Q. I had a very bad time in league the first couple of weeks of the season. Then we had a tournament on the weekend. I was even worse than during league. I am sure it was due to not being in a good frame of mind after the bad start. How do the pro's and better bowlers keep their mental attitude positive from week to week?

A. To be a great player or a very good player you have to have AMNESIA. If you struggle one game or one night or even one week you need to lose your memory. Forget it as if it didn't happen. This is not to say if you are lined up wrong you don't change to another line. But if you are close and you know it then maybe it just wasn't your time. Wipe it from the memory bank and go on to the next game or series. Letting a bad night eat at you is the major reason bowlers go into slumps. Most slumps are mental not physical. You know how to bowl, hit your mark and make your spares and let your natural game take back over.

Q.   I'm trying to determine a relationship between core type and reaction. Can you clarify this for me?

A. There are 3 core types on the market. The main two are the symmetrical and asymmetrical. What you get with the symmetrical is a more controllable skid, hook and roll. The asymmetrical core causes more skid flip. It tends to react stronger when it encounters the dry area of the lane. The 3rd is the old pancake weight block there isn't many of these on the market today except in spare balls. There are a few with reactive cover-stock they are usually in the lowest price class. They tend to go longer and snap hard. In today's game the first two are the most relevant. As for what's best for you ask your pro shop operator to watch you and determine what would be best for your game.

Q.   How many different combination of spares are there if you could not knock down all the pins on your first shot?

A. There are 1023 possible spare combinations. Now many of these would be unusual but you can see why it is a must to develop a good spare shooting system. If you don't have one ask a coach or a pro shop operator if they can help you with a spare shooting system.

To ask a question write askbob@clearwire.net I answer every question by email.