Ball speed problems

[harroo]

So tonight i bowled my first league night in nearly 7 years, and i found i had some big problems from my practice for the last 3 months. the main one was that i was throwing it far to fast. Im using a Storm Marvel and its picking up on the radar at the pins at 18.5mph. the problem with this is not only is my ball skidding past the break point its actually not breaking at all and going almost straight. I tried adjusting my speed my ball is already very low in my starting stance i moved up the approach almost to the point of a 3 step distance but this would only take about 0.5mph off the speed which was not enough. I wasn't giving it the full rev the hell out of it follow through either. Is there anything else i could do.

The proshop guy suggested i might thing about going to 15lbs as im currently bowling with 14lbs. Which i am reluctant to do because i have just bought 2 new balls and im wondering if i have 1 15lbs and my spare is 14lbs and my dry lane ball is 14lbs will it feel strange switching between these for shots particularly the spare ball which i seem to be very accurate with tonight which was the only positive i could take from tonight.

[striker12]

well there could be alot of things i throw it ast too with my hands low in my starting postion too and i also throw a 14lb ball but i have high revs and my balls hooks it could be that you might be playing threw alot of oil making it hot hook or even your not making enoph revs to compare with your speed.

and also your ball might be drilled weaker then it should be for maby your style of bowling but my guess cause your saying u throw it at 18.5mph u should maby have close to a agressive layout.

but on thing where are u starting and where are you throwing the ball down the lane.

[harroo]

Thanks well I was standing on 17 I move about 1.5 boards in my approach so was finishing about 15.5 and bowling between 2nd and 3rd arrow... My rev rate is not super high granted.. I wish it was higher but it's at the 350rpm mark.

[harroo]

Sorry forgot to say my balls are drilled very aggressive.

[billf]

Try starting with your ball 6 inches higher. This will help slow your feet down.
I use 15lbs strike balls and a 14lbs spare. I tend to release the spare a tad bit later but other than that I don't even notice the difference (besides the speed).

[harroo]

But would 1LBS really make that much difference in speed or should i work on getting the 14LBS slower with more revs(if i can).

[bowl1820]

Let's see with a speed of 18.5 mph at the pins, that would mean your about 20 or so off the hand. And with 350 rpm that would make you slightly speed dominant.

If you want to test to see if going up in weight will slow you down some. See if some has a 15# ball that fits you pretty good and see if they will let you try it. Or just grab a 15# house ball and try it.

I dropped 1# in weight (16>15) and gained about 2-3 mph, so by that you can infer your speed might drop by that much. Depends on the variables.

Don't worry about hooking it or anything, just use it to see if the weight makes a difference in your speed. If you try a house ball also throw a 14# house to compare it too. That should give you a little idea if changing would make a difference.

It would help also if we knew your axis tilt & Rotation and ball layout and current ball surface. Also how much are you lofting the ball.

A suggestion also would be to change to surface of the Marvel some. The Marvel comes with a 2000 grit surface, so try dropping down to a base grit of 500, followed by a light 1000 grit abralon.

Also your standing at 15 and throwing between 2 & 3rd arrow, that's playing right down the oil line. Try standing about 12 and targeting between 2nd arrow and the 7 board. And don't loft the ball.

[striker12]

im with bowl1820 on that one move to the 12 board and throw it between the 2nd arrow and 7 board i do that when i cant get my main ball to move when i stand all the way left. but when i change to that way i cross my ball over the 2nd arrows with standing on the 20 board and i get my ball out to the 7-5 board and it comes in nicly.

but yeah try a grit change but do that after u test out the ne starting spot and line if it still dose the same thing then go down in the grit to what bowl1820 sead

[striker12]

i throw a 14# strike ball and spare ball and all i do is adjust my hand placement at the starting with my spare ball soo then the ball is facing out towards the pins and my hands are still at the same place as wher ei put my hands for my strike ball and i still throw it much faster but also i cup my hands for my strike ball all the way throw my swing to the release.

my hands ar cuped enoph where the ball is touching my arm and just slittly on the backswing move the ball away from my arm about a 1ich and that seems to help me keep controll of the ball and create alot of revs.

[Tampabaybob]

Haroo....

I'm in agreement with all of these guys. No matter how aggressive you have these balls drilled, if you are too far inside and you're at 18.5 at the camera you're not getting that ball to roll enough for you. I'll bet you leave a lot of 5 pin combinations as well, right? The move to the drier area between the 5 and 8 board should definitely help you.
Your speed problem is most likely due to muscling the ball. You really want to try to just let the weight of the ball carry it thru your backswing to the point of release. At the release point (what I term your explosion point) that's where you add some muscle. Note that I said "SOME". Don't try to throw the ball thru the back of the building, just enough to turn, rotate, and lift with your fingers. That "should" bring your speed down considerably, your ball should hook up more and your carry percentage should increase.

Try it next time you practice. No muscle, just GRAVITY, GRAVITY, GRAVITY. Let us know how you're doing.

Bob