Its my understanding that is what an open shoulder is, and I believe that is was CG is saying. A great example of the differences is the 2007 USBC Masters with Rash-vs.-Jaros.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BpQTeTxK-pQ

Jaros stays more square, including keeping his shoulders almost level and Rash is opening up the shoulder and dipping the bowling shoulder. This could be used as part of a definition between strokers and crankers as many strokes stay squared up more like Norm Duke, Walter Ray or Steve Jaros.

Untutored,

I think I see why you misunderstood the term. You keep on saying "open shoulder" where everyone else keeps on saying "open shoulders". The term doesn't refer to just what your swing shoulder is doing, it refers to what both of your shoulders are doing, are they both staying square to the target (closed), or are they turned away from the target, thus opening up your shoulders to the target. Hope that this helps.

Mark

OK, this makes sense to me.

So yeah, I've been talking about something different the whole time and just using the wrong word for it. Sorry about that.

where is that? Via Linda?

Tucson, Arizona.

It's Lucky Strike Bowl, which is not my regular lanes, but it's close.

Oh wow, I haven't been there in years. Is Golden Pin still around? I bowled a few Tourneys there back in the day.

Golden Pin is still around. My league was there the first two years I was back in town--it's far from my house, but I was splitting the difference with a friend of mine.

They just re-did those entire lanes in the last few months. New surface on the lanes (I bowled on the same wood you did back in the day, that's how old they were), plus they added those electronics that slice and dice your score, calculate your ball speed, etc. The people behind the counter are the same as before, though.

I always liked Golden Pin, I used to tear that place up. I preferred the old seedy dive places over the Mega Bowl o rama's. The places I liked in Phoenix are all gone now, except Sunset (used to be Nothgate) and Glenfair. Aero Boel is gone, Maricopa gone, Wagon Wheel gone, Thunderbird gone. Its sad really.

The State Tournament was in Phoenix last year, and we did our team event at Glenfair, so I know what you mean. You couldn't hide that place any better if you tried. (Singles and doubles were at Christown, which is one of the Bowloramas you were talking about.)

My current house is Cactus Bowl, which is a Vantage house but it has an independent Pro Shop. IMO the bowling scene here is very good--cheap everywhere and plenty of independent houses.

If you have a free armswing, try pushing the ball out to the right and see what happens. Then try pushing the ball out to the left, and see what happens. Like everything else, it's an adjustment you can use when playing different parts of the lane. Walter Ray Williams, Wes Malott, Rash all start the ball inside their target so that it loops back to the inside at the top of the swing.

In any case, I'm done. You are fighting tooth and nail that there is nothing you can do to improve your release, and it seems we can't convince you otherwise.