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TV Day
 

Mike Scroggins Chris Loschetter Norm Duke Walter Ray Williams
Game 1 Game 2

Championship

 

It is 7:00 AM and I am pondering what the TV show will look like today. I will be working with Mike Scroggins, this will be Mikes 6th show of his memorable season.

Mike will be paired against Chris Loschetter. At this point I don't know if it is the first or second match on TV. I do know that the pair they will be bowling on will be a pair that nobody has bowled on all week. The PBA curtained off the TV area of the house before the tournament began so nobody has thrown a shot in that area of the house. The pair to pair differences in this house have always been a consideration and we will just have to wait and see what we are up against when we get there.

Being left handed can be a blessing at times but on other occasions, it feels there is nothing you can do. Mike has unique abilities that allows him to see the lane differently than most bowlers. Mike is usually looking for hold while other bowlers are looking for hook. Yes Mike wants to see his ball get through the pins the right way but instead of looking for a window on the lane that he knows will make his ball change directions he is looking for a ball that will allow him to maintain angles that match up to his ball roll.

Mike's ball roll  is considered as a lower rev rate on tour, much like Norm Duke's and Walter Ray Williams Jr.'s are on the other side of the lane.

Mike's lower rev rate is actually an advantage in many circumstances because it permits him to use angles that allow him to see consistent ball motion. If his ball reads a little early it arcs instead of jumps off the friction. If his ball goes a little long his angles are closed down enough that the ball will still end up around the pocket.

A good key to look for when you are watching Mike is his speed control and thumb exit. Those are the two elements of Mike's game that need to be monitored. When he is uncomfortable you will see Mike struggle at the release point. If the thumb does not clear well it will look as if he over rotates the ball at the release. There are swing elements that add to this. Watch Mike's swing plane from the push-a-way to the peak of the back-swing. You will notice it wrapping around his body at times. This can trap and compound issues when his angles and timing are off. If Mike can keep his approach tempo at a comfortable speed he has years of experience with his natural timing but when the conditions warrant a quicker tempo on the approach his swing plane will become an issue.

His opponent Chris Loschetter is making a name for himself on tour. He is as determined a player as I have seen in a while. He is not one dimensional as many young players are that come out on tour. He knows that smooth ball motion is much better than quick or sideways ball motion. I really enjoy watching Chris bowl.

Notice how and when his thumb clears the ball. Most bowlers would consider this as dropping the ball and would try and fix it. But in reality this is a key element to matching up in today's game. Because of this it allows Chris to make ball choices that are not based on defined patterns. If he was looking for or trying to create the strongest sideways motion he could (with whatever ball choice or condition he was on), Chris would notice and struggle with quick and dramatic transitions or breakdown. This is a rarity in young bowlers and is one of the most difficult lessons to learn at an older age.

When Chris struggles it is when he is trying to maximize down lane reaction, his angles are thrown off for his ball roll. Because of the early thumb exit and desire to maximize down lane hook he will often use more angle through the front and middle part of the lane... creating issues with carry and transition. This may not be understood as a problem when bowling on defined patterns but it is a disadvantage to rely on the lane conditions more than matching up to ball roll. It is important that a bowler focus on matching up their ball roll first and choose equipment that balances out the pattern and expected transitions. It is often a matter of priority rating. Too often bowlers are over focused on ball to lane reaction when they should be focused on angles/ball roll/ ball to lane transitions.

 

 

Game 1   Norm Duke vs Walter Ray Williams Jr.    
         
bowler 1       bowler 2
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In practice I was watching the right side and noticed it did not look like the two lanes were going to play identical on the gutter. The left lane struggled to get back until you got far enough right and then it over hooked. This was pretty obvious early in practice and it only seemed to get tighter as they went along.

I was impressed with the way Chris Loschetter was setting up the lane. It wasn't going sideways and he wasn't over concerned about his look. He stayed inside the track and pushed oil straight down the lane. This is very smart strategy on the Viper pattern. Once the pattern gets stretched out you have options in how to attack it.

Walter and Norm looked like they wanted to play further right but it didn't look very good. That wasn't a lot different than it had been all week.

I really expected the end of the pattern to play shorter in the middle of the lane. Since nobody had bowled on the pair all week I expected ball reaction to be a lot stronger at the end of the pattern. When I saw shots inside of 10 push a lot further than expected and Chris stretching the pattern in the track, I was pretty sure the scoring conditions were going to only get better on the right.

In this match I initially thought Walter would have  more hook than he did. But just as it seems to have been much of the season for Walter. He had trouble in the mid-lane. The inconsistency were he needs his ball to read didn't seem to be as big a challenge until he got to TV.

That was very similar to the same issues Mike Scroggins was dealing with.

The ceilings at Taylor lanes are quite high and I don't think the heat from the lights had anything to do with it. They just played tighter.

I didn't get to watch the match but from the practice pair I could hear how the match was playing out. It appeared Walter was struggling and just from listening the pins it didn't seem like either bowler was getting to the pocket very strong.

I was later told that Walter seemed to struggle on the left lane and Norm wasn't liking the right lane.

After a couple frames Walter moved off the gutter. I had seen him do this during the week as well. The match sounded like it was going Norm's way.

By the time I got to a TV I saw Norm had established a comfortable lead of 30 pins through 7 frames.

The first shot I saw Norm throw was fortunate to get the 7 out of a 7-10 hit. And the next one was a 7-10. This gave Walter a slight chance to get back in the match. All he had to do was strike more than I had seen him strike throughout practice or the first game. He needed a four bagger and that wasn't going to be an easy task.

After getting the first one in the ninth, he could strike out in the 10th to force Norm to double on his turn in the 10th.

Things got interesting when Walter got the first one in the 10th but the second one looked questionable off his hand. It looked left the whole way down the lane. I was surprised it only left the four pin.

Norm would only need to mark to win. That is easy to say but considering his last two shots, getting to the pocket he could easily 7-10.

Again Norm just got enough of the pocket to get 9 and nobody has more confidence at picking up spares than Norm Duke. His single pin spare was a signal to the PBA to make another print run of those "41" signs we have seen for a year now.
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Not sure what ball Walter threw as of yet.

 

 

 

Game 2   Chris Loschetter vs Mike Scroggins    
         
Mike Scroggins       Chris Loschetter
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I was very confident in Mike's look going into the match. The two lanes were different and it was Mike's choice on lanes.

Mike chose the left lane because he had such a good look on that lane with the Scorchin Inferno. I don't think he ever missed during practice. He was more concerned about the right lane and after trying the Strike Zone on that lane he had a good look on it as well.

This situation is a lesson in new balls. The Scorchin Inferno was a ball we drilled up for the show. The Strike Zone has been in Mike's arsenal all year.

The philosophy we use is if a new ball gives you something special use it...if it doesn't give you something really special use something you know.

Well the Scorchin was that special on the left lane and it made perfect sense to start with it. Just like the Strike Zone look that good on the right lane.

I walked off the pair very confident that Mike had a good enough look to beat anybody in the building.

I didn't pay that much attention to Chris's look at that time as I was only focused on Mike's.

The new ball lesson goes further. After doing nothing but striking on the left lane with the Scorchin Mikes starts his game with a 6 pin spare on the left lane. He told me he knew he had missed in on the shot and wasn't too worried about it. But when he thought he threw it good on the shot in the third and it washed out. He had to make a decision on what to do. His choice which was the right one was to use a ball he knew.

Does that mean the Scorchin was the wrong ball? No It means Mike was confused and you don't want to add to the confusion...use something you know.

Personally I think it was related to the tendencies Mike has with his physical game that I discussed with you before the match. You could see the ball was not reving off his hand like it should have been.

Back in the day when we were allowed to actually sit behind the bowler and really watch the match I could tell you better. But it isn't fair to you or Mike to make that judgment from afar.

The next lesson is a mental one.

Getting yourself in the right frame of mind is the most important issue of bowling on the TV show. Some bowlers tend to over focus on lane conditions and ball reaction and when it is all said and done they mask the real issue.

You can win with the wrong ball, your chances of winning with the wrong frame of mind is almost impossible.

Every TV show offers a different challenge and a bowler can talk himself into almost any frame of mind.

Professional bowlers have mental characteristics that separate them from other bowlers. The most important development of a player is how they prepare themselves mentally.

Some may have it naturally but in most cases it is a learned lesson.

This lesson is the most important lesson of all.

Mike has improved at this tremendously and his progress is obvious. In dealing with Mike I try to focus more on his mental preparation than anything else.

If you watched this match from the same perspective I did you might have seen that Mike could have been stronger today. That is not a cut but mentally I think I, we, he, could have been better prepared.

You can really see the difference when you are there during the week. Mike had to work very hard with each round of match-play as the lanes played different for him each round. But you can see a mental difference in the way he approaches the TV show and the match-play rounds.

He has experienced frustration with his most recent TV appearances and the fact is the conditions on TV are effecting his mental game.

Chris Loschetter is a tremendous talent that I have always been impressed with. I think he handles the mental aspect of the game very well. That is not to say he doesn't have things to learn but he is far advanced when compared to others mentally.
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Game 3   Norm Duke vs Chris Loschetter    
         
Norm Duke       Chris Loschetter
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 The thing I will take from this match is Chris Loschetter's improvement.

Immediately after the match Chris and I spoke and I was so impressed that his focus was in the right direction. He told me his goal was to bowl well.

What he talked to me about was that he was understanding some of the things we talked about in Albany and that he was seeing it much better.

This was just after he lost on TV. He wasn't upset he was realistic. He is improving because his focus is on improving not the results. And as long as his focus is in that direction I expect you to see him improve as well.

Let the results take care of themselves, because anything can happen in a one game match but the percentages will always be better when you just try to bowl well and not be overly concerned about the outcome.

Just get better....You did Chris.

Norm is a master at getting himself in what ever he thinks is the right frame of mind. I love to listen to his self conversations.

When he prepares himself correctly his natural talents, knowledge and experience comes out.

There is no short cut in preparation, skill, experience and knowledge. But you to have the ability to sort through all the confusion and keep it simple.

Norm is the best on tour in believing in his decisions right or wrong.

That is a must as a professional bowler.

Norm your attitude, your passion, and your professionalism is only surpassed by your talent.

You are a real pleasure to watch.
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