The stinking 7 pin....

[TheSheibs]

This is a video of me picking up the 7 pin. I am a left handed bowler and the reason you don't see me in the start of the video is due to setting up all the way to the right side of the lane in line with the edge of the gutter and lane. I also threw the ball between the 3rd and middle arrow. It does curve a little bit but not that much. I had mentioned that I would post a video for Sam. Here you go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE5Jsw36MJ8

[martinezsam2495]

nice video! I wish I could pick up those 7 pins constantly, I need to keep practicing. :]

[martinezsam2495]

I watched your second video and I can tell sometimes your shots are going brooklyn, this could be a good thing but it is leaving you with pins on the left side, which we don't want, :/ What I would say you should do is to play on the 4th dot, and aim at the 2nd arrow, just like your strike shot rolled along the 2nd arrow into the pocket, I'll post a video for you as well, showing you how I bowl, since were both lefties, (lefty power)! haha The shots that left the 7 and 6 pin up was because your hitting the heard pin and there is no carry to pick up the rest. Once you started throwing strikes I can tell you found your mark, nice 4 bagger, 201 :O
I need to get that! Challenge accepted haha

[J Anderson]

What second video?

[Hampe]

I think he means other videos uploaded by the same youtube account.

[TheSheibs]

If you watch it to the end, there are other videos automatically suggested for you based on what you just watched.

Sam, I was having a pretty off day when that was taken. I'm going to try and post every practice session on YouTube. It's easier to just show what I did than to try to write a blog about what I did. I usually stand on board to the right of the 3rd dot(sometimes stand on the middle dot if it is really curving) and aim for the second arrow. The second arrow is my default mark that I start at every time. But I usually throw between the first and second arrow. Just depends what the conditions are.

[martinezsam2495]

@Hampe, yeah there's a second video when that one is done by the same account,
it's like 4 min long.

@Thesheibs yeah, we have the same strike spot, I play back out then in. So I need a ball that goes near the gutter then snaps right back in the pocket, and is forgiving. The Reckless is the ball everyone (including the pro shop guy) said would do the job. What type of bowling ball were you throwing during the video?

[TheSheibs]

My first throw is a Columbia300 Freeze Hybrid. For spares that are on or near the guttering have been using a Brunswick BVP Ambush. The Ambush was drilled in a way to make it so you really have to work for it to curve. I think the guy at the pro shop fudged up the holes. However with it being hard to curve it makes a great spare ball.

[martinezsam2495]

@thesheibs oh, I should get a spare ball of my own, do house balls do a good job at being a spare ball? I say you upgrade your ball and get something with more backend hook.

[J Anderson]

@thesheibs oh, I should get a spare ball of my own, do house balls do a good job at being a spare ball? I say you upgrade your ball and get something with more backend hook.

Since most house balls are polyester in theory they should be good spare balls. In practice, since for most serious bowlers that would mean switching from finger tip to conventional grip and back, it doesn't work all that great. You really want each ball that you throw to feel the same. Unless you get real lucky finding a house ball that fits perfect, you will have to exert more grip pressure to keep from dropping it. Then you have to remember to not grip your strike ball. Except for two-handers and no-thumbers its probably not a good idea.

When I switched from conventional to fingertip I kept using my old ball for spares. Eventually it started to hurt to use the conventional grip and that ball went in the closet.

[billf]

I say you upgrade your ball and get something with more backend hook.

Why do you say that Sam? We both saw that second video with the 201 game. As you stated earlier a lot of shots were going brooklyn. This is a clear indication of a ball going into the hook phase a tad early and your suggestion is to get a stronger ball? That ball was hooking more than enough.

@thesheibs, I thing I noticed that you may want to check on your other videos. I spotted this quickly as it's also a key for me. You get lazy at times with your balance arm. I couldn't see your ball well enough to tell if this affects your tilt and rotation as it does mine. For me, when I get lazy with that arm the ball either goes a tad brooklyn and/or doesn't hit the pins with the same kind of authority as usual (loses a touch of drive power). I know you didn't ask but I figured it was worth checking out.

[martinezsam2495]

Why do you say that Sam? We both saw that second video with the 201 game. As you stated earlier a lot of shots were going brooklyn. This is a clear indication of a ball going into the hook phase a tad early and your suggestion is to get a stronger ball? That ball was hooking more than enough.

@thesheibs, I thing I noticed that you may want to check on your other videos. I spotted this quickly as it's also a key for me. You get lazy at times with your balance arm. I couldn't see your ball well enough to tell if this affects your tilt and rotation as it does mine. For me, when I get lazy with that arm the ball either goes a tad brooklyn and/or doesn't hit the pins with the same kind of authority as usual (loses a touch of drive power). I know you didn't ask but I figured it was worth checking out.

I meant when he throws his strike ball,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnJZ_kOAcg&feature=plcp
this video has a perfect example of some of the shots where a backend ball would crush through the pins,

He was getting nasty splits, which were messing up his game, around 2:26, the ball kept having bad contact,

[TheSheibs]

Billf~I have never had my balance arm go out very far. With how I throw the ball I don't really need a balance arm. Also my left foot doesn't get up off the floor and I bend over just enough to have a smooth release(most of the time). Even my dad and grandfather have never had their balance arm go way out to the side like some of the pros do. If you watch some of the other videos I posted you will see that my left toes are almost always in contact with the floor. The foot sliding over is almost an after thought that happens after I release the ball. If I start sliding it over before I completely release the ball my shoulders end up turned to the left too much and, depending on lane conditions, might not come back to the pocket. So I keep my shoulders square to the lane until after the release.

[TheSheibs]

Since most house balls are polyester in theory they should be good spare balls. In practice, since for most serious bowlers that would mean switching from finger tip to conventional grip and back, it doesn't work all that great. You really want each ball that you throw to feel the same. Unless you get real lucky finding a house ball that fits perfect, you will have to exert more grip pressure to keep from dropping it. Then you have to remember to not grip your strike ball. Except for two-handers and no-thumbers its probably not a good idea.

When I switched from conventional to fingertip I kept using my old ball for spares. Eventually it started to hurt to use the conventional grip and that ball went in the closet.

Your comment about switching back and forth from balls with a conventional grip and fingertip grip has me thinking about this worn spot I ended up with on the outside of my thumb. I think that has to do with grip pressure and the grip stickers I put in the thumb hole. However before I buy a new spare ball I am going to pull out the grip sticker and apply a new one and see if that fixes. I got it after bowling at a different center and could not get a strike to save my life. So I was using the other ball more.

Sam~The ball I use primarily is an upgrade from the last ball I was using which was a Ebonite Avenger blue pearl urethane. I don't remember what level ball it is and I couldn't find it on Ebonites' website. So the Freeze Hybrid is a step up since the Avenger is a pretty cheap urethane ball. I think back in the day, new, it was only $60 or something like that. It was also the last ball my Dad bought me. I might upgrade in a few months. I have been eyeing the Brunswick C-system balls.

[The German Shepherd]

Yo Sheibs. I watched your video a couple of times and even reversed and played back after several of your shots trying to count the steps you are taking on the way to the foul line. I t seemed to me that you take a 4 step approach??? If so, i have an idea for you...

Jay

[billf]

Billf~I have never had my balance arm go out very far. With how I throw the ball I don't really need a balance arm. Also my left foot doesn't get up off the floor and I bend over just enough to have a smooth release(most of the time). Even my dad and grandfather have never had their balance arm go way out to the side like some of the pros do. If you watch some of the other videos I posted you will see that my left toes are almost always in contact with the floor. The foot sliding over is almost an after thought that happens after I release the ball. If I start sliding it over before I completely release the ball my shoulders end up turned to the left too much and, depending on lane conditions, might not come back to the pocket. So I keep my shoulders square to the lane until after the release.

Your slide was fine. I prefer seeing the back foot stay on the floor. Mainly because those that lift it seem to have a tendency to try and over throw. The balance arm however, I wasn't talking about it being straight or bent (that's a preference) but rather the angle or lack there of depending on the throw. The balance arm is important in today's game. It's the other side of the pendulum after all. Just watch and see, the angle of your ball changes depending on which plane you put your balance arm in. Now if you were bowling in their era I could agree more with you constantly comparing your game of today to your father and grandfather's game of yesteryear. The equipment has changed the game. That's a fact, pure and simple. They needed a lot of lift back then. Now we need rotation and tilt. It's not meant as disrespect but it's like comparing Babe Ruth to Reggie Jackson to Barry Bonds. Fun to compare but not fair when the game style they played in was so different.

[TheSheibs]

Yo Sheibs. I watched your video a couple of times and even reversed and played back after several of your shots trying to count the steps you are taking on the way to the foul line. I t seemed to me that you take a 4 step approach??? If so, i have an idea for you...

Jay

Yes, I have a 4 step approach. I played around with a 5 step approach for about three months but never felt comfortable with it and my timing was WAY off. That is why I went back to a 4 step approach. So what's your idea? I only ask because I am willing to try something new AT LEAST once.

[TheSheibs]

Your slide was fine. I prefer seeing the back foot stay on the floor. Mainly because those that lift it seem to have a tendency to try and over throw. The balance arm however, I wasn't talking about it being straight or bent (that's a preference) but rather the angle or lack there of depending on the throw. The balance arm is important in today's game. It's the other side of the pendulum after all. Just watch and see, the angle of your ball changes depending on which plane you put your balance arm in. Now if you were bowling in their era I could agree more with you constantly comparing your game of today to your father and grandfather's game of yesteryear. The equipment has changed the game. That's a fact, pure and simple. They needed a lot of lift back then. Now we need rotation and tilt. It's not meant as disrespect but it's like comparing Babe Ruth to Reggie Jackson to Barry Bonds. Fun to compare but not fair when the game style they played in was so different.

I will have to "play" around with this the next time I go bowling. I just haven't seen the need for using a balance arm. I have been pretty consistent with my throws but I will try some different things next time, like I said. What do you mean by angle depending on the throw? I could use more info about this, i guess.

[billf]

I picture bowlers with like a grid overlayed. It actually helps me when watching live to see the different areas or squares that parts of their bodies go through and end in. With the fact that you sometimes bend your balance arm at the elbow i focused more on the upper arm angle in relation to your shoulder. Just the first shot of each frame I noticed yours was in three different areas. Some times it was parallel to the floor, below parallel and even a few times pulled back further from your upper body. That last one does affect shoulder/upper body rotation. You said that was a bad day and I get that. But what does it look like on a good day? I don't know. I do know I spent a year trying all sorts of stuff to fix my game including a clinic with a Gold and Silver certified coach. After reading and them implementing the article on the balance arm by Joe Slowinski did all the other pieces fall into place. I may generate more torque than you and therefor it affects me more but then again it may be part of why your ball has a different tilt at times.
Here's the link to the article. I'm sure he can explain it better than I. http://bowlingknowledge.info/images/stories/june09_article.pdf

[The German Shepherd]

Yes, I have a 4 step approach. I played around with a 5 step approach for about three months but never felt comfortable with it and my timing was WAY off. That is why I went back to a 4 step approach. So what's your idea? I only ask because I am willing to try something new AT LEAST once.

I knew that you had once been a 5 stepper by the way your current approach works. In a 5 step approach you take one step and then do your "push-away" on your second step. After watching your video I noticed that you still push-away on your second step! That gives you three steps to do your push-away and your pendulum swing.

So, here is what I saw...I saw that your 4 steps are very deliberate but your arm-swing is pretty quick and sometimes lacking in tempo. It is as though your arm still thinks you are doing a 5 step approach while your feet say 4 steps. That being the case, your arm-swing is constantly trying to catch up with your feet! And if this is happening, then you are using too many muscles on the outside of your upper arm and when this happens, your swing has a tendency to flare out or tuck in toward your body.

Would you be willing to try something new? Then try to do your "push-away" simultaneously as your first step. That means you push the ball away at the same time your LEFT foot moves forward. Check out Parker BohnIII. If I were a leftie, I would want my physical game to look like his. As he takes his first step, he pushes the ball away, his body angle is low and he gets excellent leverage at the foul line.

To sum up, I think your arm swing is a little erratic and a good way to fix that is to push away with step 1 and let the ball swing more freely and less muscle tension in your upper arm.

I hope you will try this and let me know how this works for you. It may seem quite uncomfortable to begin with but give it some time. It may mean increased foot tempo, but give it a try...

Jay

[TheSheibs]

German Shepherd, I was a 4 stepper but when I got back into bowling last season, I tried to make some changes and it didn't work. So I went back to what I know. Also, I have never had a big back swing EVER. I have tried to increase my back swing but it didn't work for me. So I will keep my "push-away" where it is. With my timing it works just fine. I also think that while bowling the game in the video I was starting to get into a rush and making my last two steps quicker than the first two. I will try to post some video of the side of my approach so you can see what I am doing from first step to follow-through. I will also take you up on the suggestion to check out Parker Bohn III. I haven't seen him bowl. So I will check it out and see what he does. As for my arm swing being a little erratic. That day it was for some reason. On Monday during league my arm swing was just fine and I was over my average all three games. I even was able to bowl a 210 game which is my first 200+ game during a league since getting back into bowling. I am open to trying new things but I have tried changing my arm swing and it hasn't helped. Actually made things worse.

Billf, I read the article and it was very interesting. Here are my conclusions after trying it today. 1: It seems like what he is talking about is how your shoulders are aligned when you release the ball. If you watch biginners, they tend to have the ball go "Brooklyn" or across the lane because they are not releasing the ball with their shoulders in the right spot. 2: I tried this today for three games. I noticed two things. The first is that my ball curved a lot more. The second is that I felt that my shoulders where square to the pins when I released the ball. Actually felt weird the first couple times. Third, I noticed that my ball speed went from 14-16mph to 11-13mph. This slower speed could account for my ball curving more than usual. Fourth, I couldn't seem to find the pocket without going "brooklyn". I think this is due to not being able to find the starting spot for the change caused by this. The positives: First, it seems that if I am on lanes that my ball is not curving on, I could do this to get it to curve into the pocket. So it is another tool in the tool box, should I need it. Out of three games I only hit above my average once. Second is that I could see using this if you are someone who throws to the outside and needs it to curve back since this can be used to prevent you from turning your shoulders too far towards the gutter. Overall, it was fun to try something new but it just really messed with my game. Out of three games I had 6 strikes when I average 12+ strikes in three games right now. I also had to bowl 6 more games to get back to what I was doing before. I might revisit this again in the future but don't think I will be changing anything with my balance arm just yet.

[billf]

Another great lefty to check out is Johnny Petraglia. Parker Bohn III and Johnny Petraglia are two of the most fluid, perfect tempo bowlers ever.

[martinezsam2495]

Very observant Jay!
I didn't notice that. your theory just might work.. well let's see what happens during the testing

[The German Shepherd]

[QUOTE=TheSheibs;47474]German Shepherd, I was a 4 stepper but when I got back into bowling last season, I tried to make some changes and it didn't work. So I went back to what I know. Also, I have never had a big back swing EVER. I have tried to increase my back swing but it didn't work for me. So I will keep my "push-away" where it is. With my timing it works just fine. I also think that while bowling the game in the video I was starting to get into a rush and making my last two steps quicker than the first two. I will try to post some video of the side of my approach so you can see what I am doing from first step to follow-through. I will also take you up on the suggestion to check out Parker Bohn III. I haven't seen him bowl. So I will check it out and see what he does. As for my arm swing being a little erratic. That day it was for some reason. On Monday during league my arm swing was just fine and I was over my average all three games. I even was able to bowl a 210 game which is my first 200+ game during a league since getting back into bowling. I am open to trying new things but I have tried changing my arm swing and it hasn't helped. Actually made things worse.]

Okay dude. I hope I didn't offend you. I am glad, though, that you are looking at the Parker Bohn III vids. His physical game is so perfect it isn't even funny. Just the same, I think working on your tempo will be of great benefit to you. This is something that even highly accomplished rollers need to spruce up on once in awhile...

J.

[TheSheibs]

Sorry if it came off that way. I was not offended. I realized it sounded like that after I posted it. Kind of was hoping it wouldn't come across like that. I watch Parker Bohn III and I must say his balance arm is in motion all the way up to the release. It goes forward, up, then comes back and stops next to the side of his body. It seems in his earlier video he didn't bring the ball up high behind him but then in the newer video he brings the ball back pretty high. Pretty interesting style to watch.

[billf]

I must be psychic. Check out this months USBowler. Available on-line for free at bowlingball.com or bowl.com whole article on balance including balance arm placement and why. I'm sure it explains it better than I do.