Are there any tips for a bigger person who likes to bowl..as far as how to not feel like I'm "throwing" the ball more than rolling the ball. It's harder for me to get as low as I see most bowlers when they release and sometimes I end up chucking the ball down the lane a bit and it make me cringe. Any advice appreciated...

What you are describing is called loft. And loft, when incorporated correctly, isn't necessarily a bad thing. If it works for you, don't worry. A recent aggravation of an old back injury has me using about 5' of loft.

Most of the larger guys on tour, Walter Ray, Wes Mallot, and Mika Koivuniemi to name just a few do their best to stay in shape and watch their diets to help with the leg work it takes for them to bowl well.

There are advantages for being tall, extra leverage from longer limbs, but there are also disadvantages like throwing the ball slower when needed, and getting lower at the foul line when needed.

Do you suffer from joint pain at all?

Well I didn't clarify enough I'm not larger as in tall I'm larger as in wide... And I certainly could do more to get in better shape. But yes I do have knee problems at time when I bowl. Now it's probably more related to being heavy than the actually bowling, but i'm sure they work in combination. Even though I'm not tall I still find it hard at time to get low enough. If that makes any sense. I know it might be harder for someone who isn't heavy to understand.

As a +300lb bowler, I know the struggle. The biggest thing is the direction of your swing plane. You will most likely start the ball to the right (assuming right hander) and let your arm swing behind you to some extent and most likely round house it through the release zone, which turns your hand to the side of the ball prematurely, or if the arm is coming from a very steep inside out angle a very high rev type release with little control.

The best thing I can tell you is Weight Watchers works, and some advice one of my teammates told me once, "You know, McDonalds does sell salads". (He just kicked my teeth in, that was great, I still laugh about that one). I was at 346 before I started Weight Watchers, I dropped down to 291 before my kidneys shut down and they pumped me full of fluids to the point that I weighed 351 when I got out of the hospital, that was even after a soft diet and ice cubes for 5 days of my stay. I am now back down to 310 after 3 weeks. You just need to make the commitment. I keep telling myself, I am going to be able to ride the rides at Bush Gardens this summer. Find something that will motivate you, set a goal for yourself, not a weight loss goal necessarilly, but a personal goal, and just DO IT!

Let me know if you need help or recipies or finding foods you might like.

In your initial post you mention that you are "chucking" the ball rather than rolling it. It sounds like early timing where the ball gets to the foul line before your feet do causing you to release the ball on the upswing. Early timing is often caused by pushing the ball out before you start your first step (4-step approach) or having the ball already at full extention as you start your first step. You should practice initiating your pushaway at the same time you start your first step (4-step approach). This simultaneous pushaway/first step movement is something you can practice at home until it becomes muscle memory.(You do only the first step in this exercise)

As for being heavy. I assume that you already have the ball out to the right in your stance inline with the shoulder/collarbone joint. Being heavy doesn't have to be a barrier to decent bowling. I have witnessed some very good scores rolled on tv by bowlers that are very heavy. This includes women that appeared quite matronly. There are a couple of ways to develop a backswing that clears the hips of a heavyset person. One way is to have an open shoulder in the stance: your left foot would point towards the pins while your right foot would be at a 45 degree angle to your left foot. The forearm of the arm holding the ball is lined up with the target line. The open shoulder will allow a straight swing to clear the hips. The trick is to be able to close your hips and shoulder to 90 degrees to your target line at the release point. Jason Couch, the lefty pro, uses an open shoulder and it is his ability to close his shoulder up at the release point that puts those extra revs on his ball. The second method of clearing the hips is to let your armswing flare away from your body on the backswing but then loop back in a figure-eight so that the forward swing is close to your body and straight ahead on your target line. I once bowled with a pear-shaped female bowler who averaged 185 using this method. She also had no kneebend which resulted in a planted foot and a release about 12" above the lane. Her semispinner was quite effective.

I just want to point out that I'm 5'-7" and 240lbs. Not exactly lightweight there. The way I bowl, I stand square to the foul line, but I tuck my elbow against my side, hold my arm out at an angle, and then break my wrist in towards the pocket. This way, I clear my hips, my backswing and follow through are straight, and I still get effective hook. When my back isn't out of wack, I'm able to get down and roll the ball correctly.

I do not qualify as a larger bowler, being 6'3" and 195 or so. But John Jowdy talks about this in his book, Bowling Execution. Alot of women, because of their physical makeup (larger hips and thighs), tend to tuck the elbow and push the ball outside of their hips so that the hips don't interfere with the backswing.

Billy Oatman has to do this being a larger framed bowler...and he still manages to get the ball in close to his body/ankle on the release. I would not know anything about this firsthand...I have 'snake hips' as my friend Robert always tells me.

I'm no light weight anymore. Used to be, but not anymore. And I ditto what saabbowler says about startging the ball infront of your shoulder and not in front of your chest. If you start the ball out there, push out straight and let it fall straight it shouldn't have any problems clearing your body. Only if you do not walk a straight line to the finish or have a wrap around swing will you have a problem.

I understand about the getting low part. This is also an issue with senior bowlers heavy or not. All I can say is that if you have balance at the finish, no matter how "unlow" it will help. So make sure that you get a coach to teach you how to get firmly balanced at the foul line in a finish position.

Erin

Talked with a friend of mine, Mike. He is 6'5 and over 400 pounds. He doesn't have a scale that goes any higher. To me, that qualifies him as a large bowler.

He really can't bend at the hip or the knee. He does bend excessively at the waste. But, that's him. He has developed a loft of about 8-10 feet, because that is where his arm allows him to release the ball.

He really has to open his shoulder in the armswing to allow the ball to pass. As a result, he also has turned into a heavy rev bowler, nt a cranker, but heavy revs because he has such strong hands and wrists, he gets an aweful lot on the ball.

Although he seems unorthodox, it works for him. He practices daily and carries 228 on a House Shot. He had a 300 last month. So, it can be done. You have to work with what you've got.

You are not going to look like WRW, He is half Robert Smith and half Mike DeVaney.