Here are a couple videos of me bowling from 3 different angles.






I think I should probably be getting lower, and I might have slightly late timing. Any other opinions on my form and what I should be doing differently are appreciated so critique away. Thanks in advance!

Something I forgot to mention. If these angles aren't very good, let me know. I was alone so I just used another ball return to set it on for the side shots. I also had to make two side shots so you could see both the beginning and finish of my approach because I couldn't include my whole approach at one time.

You have a very muscled swing it looks like you have a death grip on the ball probably because of poor fit. When bowlers have such a muscled swing it is usually because they clench their thumb in the hole trying to hang onto the ball. Once the thumb is clenched up like that it tenses the arm up all the way to the shoulder and causes you to swing the ball by twisting your body.

You need to check your span first by placing your thumb in the hole and laying your fingers across the holes with your hand relaxed, the front edge of the holes should be no longer than 1/2 way between the first and second knuckle of your fingers, if you have to stretch your hand to achieve this, then the span is too long.

Next is thumb hole size most people who have a problem with muscling the ball have a thumb hole that is big enough to accommodate a bent thumb in the hole and the more the bend the thumb the tighter the hole feels, so they keep getting the hole opened up and then they keep squeezing the thumb more to hang on it is a vicious cycle.

You probably need to have your thumb hole tightened up to fit your thumb without bending it. Once you have done that and the ball still wants to fall off your hand then you need to add tape in the front and back of the hole, if it still wants to fall off then you need to go more forward with the thumb pitch until you don't have to squeeze to hang onto the ball.

After you get your thumb fixed, alter your push away so that it is inline with your target and shoulder, right now it is way outside of your shoulder and you pull the ball back while twisting the upper body then untwist and hoist the ball out on the lane, this is not a muscle sport, most of the pros are not body builders in fact Lynda Barnes beat Sean Rash yesterday, and neither of them use a quarter of the effort that you put into a shot.

If you really want to improve your game, find someplace to bowl that has underground ball returns, or have that place put enough oil so you don't have to bowl next to the [censored] ball return and kick your ankle off, that has to hurt after a game or two.

Your self-critique is spot on. Once you develop a slide by starting your knee bend on your third step(getting lower in your words), some of your late timing will disappear, although slightly late timing can be a good thing. As for that muscled swing that CoachJim refers to, you might try PBA guru John Jowdy's idea of pushing or placing the ball in an upward circular motion over an imaginary bar approximately 6 inches above where you hold the ball in your stance. According to Jowdy, it helps to promote a free armswing.

I would recommend that next time you videotape yourself that you use the alley down at the high numbered end of the house so that the ball return doesn't block the view of your finish at the foul line. You may have to set the camera up in the aisle used by maintenance beyond the foul line and take the shot at an angle which will still show your finish at the line.

I don't think the swing is so bad, until you get to the release. Then at that point you are trying to do too much. The herky jerky release and popping up, needs to be worked on. Try staying down at the line, or at least steady (no popping up) and just roll the ball. Don't try to hit it or rip it so much. Doing so will help in your accuracy, which is something everyone needs over revs when you are starting out.

Erin

I would have to agree with Coach Jim about the death grip on the ball and thumb not fitting. I've been there. I had my thumb re-drilled and it was awesome you should check that out. One thing that I noticed you doing was posting up, that is, after you follow through you fall over onto your right foot. Looks like you have some balance and speed (timing) issues. At about 2:47 in your first video you threw a beautiful strike. Everything was in sync. Your timing matched the speed at which you were traveling perfectly. All the others it looks like you are trying to beat someone else to the foul line, and it's throwing you a off balance (hence you posting up). Also you should think about developing a slide. It will stop you from posting up as well as, keep your timing in sync.

I would also have the agree with Coach Jim about maybe changing your push-away, but I would add try switching to a free arm swing. Let the balls do the work for you. The balls that you throw can get the job done for you. You don't have to rush and hurl them down the lane. Additionally, you open your shoulder, anyone of your reactive balls will hook because of the side roll that you put on them. And if they do not you can gradually start closing up your shoulder.

You asked if you should get lower. Maybe it depends really on what you are comfortable with. As well as, if your balls need to read the lane more or not. Oh, if you do go lower try not to drop your shoulder. And even if you stay where you are, don't drop your shoulder, it seems kind of pointless for you to do it like it's wasted. It threw you off a couple of times, and if your thumb isn't fitting right dropping your shoulder isn't going to help any anyways.

Hope this helps.

CoachJim's nailed the biggest issues that appear in your videos. I also see a several things that you might also want to think about. It looks like you are rushing to the line and a bit too upright at the release point; try taking a bit more time to develop a smoother rythmic tempo on your approach. You're a tall guy, so I know that descending into a lower position at your release point will be a challenge. If you can work on steadily descending into your slide step during your approach, you will find that it helps your timing. Just make sure you are properly warmed up and are doing stretches to keep from pulling muscles or injuring tendons & ligaments.

The other thing, I saw was the alignment of your arm during the pushaway which CoachJim identified too. Your arm is pointing outward toward the right rather than lined up with your shoulder and your target line. This will definitely affect your delivery and accuracy. Then overall, try to think about keeping your body as tension-free as possible.

I appreciate all of the advice everyone. I know I grip that ball tight. I've been trying to find the right fit with tape but so far I've been only putting it at the back. I'll start putting it at the front and see if I can get the right fit. The span itself is ok, but the thumbhole may not have enough forward pitch, so I'll have to see what I can do. Again, thanks for all the advice. I have consistency issues, and the problems you pointed out are definately things I'll work on this summer.

Be very sparing with how much tape you put in the front of the thumbhole - limit it to one layer of tape lest you change(widen) your span unless that is what you are attempting to do. Most pro shops sell tape specifically designed to go in the front of the hole and is textured to help you grip.