar to the first.
Again, you
will use
your favorite ball you normally use, and line up
once again at the same corner pin. The only
difference is, you now know where the ball is going
to turn, and you know what ball reaction to expect.
Again, as during your first practice ball, you don't
care whether the pin is there or not. Your
primary objective is to gain information you can use
during your bowling session.
Armed with this information, you should deliver your
ball to hit the corner pin. The second
practice ball is meant primarily to gain insight as
to bowling the opposite corner pin accurately.
Whether you hit or
miss making your opposite corner pin shot, you
should make a mental note of any adjustment you may
want to consider during your bowling session.
Third Practice
Shot
You now know the how the
lanes are conditioned, and you have adjusted for the
opposite side corner pin. For your third
practice shot, your ball delivery will be across the
lane on the ball side corner pin.
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If you observe the ball
skid too far and fall off into the channel, make
another mental note for your ball side corner pin
AND your strike shot as well.
A ball-side adjustment, if
necessary, can align both your corner and put you in
the pocket for the strike you are planning for.
Fourth Practice Ball
If you are
fortunate enough to get four or more practice balls,
by
this time, you should be warmed up and ready for
bowling. It is
time to zero in on your strike strategy.
By
now you have a pretty good idea of the lane
conditions, and accuracy adjustments noted earlier.
Any future
practice balls should focus on relaxing, ball
selection adjustments for matching lane conditions,
and speed adjustments that may enhance your game
strategy.
Putting it together
Planning how to use your warm up practice is a wise
move. You have physically conditioned
yourself, and gathered mental notes that enhance
your comfort and bowling. This advantage may
prove to be the difference in how early during your
game you are able to adjust effectively.
Making early and effective decisions are key to
scoring well. The more information gathered
early, the more your bowling skills can be enjoyed.
Use All the Tools
Available
It is a reasonable
expectation to focus on your warm up practice shots.
The tip most often missed is to watch others.
Each delivery provides valuable information you can
put into your decision making.
Most bowlers
simply throw strikes as their "practice shot".
You can read the results of each shot just as you
would if it were your own. In essence, these bowlers
provide you with
another visual picture of the lane conditions. |
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