Bowling Notes

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 6/3/2013; Updated: 6/15/2021

OK, you have heard them all - all of the routine bowling tips about practice suggestions when trying to improve your game. But have you ever considered taking bowling notes?


 You have learned that you must work on your physical game fundamentals in practice or with a coach. You know it is a good idea to understand the differences in each of your various bowling balls.
Maybe you have read tips about playing both house conditions and challenging tournament lane conditions.
By documenting a few notes during your practice, like in a journal or bowling diary, you can recap elements of your game during practices and make reminders about things you must work on in future practices.
By taking a few notes after you complete your league sessions, you can record differences in how each lane reacts on your pair. We all understand that no two lanes play identically so documenting differences in your ball reaction might end up helping you the next time to compete on the same pair of lanes.


 It is also a good idea to record the ball reaction you get from each bowling ball used in a given session of competition. You can make notes reminding yourself to alter the surface texture of a given ball in a certain way to improve your ball reaction next time you bowl.


 If you are changing pairs in a tournament, making a few simple notes after each game about where you ended up playing each lane can be useful if you return to that pair later in the same tournament or at a future time in another event.
Making notes about pairs of lanes when you change bowling centers across your city can also become useful so you do not have to remember how you played the lanes weeks later when returning to the given center or to the given pairs of lanes.
Avoid getting too carried away with recording excessive information, rather just denote “bullet points” with a couple of words or a phrase, so you know what you were thinking next time you refer to your journal or notebook.
If you do not like to work too hard on your game, taking a few notes can be helpful the next time you bowl.
Let’s be honest, you good bowlers across the country are certainly capable of maintaining a decent average with very little practice on most lane conditions. So you may be lax on practice time or perhaps seldom practice.

If you elect to compete in a tournament with prizes available for the top finishers, you will want to sharpen your game before competing. By having a few notes for reference purposes, you might save time and get right to the keys of your game.
Coaches suggest you prepare your own practice checklist containing an outline of the components of your game and working on them in a disciplined manner. Taking notes is an extension of this checklist. The power is in the pen.
It has been written that writing crystallizes thought and thought motivates action. Make a few notes, organize your practice routine, and recap your competitive sessions. It may surprise you just how much useful information you have relating to your game, if you take time to record what you know works for your game.