What I learned about The Season Brawl

We finally got to see our first Season Brawl and took apart the format – in a good way, because I liked it. NOW, the question becomes…what are the best tips to getting up the chart? Here’s some things that I noticed – and you may have noticed too…

1. Do you prefer match play or top 8? I say this because if you start with an even 8 or 16 you will get a randomly drawn opponent and you must beat them in a normal 3 game match to advance. If you get an odd number, you get a tournament-style draw with the top teams making the cut, regardless of who you are sharing the lanes with. So…if you don’t want a random team to determine your day, you want to go for a quadrant that’s not completely filled (though if everything sells out, you’re not going to have much say in the matter)
2. In qualifiers, Wood means everything: it goes without saying but…GET THE WOOD! If you’re in the first round and it’s a full match-up, then you know those ten points for overall wood could be the difference between advancing and going to Hef’s to drown out your sorrows in steamers.
3. In the playoffs, Wood means nothing. Unless you’re crazy enough to tie a game: The playoffs are best of 3. If you win two of the pairs, it doesn’t matter about the third pair or the wood. Of course, if you have a tie, then wood comes into play, so don’t tie. Which leads to this…
4. You must have 6 strong handicap bowlers. Regardless of how badly your scratch team pounds your opponents into the ground, it means nothing if both of your handicap squads come up empty. One of your handicap teams MUST win their game, so make sure at least some of your firepower is allocated into the handicap squads.
5. That being said, having a good scratch team won’t hurt: No, I’m not being hypocritical – you can ride your handicap teams to the win. That being said, if your scratch team wins their match, then only one handicap pair needs to win and not have to sweep.
6. There’s no game 2; Communication is key. It’s one game and out the door if you lose, so make sure everyone is communicating and showing people how to adjust.
7. Get LOUD. Finally, this IS the UBA. If there’s no one there to support you, that means you have to support yourself and your team. Volume is all-important and if you can rattle your opponent…well, all’s fair in love and bowling.

Hope this helps you with your strategy, and good luck in the brawls.