Consistency, staying within himself, keeping the weight of the ball on the index finger.
These are three items of his game that 21-year-old Plain Township right-hander Branden Ball has worked on as he transitioned from high school to adult bowling.
“I’ve been slowing down, making sure my backswing is not incredibly high like it used to be in high school,” said the Jerzees-Green employee who bowled at GlenOak High School. “I really focused on my setup, keeping the weight of the ball on my right index finger and keeping my push-away straighter, not getting my backswing all discombobulated.
“Keeping everything straight, smooth, with a flow to it.”
It was those mechanical changes that helped Ball shooting his second career 800, an 813, in the Mustang Leasing league at Eastbury Bowling Center. He finished with games of 258, 288 and 267. He owns four 300 games, with his previous 800 coming last April also at Eastbury.
“I’m just more consistent on my strike ball, and my spare game has improved immensely the past couple of seasons,” Ball said. “I usually miss one or two spares, but I rarely miss single-pin spares like I used to.
“It comes down to hitting the same shot every time and keeping the same revolutions and consistent ball speed. That’s one thing I could improve on to strike more.”
Ball started Game 1 with a light swisher shot that carried. After that he left two 10-pins (“flat ones,” Ball added) and a blowout 7-pin that didn’t carry.
“(Matt) Coffelt was joking with me to go to urethane,” said Ball, who threw the Storm Phaze 4. “I decided to make a move and hope for the best.”
He then struck into the 10th frame.
Game 2 was more of the same, after Ball left another 10-pin in the opening frame. This time, he struck into the 10th frame before an 8-count on his final ball.
His quest for 800 became a little scary during the middle frames of Game 3.
“I started off with the first five, then stoned a 9-pin and left left another flat 10-pin,” said Ball, who bowls in two leagues, including the Northeast Ohio Traveling League.
“After the 9-pin, I knew I could still strike, spare, sheet for 250s and get (800). But after the back-to-back with the 10-pin, it was either strike or get to the 240s and shoot 790s, and that sucks. I was a little nervous at that point.”
Instead, he went off the sheet for 267 to complete his milestone quest.
With the changes he has made, Ball can see the improvement in his game.
“For the most part, I’ve been throwing the ball really well. I haven’t carried to the point of getting the scores I would like, but I feel I’m throwing it a lot better and more consistently,” said Ball, who averages 218 in travel league and 225 at Eastbury.
“It’s just a matter of knocking down 10 pins at this point.”
But, he admits, his game remains a work in progress.
“I’m still not even close,” Ball added, “to where I want to be.”