There's a lot of bowlers that plant and have balance at the line. So I wouldn't say that being a planter is why you step off.

Erin

Very true. As sad as it is I was trying some empty throws and I think the falling off comes from the desire to rip the cover off the ball. I think I can find a way to make it work(keep balance that is and still have a power game). If it wasn't 0 degrees outside right now I might head to the lanes to work on it a bit. It's so cold right now when you breath in it makes you cough. It can wait a day or two lol

If you learn how to not hit up on the ball and get some balance I think it would be better, overall, for your back. I'm not a doctor but seems to me that the over powering isn't the best way to keep your back in shape. Just don't hurt yourself. A good coach might have to be engaged (I'd go with experience on top of certification), so that they can help you keep your back healthy and keep bowling possibly even better then now.

Erin

Honestly, I think you can get more on the ball, and a stronger back end reaction by actually doing less. Think about snapping a towel. You can't generate all that power at the end of the towel by forcing it. It takes timing, leverage and finess.

But to me, one of the most frustrating things about bowling is how delicate of a balance it is to generate that effortless power. And when things aren't falling into place, you want to help it. And it helps a little right then, but then you get sucked into helping it a little more and a little more, and before you know it, you're a long way from where you were.

When I'm throwing the ball well, I fell like I didn't even touch the ball, but it revs hard and hits like a truck. I've been struggling and I really miss that feeling. It's kind of like crack once you discover it.

The only thing I'm fearful of by not hitting up on the ball is losing my carry and pin action. There are nights where those excessive revs save my butt with tripping out lots of 1 pin leaves. My "style" works in every house I go to as I can average 210-220 with it all be it on a house shot but still that's over 3 different houses. I have no hopes of turning pro but I do have the desire to get better with my physical game that's why I'm asking for help and will follow through on the opinions. I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel but I can see some glaring issues to work on as do you all. I think I can modify what I'm doing enough to let the ball work more and me less plus hold balance. Hopefully Saturday I'll see what I can do.

If I struggle I've located a good coach, one I'd trust. He's got a great bowling resume with honor scores including an 887 series and his style is something I'd model myself after. I'd probably wait for the Summer though the last thing I want to do is hurt my game and my team after just getting back to my normal 650-680 sets. We've been making a push in all my leagues especially Weds. where we are 24-4 in the last 4 weeks.

To be honest, I don't think you have excessive revs. It may sound crazy, but you can get just as many, if not more, by trying to do less to the ball. That doesn't mean that you will do less to the ball.. just that you're not trying to do as much to the ball.



I think you're right.. you're pretty close and you don't have to really reinvent the wheel.



That's a really the best way. It's really hard to fix things on your own and Summer is the best time to work on your game.

Tonight I put your suggestions to work. I came out throwing my normal style to the tune of a 259 but the oil allowed that delivery. Well my line would not hold as I was coming in very high so I ventured left still hitting up on the ball and the splits came. After a few ball changes with poor results by the end of the game I said screw it. Move left, play real deep, deliberate follow through using more fingers than muscle and see what happens with an emphasis on keeping a straigher back. I salvaged a 178 that game not good but could have been worse considering. The next game I played against the ball return and focused on a relaxed swing and trying to maintain a trail leg on or near the floor. I started out with the front 4 but got slow on the 5th shot leaving a split. I never traveled so many boards in my life as I can with this ball(Black Widow). To my surprise the back end is as violent as ever. Instead of blowing pins off the deck it still hit hard and I finished out with a 221 game.

The bad part is I lost the game scratch to a 222 game! I split wood but more importantly I came away with the feeling that line will be good to play when I see the lanes are that dry/transitioned. Also the different technique felt strong, I won't lose all my bad habits over night but I think it will put me back on the path to where I want to be. I bowl tomorrow and Friday I hope to have similar or better results, then I'll see if I can tape some more practice. Either way the information and suggestions have been helpful. They paid off already when I could have easily folded that 3rd game. Thanks again!

Hang tough Mike.

Make your 2 to 1 moves (moving your feet and your target) and you should be able to chase the oil line inside as the lane transisitons.

But any change is hard to implement in league play. So you did great using what you had and what you tried with sucess. If everything were perfect you could have still lost 221 to 222. No dishonor in that.

Good bowling

Erin

Glad to hear you made things work.

I messed with the camcorder some more on Sat. I practiced trying to get low, extending the arm and trying to maintain balance. Scores weren't good but for a change I'm not there to get reps I'm there to work on flaws. The more I use an extended left arm the more balance I feel and power I seem to pick up. I still want to step right after I let go of the ball but at least I can feel what I'm doing wrong. Those two will continue to be things I need and want to work on, getting low or trying to pays me back with pain. I felt some strain when trying and today the area of my back I injured years ago is burning a bit. The leg has a bit of pins and needles, if this was just muscle pain I'd rest it and keep at it. This pain is different so trying to bend more unfortunately is not going to be something I can add to my game.

This video doesn't show much except that I'm not muscling the ball and still moving some boards. I have a 268 game on tape but the angle is off. I was using the extended arm and holding a "pose" after delivery on most shots and it all came together. The problem is the camera settled and the angle is very crooked.

On a side note the quality is compressed for file sharing but you should see the raw footage. Anyone in the market for a good point and shoot camcorder the Panasonic PV-GS300 is worth looking at you won't be disappointed.

Here's a short clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86P5vTJVYgo

Edit: The Big One in the video is after heating the oil out of it seems to work pretty good. Might take a few minutes for the video to become available as I just uploaded it.