First one here, just a weak ten. I felt like I rotated early on this shot.


Second video. Much better release, I missed right a couple boards for a light carry.



Third video. Again a pretty decent shot, more online this time, no early rotation and I actually hit my mark.



Forth Video, switched video angle to behind. I was trying less axis rotation and as you can see I went into the ditch.



Fifth video, here I just plain tugged it inside my line and go nose.



Sixth video, nice release, hit my mark, executed the way I wanted too and was rewarded with the Stone 8.



Seventh video, again I missed right and its obvious I am not real comfortable with this release yet.



Eight video, stood up at the line and pulled it.



Ninth video, tugged it again. I am just so inconsistent with this release.



Tenth video, ball switch to a better feeling ball and hit my mark. Nice powerful strike.



Eleventh Video, increased the axis tilt and went wider with my line for better entry angle. Again nice strike.



Videos 12 and 13 I like to call the Power and Beauty shots. These are from floor level just in front of the ball return. 2 nice strikes. No question on either of these shots.





Anyways. I hope you enjoy them, feel free to comment on them as well.

The release might not need as much work as you think it does. I noticed that you drifted a little on a couple of the shots. The entry angle on the lines of the first 10 videos were a little tight. The last three looked exactly like you said powerful and beautiful, that line worked much better than the previous one. I think that might've been a contributing factor to the inconsistent results. Do you use the line in the last 3 shots often? It looks like it yields better results.

One thing I would definately suggest is to slow down or rather take your time. It looks like you perform one continuous set of movements from the time you take the ball off the return until the time you let it go. I would suggest that you take a moment and set yourself and then proceed with your approach, just to see if everything feels right. It might help with some of the things that you seem to be doing wrong.

The last 3 shots are with more axis rotation at about 60-70 degrees. The previous shots were with less axis rotation, more around 45 degrees.

Which ones did I drift on?

The shots that you miffed off to the right. It looked like you drifted a little but it seemed to be enough.

A couple of things that I noticed.. your timing seems to be a little inconsistant. It was really off in the first 2.

Second thing is that even when you say you're trying to stay behind the ball, you're never behind the ball. If you pause a video when the ball is still back by your trail leg, your hand is already on the right side of the ball. Even on a 'normal' release where you not trying to stay up the back of the ball, your hand should be squarely behind the ball until the ball gets to your ankle.

Again I can't say what is and isn't possible with your hand, but what you're doing isn't actually keeping your hand behind the ball.

DD, Is that your normal step pace? Seems like you cut your backswing short to catch up with your feet. I liked the roll and release on number 2. It worked.

The pictures are blurry I know, but my hand is behind the ball. My fingers are at 7 and 8 o clock directly behind the ball and my thumb is exiting the ball at this point of these photos.

Yes this is my normal pace, and my backswing goes up as high as my push away. If you notice number 11, I hold the ball slightly higher in the pushaway and add some axis rotation. That was what worked best on what was out there, I was just trying a few different things. The more direct line with less axis rotation was working Monday on the scorpion pattern. The 2 shots from the floor are basically the same as number 11, I just moved 1 board right.

OK, so you played the lanes, and what they would give you. But, even the 2 still shots show your hand in the upper right quadrant of the ball at release, instead of, as Erin always says, "under the equator".

http://www.bowlingknowledge.info/images/stories/slowinskiapr08.pdf

How is what I am doing different than Rash and Carter in the above article page 2?

i agree with Dennis and lefty about your hand position its almost in the same exact place. your wrist should be a more towards the center of the ball if your staying behind the ball.

Those 2 photos are from the same type of shot. 60-70 degree axis rotation.

Try these 2 for comparison.




There is some difference between the 2, I wasn't trying to come straight up the back of the ball, just reduce the axis rotation some.

DD, maybe I misunderstood. I thought you were trying to come straight up behind the ball. Now you say you are changing axis of rotation. If that's it, I see no problem. You did that.

No problem, I will save the up the back stuff for the Viper and Cheetah. I can vary my release adequately enough now without going to the extreme like that.

I am more concerned now with what looks like a poor follow through. I don't like the fact that I am bringing my arm more in towards the center of my body when I should be more out towards my target. I am not hitting up on the ball now, but it looks like I may still be trying to pull through the release and this is causing me to spray it.

Do you see the same thing? My follow through should be more to the right side of my body, and not towards the top of my head. It looks like I am doing it mainly on the slightly less axis rotation releases only. I need to figure out what is causing it.

Anyways, I feel like I am making improvements each time I go practice. You have to admit I am not quite grip and ripping it like before. Plant and pulling, strapping, whatever you want to call it.

Yes, you are not reaching, but coming straight up with our arm. Correcting that should help eliminate the pulling. I pull when I early rotate in the backswing. There were shots where I thought you might have been doing that.

The first one for sure I early rotated, and never got anything on the ball so it came light. Usually when I early rotate I get an early reaction and it goes nose. I chicken winged the first shot though so it was just destined to be a 10 pin.

I just went through and looked at several videos to see your hand position as the ball starts to descend from the back swing and what happens to it after that. On most of the shots you turn it early. I also don't think I saw 2 that were the same.

Even the images you posted don't have you behind the ball. Your pinky still might be on the back side of the ball, but the palm of your hand has rotated during the downswing from it's original position, which was directly behind the ball.

In the first picture, your hand and arm are in line. In the second you can see that your arm has turned in and the inside of your elbow is facing across your body, your hand is no longer behind the ball and the ball still hasn't gotten to your ankle.

Both fingers are behind the ball. I will be home in a couple hours and I am going to photograph this so there is no confusion.

I just don't understand how it is that in that Slowinski article their hand position is identical to mine yet its incorrect for me and not them.

I can clearly see the back of the ball, and your hand is not on it.

What article are you referring to?

Just saw the article you posted.. there are 2 differences:

First, they are more behind the ball.

Second, look where the ball is when the picture was taken. The ball is at their slide foot. You're more around the ball much earlier.

EDIT: You've got to wait on it longer.

Here are a couple pictures to show you exactly what is going on, with my hand at and prior to release. I don't rotate my hand at the release from this position. The thumb releases and the fingers give the ball the rotation. Now I used to pull through the release and "Hit up" but I have minimized/eliminated that.





Now if there is something I need to do with my hand position, that is another story but I am certainly behind the ball, and my elbow is pointed down the lane. Only and I repeat Only when I try to hit the ball like in the past does my elbow every turn out.

The pictures from the video are just too blurry for you to see what exactly is going on with my hand, so you cannot judge strictly on the position of my wrist without clearly seeing the finger position.

Now if you are saying I need to wait for this position and stay behind the ball and then rotate at the last second, how is that DECREASING rev rate? Because I was turning the ball before and was told to stop doing it, now I am being told to turn it.

Here's an example of Rash. Look where his arm is compared to yours. You can see the ball on the right side of his arm and with your shot, your arm is all the way to the right of the ball. I know there's a camera angle difference, but you can still tell that his arm is more behind it. Also, the ball is in front of his foot at this point.

Lefty, when DD said this in an earlier post, I realized he was using 2 different fingers than I. Mine are no where near 7 and 8 o'clock. But, as I look at his last photo, his fingers are where he says, but his wrist is already around the ball.

The Rash photo you posted clearly shows a flat, open palm that DD does not have.

DD I haven't read all of the back and forth since you posted these vids this morning, I will read through them and comment if I think I need to.

Here is what I see that you need to work on.

Your hand goes on the side of the ball just after the push away then wraps back to behind the ball at the top of the back swing then the springiness of that movement causes your hand to spring back around to the side of the ball on most of your shots.

I would like you to work on dropping the ball into the swing with your hand turning behind the ball just after the push away, so your hand is behind the ball before it crosses your right hip on the back swing. This should take some of the springiness out of the release and allow your hand to stay behind the ball longer. Remember you don't need to turn the ball at all, the angle the ball sits in your hand will turn your hand not the hand turn the ball. This will be hard to learn after doing it that way for years.

Dennis you hit the nail on the head, his fingers are where he says, but his wrist is already turned to the side of the ball.

He is losing direction by his wrist being around the ball so early, the ball wants to hook sooner than it should and be more of an arc instead of a nice sharp break to the pocket.

The other problem will be if he is able to keep his hand behind the ball his rev rate will explode and probably be up near Robert smith type level because of the angle his fingers are to his thumb.

Stay behind the ball, bend my knees, don't hit the ball, keep my head steady, don't muscle the swing, slow my feet down, re-drill my thumbholes for 1/2 inch forward pitch, fix my spans, and take two aspirins and check back tomorrow. Got it.