A bowling machine is not a bowler, so you have to practice with one differently. There are two ways to get the most from a bowling machine session.

First, use it's accuracy to drill a specific shot.

This is the one most people use it for: It will put the ball in the same place either straight, or with spin or swing. It's great to form good "muscle memory" habits with a certain shot. You can't replicate it in the same way with throwdown or drop feeds, and bowler's can't - and won't - feed you bad balls.

The "4 Angles" system uses this way perfectly.

However, the second use is less well known.

Overload training.

Here you can use the bowling machine to be more challenging than a game situation. The benefit is you will find "real life" easier if you go beyond it in training. You might call this training up.

Want some examples?

• The Chanderpaul Manipulation Drill
• The Lifeline Drill

Once you get creative you can come up with your own: balls spinning and bouncing far beyond normal, for example.

You can also try shots with a traditionally higher failure rate on a machine: Pull shots and sweeping can be tough against a machine, but if you try it an go from hitting one in 10 to 5 in ten against a robot, imagine how good you will be against a real bowler.

With overload training, failure rate is high. That's the point: early failure leads to later success so don't hide from it.

Instead, use the machine sparingly and with the right kind of drill and you will see improvement.