This video is where I am opening up at the backswing... I'm trying to figure out how to fix that. If anyone knows of any drills I can do... I'm hoping that by fixing the backswing I can work on staying through the ball a little more on the release.


Another, better angle.


Close up.

I don't think the opening of the hand is what's leading to the inaccuracy, but rather the swinging behind the back.

Yikes, my elbow hurts just watching that. But seriously, it looks like it works for you. Even with the open arm, it looks like you get the ball in a good position at the line. What's happening that you don't like? If you just want more hand in it... just keep your wrist in the strong position a tad longer til the ball goes past your ankle. That's a minor tweak.

If you do want to eliminate that open swing, you're probably going to have to deconstruct your armswing. It looks to me like you've been bowling like that for a while. My suggestion would be to walk up to the line, put your slide foot in position, and swing the ball while watching your arm. You will have to actually look at it to make sure it is doing what you want, because as soon as you don't, it will revert back. Arms are silly that way. I think that you will have to do this a number of times before you can reprogram that muscle memory.

i've seen some people do 'something' like that.

I don't think it's a bad thing if you do it subconsciously (=the same).

I do it as well and bowl better doing it. I've tried not opening up, but I just screw up my timing.

Maybe working on a free swing & timing would help with Wrapping behind your back.

And yeah... "that elbow man" !
It hurts me too - just by watching.

Try the 5 step drill by Slowinksi

http://bowlingknowledge.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=16&Itemid=50

I'm not sure what you mean by the elbow. Most of the motion I sense is in my wrist... I haven't felt anything in the elbow.

Mainly I'm trying to stop the backswing opening up (perhaps it'll help if I work on the straight free armswing too) because the entire time on the downswing, it looks and feels like my hand is trying to catch up. What this is doing is making me release on the side of the ball, rather than through it. I'm hoping that then I can work with various hand positions, rather than being locked into just through the side of the ball.

Currently I average 204, designated tweener style, but I'm unsure of my rev rate or ball speed.

Well, your elbow is open during the entire swing, then when it's time to release the ball, everything has to rotate... wrist and elbow. Glad it's not hurting your arm... I have to think that it may at some point down the road.

When you open up that far with your entire arm, there are a lot more moving parts. You CAN come straight through the ball with that swing at the release point, it would be a matter of limiting the rotation of the arm/wrist at the bottom of the swing. But, being that there is so much movement/rotation in that swing anyway because of the extreme open position, it's going to very hard to stop the rotation of your arm/wrist at the precise time. It's not so much that your arm is trying to catch up, it's that there is momentum involved from the ball coming down, and the fact that your entire arm is rotating around it. (I would think that the only reason to open up like that would be if you wanted a lot of side roll). Try it standing still with the ball hanging on your arm. Open up your arm, and once the ball comes down, and your start coming around with the elbow and wrist, you should feel that your arm just wants to continue with that motion. I doubt that any human arm could be strong enough, or have the timing to stop that rotation with the fingers at 6:00 every time.

If you want options for the release, I think you will need to straighten out that swing. Like I said, if you want to do that, it may be like starting over... muscle memory is a bear to change... but it can be done.