Old Schooler needs some help

[forhuskers]

A little background:

I learned to bowl in the 70's using a strong hooking Columbia Yellow Dot :D, bowled fairly steady through the 80's and 90's into the Urethane days and early reactive and stopped around 2000. I started up again around 2010 and man have the balls themselves and the manner of releasing them changed in that last 10 years I was away!

I get pretty confused because I'm not sure of how to adjust or when to use the different balls. Right now I'm guessing and it's killing me! Back in the day I was a 190 average when it actually meant something. People always were asking me to go to tournaments and I did pretty well. Now I'm in the high 170's to low 180's which I think is awful with today's equipment! Now no one asks me to go to tournaments!

In the old days, if you hit your mark and your ball was going left you moved left, if you were right you moved right. For spares there was the 3-6-9 system. Physically I'm a young 54 so it's not like I'm old and feeble or anything.

I've tried studying all of Slowinski's and Ron C's articles, but I usually end up more confused than ever. Back in the day, if you wanted more hook you had to get a lot of finger lift on the ball. With today's equipment I've read that I should let the ball roll off my hand and that lifting it will actually hurt the ball reaction. I would love to work with a coach, but I live in a small town that has none. The closest larger towns that would have a coach are 150 miles away.

Can anyone maybe help me out with what I SHOULD be doing in this modern age of bowling? I would consider myself a power tweener (I used to be a down and in player) with medium ball speed. I have no idea what my RPM's are. I know I can hook it as much as anyone in my leagues except all these kids that think no thumb and 1000 rpm is the way to go. :eek:

[scottymoney]

Well I currently see myself as a tweener and still play as a down and in player when I need it. Which can be an advantage as you have less of the arcing and a more direct angle to the pocket. With down and in you don't have to put much on it if you have a reactive ball. I used to just throw mine with very little finger lift and it would go straight down and then angle into the pocket. I have since learned to use the finger lift and have been able to get a little more reaction. One of the guys on my league team bowls with a plastic ball and throws dead straight and averages around 160.

My advice would be to learn to adjust, I have had nights in my league where it was almost a shark like pattern and I couldn't get the hook like I have been getting weeks before so I threw a more direct down and in instead of fighting the hook. My team did very well as the other team decided to fight the hook for 3 games instead of adjusting.

As far as targetting when I throw down and in I stand around 2nd dot and throw 2nd arrow. When I play a bit more hook I stand a tad more left from the 2nd dot closer to the 3rd dot, but still throw 2nd arrow. When throwing more hook I normally drop my shoulder a bit, I forget exactly how dropping the shoulder helps but I think someone probably has an answer. I just find it helps me with getting a little bit more revs on the ball.

[billf]

Move in the direction that you missed is still the generally rule of thumb. The easiest way I've found to adjust is to adjust my axis rotation. The more the ball revs parallel to the lane the later it will hook. Instead of the lift pressure being on your index finger, try the middle finger. Lift isn't needed today but can still be used. I have a teammate who had little to no side roll but great lift and that allowed his ball to read the lane and still hook with power. So lifting won't really hurt the reaction as much as alter it.
Any video or questions you want to send my way, I will look and see what I can do for you. I also live in a small town but bowling is very popular here, two coaches in the county lol

[noeymc]

wow bill i have to drive 20 mins to my coach and hes the closet one rest are over a hour away

[forhuskers]

Thanks Guys.

Bill, that is one thing I've really been working on utilizing Slowinski's 4 point release from the Nov06 BTM. Of course a guy always thinks maybe if I just buy that new ball that came out...but no, not until I re-learn how to use the ones I have properly.

I pulled out my old Blue Hammer last week out of desperation and shot a 206 with it! Hmmm...maybe I should try it again tomorrow night. :D While I'm at take out my Cuda-C and Power-Torq (Beyond Reactive! It says it on the ball so it must be so!)

[AngeloPD]

This video might help with your bowling, it sure did help mine :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&list=UU0oUPkQqn2z6G_Th1aE5GjQ&v=fr9lDk848-g&feature=endscreen

[Tampabaybob]

forhuskers....welcome back to the sport. 10 years is a long time and you're correct things have really changed. But bowling is like riding a bicycle....you never forget how to do it. Also welcome to Bowling boards, I think you'll like the conversations here.

As for the new equipment and making changes to your style, yes, you actually have to do less with these new balls to get them to react. While getting your body re-acclimated back to bowling, use your existing equipment and look around and see what others are using in the leagues you're bowling in. Compare balls, companies and ball characteristics before spending hundreds of dollars on new equipment. There are several sites that can help in the comparison. My favorite, and one I always recommend to parents of the kids I teach, is bowling ball.com. They have their own ranking system that will allow you to see how a particular ball "should" react.

Stay with what you know and work with known angles you were used to shooting before and work forward from there. Also watch some of the better bowlers in the league you bowl in and by all means..ask questions.

Good luck and if we can be of help just ask.

Bob