So I got my new #14 ball and it feels so much better. I also wanted to try out the 5 step. I asked my girl to record me on her phone after 2 games. The last 2 games I hit 187, then my new highest score 224!!! Last night I went as well and I have noticed my average has gone up atleast 15-20 pins.... Anyways I wish I knew how to edit videos to make 1 long video rather than like 6 short ones. Believe me I tried.

I've just started to practice this 5 step today, and it gave me my highest score yet. I started with 4 because I havent got use to the ball yet but near the end I transitioned. My problems is sometimes the target, knee bend and the laydown. Someone give me some pointers, feedback is greatly appreciated.

http://www.youtube.com/user/juyce09

5step

Side5step

Another 5step

4step

Actually, I think your big problem is that you change footspeeds during your approach, which throws of everything i.e. all of the problems you are having. If you watch all the videos again, you can see that you start slow and then speed up on the third step in the 4-step and 3rd step in the 5-step. It's especially noticeable in the 4-step videos.

The change in speeds effects your laydown and your knee bend which will effect your target. I think you need to work on achieving a consistant footspeed. And for whatever reaason the 5-step approach seems to eliminate that problem, probably because the timing is right and thus your score increases.

Your best one is the second video of the 5-step from behind. Also I can't tell if you are posting up or stepping to the right after you are done. If it's you stepping then all I have to say is, "Someone's practicing for the PBA Tour." But if you're posting up (which I don't think it is) you might have a little balance issue.

On the pushaway, I think you'd be better off starting the ball a little higher. You push it up, but this gives you no speed control. How much do you push it up each time? What if you need more, or less ball speed? Better to have that set in the stance already.

2nd thing I notice is that your hand is on the side of the ball the whole time. It's good to have your left hand under the ball in stance, which it looks like you do, but you want to get your hand behind the ball in the swing, or better yet to the inside of the ball, until the release point.

I'm not big on footwork so I'll let others hit that area.

I agree with demo, your foot work is better in the 5 step, and I agree with cg that your hand needs to be in a stronger position through the swing, ie on the left side of the ball instead of in the hand shake position.

I like the direction of your swing, the ball is tight to your ankle, you have a nice game overall you just need to improve your release.

Read these articles:
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip20.htm
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip35.htm
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip36.htm
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip37.htm
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip38.htm
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip17.htm
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip18.htm
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip19.htm
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip11.htm

Yeah foot work seems to be my issue I guess. This is the first time i've ever seen my self in video. I can see things you guys point out as well. This was the very first attempt at a 5 step ever, and it worked quite well, but I gotta get used to it. I'll work on a constant speed. I took a slow step first cause in my head i was still trying to figure out what foot to start with(because 4 steps is what im used to). I read some where the first extra step is just a step, and then continue with the normal 4 step pattern. I don't know how to transition from that, I just winged it. Some more practice tonight will fix this step problem.

About the push away, I just push it out. I noticed in the video that i push it up as well, I don't know if thats good or bad(I think bad). When I first started bowling(newball 3 fingers)I had the starting position of the ball a little higher above my waist. Now it doesn't feel comfortable at all if its any higher. But i'll definatley try it out. When the lane is heavy oil I lower my ball to almost ground level,enough for a swing, and for less speed and i guess more revs. I don't think I can achieve higher speeds unless i'm pushing for it and just practice that.

The release, I have my hand cupped and you could say my thumb is between the 10o'clock and 11 position through out the entire swing. As I view the video of myself, i notice that my turn of the wrist, or hooking isnt that much. I finish at 9o'clock position or so. I always did thought I stayed behind the ball and had a good amount of hook too .

Thats alot of articles about release!Im gonna start right after this post. I read the first one,(I read this one before like 2 months ago too)the one thing that stood out was this.." Often this will just mean that you have to be willing to let go of the ball much sooner than you think. Most people that have less than ideal releases stay in the ball too long" I'll finish reading these then practice again tonight. Is there anything else that needs to be tweaked? thanks guys

I don't see a problem with your push away, before you go changing it to something that you have to fix later, read this one too:
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip7.htm

Ok so I read the articles. I said earlier my thumb was @ 10-11o'clock position as my fingers are in the 45 degree as well. Im pretty sure i know the feeling of 45 degrees as I kept it the same all the way through. At the end my fingers would be at the 3 o'clock position to make it hook.

So what I have to practice on is staying behind the ball(?) rather than staying on the side of it through out the whole swing. Keeping the fingers at 6 oclock as I begin and fingers always directly below the thumb. Im going to practice this tonight as well as the 5step, but one at a time.

Oh yeah, I'll also practice holding all the weight with the V shape.

I wouldn't go running off to fix your pushaway. It's fine. As a matter of fact, you use the over/under technique (I think that's what it's called) very well. You push the ball up over a bar that is 6inches in front of you (imaginery of course) and you let the ball go under another bar very low. For now I'd work on nailing the footwork of which ever style you prefer. I would suggest the 5-step because you look more comfortable throwing that way and the entire approach looks much more fluid.

So I practiced these last two nights, and a couple today after work. The first night I went out, I tried everything new too quick and did horrible. So I focused on JUST the foot work, didnt even care what I hit, the gutter probably. But just thinking on footwork gave me 5-6 strikes. Foot work is solid now, a constant speed; no speed up, no slow step, just one motion. Next was the 45 degree angle release and timing. That really screwed my mental game up, maybe because I was also thinking about the break point and target at the same time. I tried uncuping, unbending my wrist,turning 45 degrees at the release,and laying the ball down for a smooth landing..really bad idea mentally. I think I had it down before, but i just need some tweaking. Bad practice by the way; trying to relearn the hook when I already know the basics... But the only problem I had these past days, and on that video, something i didn't mention earlier.

The night before the video, I went to try the new ball out for like 4-5 games, I did everything normal but the skin under my thumb really started to hurt, Right after the push away it felt like the ball was gripping the skin under my thumb and pulling it as i would let it fall down, After it started hurting and tore I stopped went home. The next day I went to lanes with bandaid over the effected area and tape around it also, this was the same night as the video i posted up.

The day after the video, I went to practice again, and now the right side of my thumb, below the knuckle is starting to blister now. I can feel it when the ball drops and fall through the pendulum, it feels like its pulling the skin. I bowled a little and stopped. These spots are very brand new, the only problems before were just callus on my right side and left side of the knuckle.

(Oh yeah, scoring above 200 was very rare to me before I got this #14, I maybe got above it about 2 times, highest score 211 and 214. Now It seems very reachable..)

Something wrong with my new ball? Does it need to fixed or am I just having a bad week...good but bad, if you get me.

Jock posted this once, and I kept it for reference.

http://www.jayhawkbowling.com/Pro_s_Corner/Fitting_Tips/fitting.html

It looks like you may have too much right pitch and or too long of a span.

You can tell if your span is correct by placing your thumb in the ball and laying your fingers across the holes. The leading edge (side closest to the thumb) of the finger hole should be no longer than half way between the first and second knuckle of the middle and ring finger without stretching your hand, it should be relaxed. It can be a little shorter than that, but not shorter than one quarter from the second knuckle.

Another way of determining if your span is too long is to put your hand in the ball and see if your fingernails are pressing the back of the holes, if that is the case your span is either too long or you may have too much forward pitch in the fingers.

Sorry to hijack this thread, but i seem to be having the same symptoms as Juyce. The inner joint of my thumb(as seen in Juyce's pic) are feeling painful after every bowling session. The skin is getting thick in that area.
I've checked my span and it does seem to be correct. The leading edge is between my 1st and second knuckles. What else might cause the same problem?