First time I've ever seen me bowl.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ELFzB6tK6X4

1. I have my arm bent. I can't put it out due to (I think) the way my ball was (I think) incorrectly drilled.

2. This is just bad.



See my first ball thread. This video is from today when I just got my ball. http://www.bowlingcommunity.com/b/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/50283

There are way too many issues to put into this small forum. No offense, but you have a lot going wrong. You don't really have an armswing, It's more like a push. Are your fingers really in the ball? It looked like you were carrying a football, not a bowling ball. Wow, you really need a coach. You need to learn a free armswing. set up facing your target, walk towards your target, push the ball towards your target, follow through to the target. Walk in a straight line to the target. Less moving parts. Less is more. Keep your head still. Swing the ball. Better yet, let the ball swing your arm.

See my ball post. I think I'm going to have to get it redrilled. If I stick my thumb fully in, it becomes a 15 lb Chinese fingertrap, except for the whole hand.

Edit:
In this photo, my hand, fingers, and arm are completely relaxed..

Looks like youre palming the ball in the video ... Were you fitted for that ball by your Pro Shop?

Would agree with smooth stroker, you need to take a step back and think about the entire shot starting with the stance, holding the ball, the approach, the release, the follow through etc theres a lot that goes into bowling, its not just run up to the line and wing the ball.

ball looks fine to me, I wish mine fit that great where I could completely relax my hand.
Was going to say try throwing it with you holding it properly and see if it comes off or not.. but then I realized it would be pointless because you have nothing resembling any sort of actual bowling form.. sorry if that sounds harsh.

No, I agree with no form. That's terrible. The reason I was throwing it that way, was because indeed, I was palming the ball. It's the only way I can get the ball to come cleanly off of my fingers. Anything else sounds like a one of those rubber poppers you find in arcade prize boxes.

THat's exactly what's supposed to happen. If I put my hand in the ball like that and let it hang, it stays on my hand too. If you keep your arm and hand completely relaxed and shake your arm, the ball will wiggle it's way off.

You shouldn't worry about the how the ball stays on your hand in this position anyway because this isn't how you throw the ball.

You need to start from basic. I would agree to get a coach so he can correct any bad habits.

Take a look at your video vs. this video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=u_Ksq0kgKNo

Nothing really wrong with the popping, cept the thumb might me just a tiny tiny amount to tight. Keep in mind that pro shops tend to drill holes to small to begin with, cause its easier to take it out a hair than to magically replace drilled out ball particles.

If it makes you feel any better, this is me a couple of months ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9_e9wU0QLc

I need to get a new vid up soon, cause I've changed so much though.. no more 4 step approach for me

My inner thumb and ring fingernail are on fire after trying this.



At least you have some sort of swing, haha. I'm definitely going to go by the Pro Shop tomorrow to see about this thumb hole.

And since you now have the feel for having your hand in the ball with your arm and hand completely relaxed, That's exactly how relaxed they should be when you swing the ball too.

When you guys are right, you're right. I didn't trust the ball/my grip enough. I just did a full swing in my living room across the floor (haha). There's a slight pop, but it feels great not to clench the ball.

Now my question: Should I still be gripping the ball at the top of my swing as to assure it from flying off of my hand, or does the force only reach the point of popping off of my hand when following through on the roll?

You are trying to throw the ball too much. You need to swing the ball and the swing needs to be from your shoulder. Your arm needs to be fully extended. Your hand needs to be fully in the ball. That means, thumb sunk deep in , fingers only to the crease, no more. And then swing it, don't throw it.

Your current style is what I see most thumbless house ball users do. Which is very inconsistent.

Also your pictures seem to have a too short measurement for your middle finger. Now this could be because you are not putting your thumb in all the way. I dunno. Typical technique is that you put your fingers in first, to the first knuckle, and then the thumb. Make sure you are doing that.

Erin

When you go by the Pro Shop tomorrow, ask them about lessons. Until you get lessons, it may be hard to tell if the ball is fit properly.

You shouldn't have to grip the ball at any point of your swing really. And as Erin said, just let the ball swing on it's own, from your shoulder, and don't try and force it at all. The ball should come off your hand at the right point. Another thing that you can try is to throw the ball onto the couch while you're standing still. When the ball gets to the point where it should release, flex your middle and ring fingers just a little bit, like you're squeezing the trigger of a gun like you're tapping the pads of your fingers against the finger holes. When you do that, the ball should release at that instant.

I wouldn't even worry about trying to get the ball to hook. Just work on getting your swing down. Just letting the ball come off your hand naturally will put some revs on the ball and you are going to be way more consistent.

Good luck and try to get a decent coach that can spend some time with you. You have a lot to work on.

Alright, gents. I took it after work today. I was able to get it off by just letting it swing, but after a while, my thumb started to swell, and it didn't come off at all. I had the Pro Shop widen it twice slightly, and here's what I've got:

Feb 22, 2008
(Sorry for the bad angle. It was in my shoe. I was alone. :()

I've watched it several times. Things I see:
- 7 steps, wtf?
- I slightly go left before throwing.

I'm sure you guys can find more. Hopefully this is actually something to work with compared to my last video.

That looks a lot better, but you're a long long way from just letting it swing. There's still a tremendous amount of muscling going on. Like everyone else, I'd highly recommend a coach. A coach will help you improve much faster than we here could. This site works well when you've got an established game and you're working to correct a flaw or two. You need someone to teach you the fundamentals from the ground up. That's really hard over the Internet.

i've been in the same boat as you, but have jumped ship a bit. my first ball was a bit off drill-wise, so i HAD to hold on to it, my second ball was done by another shop, and fits 100 times better. i put my fingers in first [to the first knuckle], then as a reinforcing reference point, i bend my fingers back slightly to make sure the knuckle can move both ways [i.e. not in the ball too much], then i put my thumb in all the way, at this point, my hand matches the curve of the ball, and i have slight pressure on my finger knuckles, and my finger nails [for me, this equals comfort, and proper hold of the ball], once i get this 'feel', i KNOW the ball isn't going anywhere untill i get thru my swing.

bottom line for me is, if the ball fits well, the comfort level increases to the point where you almost forget you're holding on to it, this in turn lets you get the relaxed arm swing, that's how i feel anyway, and i've also noticed that i don't have to 'crank' the ball on release, just the way the ball comes off my hand gives it the 'rev's' it needs to do it's thing. i'm no pro, just trying to share what is working for me as a fairly new bowler.

I only see 5 steps ... drive with your fourth step pushing off into the slide.

I believe some call that style a spinner and yes you're right, it isn't good... The real problem with it, it isn't consistent and is very hard to reproduce the same ball over and over again.

Honestly, though I doubt it is the ball drilling but rather you having to go back to square one and unlearn everything you've learned...

Ultimately, remember this... You don't throw the ball, you let it fall and the speed comes mostly from your total approach (height of swing, push off, speed of your movement).

Actually, I think the ball is drilled to come off your hand too early. That is if your thumb is in fact all the way in the ball in the latest video. The ball is being thrown down into the lane. It should be projected straight out, parallel to the lane, at the release point, and ideally, it shouldn't be more than an inch or 2 off the lane.

You need to work on getting lower at the line - it will help you have a more consistent finish, which leads to a more consistent release point.

You need to work on trusting the ball - you are trying so hard to make it hook, that you're actually sabotaging yourself. If you stay behind it, your hand will naturally come around the ball a little bit when you release. That's all you need for a very powerful strike ball, and you'll have tons of room on a house shot.

You need to have the ball plugged and drilled to stay on your hand longer. That probably means less reverse pitch. Ask for 1/4 less reverse pitch. You'll probably also need to shorten your span at least 1/8 of an inch to do this. Since I have gone forward with my pitch and shortened my span, my left arm actually gets tired before my right arm. Why? Because my right arms has to do 0 work to hang on to the ball, and in my stance, my left arm holds the weight of the ball. That's what you want to shoot for - no real effort whatsoever in your bowling arm. It will take a while to train your wrist to stay firm with your whole arm loose, but you will get it, and it will be well worth it.

Guys, what are the chances that the guy drilled it to be left handed? Out of curiosity, I switched hands, and it feels AMAZINGLY comfortable. After holding it in my left hand for a while, when I switch back to right hand, it literally feels backwards.

How can I tell?

How about just putting a picture up of the ball with all the holes showing? Its hard to tell with your hand in the ball. For a fingertip span, the thumb hole is normally off center more under the middle finger. By the looks of how your hands are in each pic it looks like its drilled for a right hander as your right hand looks more relaxed and the ring finger is sitting flatter.

2wisted, you can tell if the span is correct by placing your thumb in the ball, and laying your fingers across the holes. The leading edge of the holes should be no farther than 1/2 way between the first and second knuckle of each finger.

I have no way of knowing if your pitches, or the hole sizes are correct.

The thumb should be tight enough to where you don't have to squeeze the thumb to hang onto it and it should also be tight enough so that if you do squeeze the thumb you will hang up in the thumb.

If your thumb is not this tight you can get some white tape and build up the back of the thumb hole and not more than two pieces in the front so that the pitch isn't altered by the tape.

If your thumb is already this tight and you feel like the ball is falling off your thumb you need to go at least 1/4" forward with the thumb pitch. Keep going 1/4" at a time until you hang up in the thumb, then back off 1/8". If you don't want to spend that kind of time and money then start off at 3/8" forward and go from there.

1) Post the pics of the ball without your hand it it.
2) Did he measure your left or right hand for your span?

I went this afternoon and ripped my blisters from last week wide open on the first roll. I took it back to the Pro Shop guy and he remeasured everything. I think he put different finger grips in that are a bit larger, and he opened up the thumb hole a little more. I didn't have a problem the rest of the game. =)

Now I just need to focus on tips from you guys since I don't have to worry about blisters or a sore thumb.

Things I learned today:
- I need to be closer to the foul line before starting my swing.
- I need to start with my right foot.
- I need to get down to the lane more.
- I need to bend over more so that I can raise the ball more to produce ball speed.

Things I (think) have overcome:
- Muscling the ball. I no longer push it down the lane.
- A proper hook. The ball rolls off my fingers instead of my hand turning it over.
- A proper 4-step approach. I feel rushed, but it's way comfortable.
- 'Lofting' the ball. I kind of do this anyway seeing as how I'm not low enough on my release, but I gave it a bit more umph to pick up a spare with a hook. I looked ridiculous because I hopped a bit, but I saw how lofting works.

Where was your blister?

And lofting isn't how you want to release the ball. You want the ball to get on the lane smooth, like an airplane lands and without making a sound if possible.

Watch these guys..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7W26sID7xg

And again, the single best thing you can do to improve your game is to get a coach.