Thursday, July 17, 2008

More Silly Bowling

I've had a busy couple of days, including bowling with the kids.  Despite pain in my injured hand (which I treated with ibuprofen) I managed to bowl all three games with the kiddos.  We had a lot of fun!  

If anyone out there knows anything about bowling maybe they can tell me how bad I'm being by delivering the ball 'underhand' (back of hand facing the pins on release.)  I had to bowl that way out of necessity to keep the strain on my strained tendons to a minimum.  I'm sure it's a horrible habit but it felt great and I bowled straight and even got two strikes in a row and picked up some spares.  I think that's the right term, anyway.  

I think as I heal I'll go back to a normal delivery, if there is such a thing.  Pain is a teacher.  In this case it may be a bad teacher, but it's a chance I'm willing to take.  It's simply too enjoyable to participate in this fun sport with my kids.  Besides, I'm so new to bowling (just past the walking up to the line like a little kid and rolling it toward the pins with two hands) that I doubt I'm damaging my future pro career (ha!) bowling this way.  I'll get us a bowling coach sometime soon and learn how not to be pathetic.  In the meantime we have fun picking out names like Pity Me and The Darn Kat and enjoying family time together.

I found a nice YouTube on wikihow today that will help me learn to hook and maybe that release will hurt my hand less.  I know, I know, nothing replaces a real coach.  I wouldn't dream of advising a martial arts student to start out watching videos.  But, since I don't plan on doing this except as recreation, I think it's forgivable in this case.

10 comments:

C. Jane Reid said...

I grew up in a bowling alley, every Friday night. My folks were in a league. My dad was good enough to bowl a competition that aired on TV locally. That was much cool.

I took bowling in college, just for fun. I'm not so great, but I have an average (125--yeah, stellar, I know) and I know how to hold the ball, how to release, where to aim, that sort of thing, and how to keep score once I remember adding up spares and strikes. I know which splits are horrible to get (eek, seven-tens) and remember Tim, the guy on my folks team, who could hit them.

It's been a long time since I bowled in an alley. Lately we play the Wii (where my average is holding steady!).

Good luck with the bowling! It's a lot of fun.

Steve Perry said...

When my mother bowled the league, she rolled the ball that way, and it would curve in reverse (right-handed, the ball comes into the pins one way, but doing it backhanded -- i.e. a "backup ball" -- it usually curves the other way.)

She was a pretty good bowled doing it thus, and nobody considered it "wrong."

Anonymous said...

Hey girl, I haven't bowled much since college...just a few games with the kids and a League for awhile when I was working. :) My average sucks, and I'll never be on the pro tour, but the activity as a family makes it too fun to bother about the 'right' way to handle a ball. If I was that worried about the 'right' way to do things I probably wouldn't participate in ANY sports. (Oh, I don't much, do I? *BG*) Love you, Sondra

Kami said...

Wow, I had no idea I knew so many bowlers and family of bowlers! LOL Thanks for the advice and well wishes. I can't wait to bowl next week!

I might even get the fam our own shoes, though I think it's part of the experience to borrow the shoes that have the bowling alley shoe spray scent.

The Moody Minstrel said...

I have NEVER been able to get the hang of bowling no matter how much I've tried. The bones in my arms, like my legs, are a little crooked, and the wrist joint sits a bit off. That means that, if I hold and release the ball properly, my elbow joint is twisted off center...and if I bend the elbow joint properly my hand is forced to rotate all wrong, making ball control extremely difficult. I bowled a lot in college, but I could count the number of times I broke 100 on my fingers.

I'm not any better now. The PTA at my kids' school always has a bowling tournament. I always score either last or next to last. I f*****g hate bowling...

(I know...I know...it's not the game's fault...)

Kai Jones said...

Heh, I mostly bowl on the Wii right now, but I bowled in college, and I bowl a game or two about once a year with friends.

Kami said...

Sometime us local bowlers should meet at Big Al's and you guys can mock me. Sounds like fun!

Unknown said...

It sounds like fun...I wonder how I'll bowl now that I can't feel my hands :) And bowling's one activity that my teenagers will still do! lol Sondra

Kami said...

Depending on why you can't feel your hands, maybe bowling might help as the fingers build strength and circulation is encouraged. But I'll go out on a limb and say you'll probably bowl like crap, maybe even as bad as me. :D One thing I like about bowling as a family is that I get long breaks between times that I actually bowl. That lets my fingers rest just long enough that I feel okay when I stand up to gutter my next ball.

Unknown said...

oh, gee thanks :D always know who to come to for support ;) You're on...we'll have to set something up for August, July being almost gone.