Lessons for the young at heart: a straightforward checklist can help seniors stem the tide of age and continue their successful bowling pursuits

Bowling Digest, Summer, 2004 by Kim Adler

LATELY, I HAVE BEEN GIVING quite a few bowling lessons to the "young at heart" in my local area of central Florida during the women's tour "hiatus." I've noticed some recurring themes among my senior students, which I would like to share with you here, as well as advice on how to make some corrections to improve scorns. Even if you do not fall into the "young at heart" category, read on, because these tips can help bowlers of any age.

WEIGH IN

As we age, we lose some strength. It happens so slowly that we don't notice from day to day because we live with it. It's a smart move, then, to check the weight of your bowling ball.

When a bowling ball is too heavy, you may start forcing your body into some bad habits, such as dropping the ball too quickly into your swing, moving the ball too early or too late, or setting the ball onto the lane too soon. All of these problems are potential pin-takers.

However, they can be alleviated by talking to your ball driller or pro shop operator about buying a new ball. A one-pound shift down in weight may be all you need to be rolling mote regularly.

But don't jump down too drastically in ball weight (two pounds or more). A sudden and significant switch in weight may change your timing for the worse, and that's the last thing you want to have happen.

SCRUB A DUB

When was the last time you cleaned your ball? (Not with a dry towel, but with a cleaner made especially for bowling balls.) Do you have a possible "antique" ball on your hands (25 or more years old)? Do you think the ball polisher cleans your ball?

I am not recommending you go out each year and buy a new ball--certainly not if you're an occasional bowler. But you at least need to stay on top of your ball maintenance and keep up with the latest equipment trends.

Of course, if you have the means and ambition to pick up a new ball every season, feel free to do so. Bowling ball technology is improving more and more quickly, just like everything else (computers and electronics, for example). Bowling ball technology has improved by leaps and bounds in the past five years. If you golf, are you still using wood shafts? I doubt it. So don't sell your bowling short by clinging to an old ball or piece of equipment.

If you have been, it's time for you to enter the 21st century. Visit your pro shop and ask questions. A good ball shouldn't cost you too much money; look at it as a small investment in your recreational happiness. You will be surprised by how much harder your new ball can hit the pins.

Also, a ball polisher may make your ball shine with "wax" (the liquid is really a ball-polishing compound), but the polisher does nothing to actually clean your ball. Like the skin on your face, a ball has poles that get filled with dirt and oil. In essence, by using the ball polisher without cleaning your ball, you are just adding more "makeup" to your ball. It will look prettier, but it really isn't any cleaner.

GRIP AND RIP

Hands change over time. As you age, muscles get stiffer, strength changes, and your hands actually can get smaller. You should check your grip every few years to make sure that what once was a custom fit is still just that. A pro shop professional might be able to simply fill in the holes you currently have in your favorite ball and redrill a new grip. Leave your ball at the pro shop for a few days, and a new, more comfortable grip will await you.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Have you ever had a bowling lesson? Now is the time to think about one. A qualified instructor can treat you with patience and help guide you toward improvement at your pace. It doesn't matter how long you've been bowling--it's never too late to consider new ideas about bow to attack the pins.

Many bowlers think that because they have bowled one way for 30-plus years, their approaches should work just fine now. The problem is, the sport itself hasn't remained the same. I don't know about you, but I'm not eager to apply a time-capsule approach from 1974 to today's game.

If you learned to bowl in, say, the 1960s, it was with the techniques that worked best within the standards of that era. I learned to bowl in the 1970s, but I have thrown out many of the ideas that worked for me then and have adapted new thoughts about my ball roll, approach, steps, and finish that apply to today's lane conditions. Remember, what worked then doesn't work as well on today's lane conditions.

An instructor can clue you into the new techniques that will help you in these areas. For example, rolling the ball directly off my hand straight into the lane was one technique I learned as an early student of the game. I also learned to walk toward my target. Many times this led me to the center of the approach.

Today's lane conditions dictate mostly the opposite techniques. You must project the ball (with your body position and your target) as well as walk straighter (even if you are standing tar right or left).

This type of information is what instructors are paid to offer you. With a lesson, you can turbocharge your game for today's conditions.