What would you want if it were possible to make one change in your bowling ???

[Judy clemons]

If I could make change in my bowling the one thing that I would want extreme perfection on would be
ROLLING my BALL over my TARGET every time. I believe that is the single most important factor with the biggest IMPACT!!!

[Tampabaybob]

If I could make change in my bowling the one thing that I would want extreme perfection on would be
ROLLING my BALL over my TARGET every time. I believe that is the single most important factor with the biggest IMPACT!!!

Judy, I agree with you 1000% !!! I've been teaching and coaching bowling for over 30 years and the biggest thing that I stress is accuracy, accuracy, & accuracy. Give me an accurate team member to bowl with any day of the week. Many guys that I bowl on the league with are crankers that "play an area" . Well, that's fine if the "AREA" is working for them. If it isn't they're not going to be very much of a threat. The let it fly mentality that some bowlers have just doesn't work in my book.

So you're right on the money. The problem most bowlers have (only about 90% !!) is looking up from their target a split second BEFORE they release the ball. And you can't hit what you don't see.

[Judy clemons]

:-)WOW! you blew me away i never expected
that kind response. Thank you, Tampabobay

[Judy clemons]

Correction on spelling needed i'm sorry.
Tampabaybob and THANK YOU again.

[Dartgod]

For me, it would be to eliminate wrist pain. I bowled for years and never had a problem but then took a 12 year or so hiatus from league bowling. I started up again last year and I have dealt with wrist pain ever since. It severely affected my ability to get decent revs on the ball and even got to the point where I had no strength. I couldn't even lift my ball off the rack to bowl.

I finally went to a specialist and it seems that I have some arthritis now in my wrist. He gave me a steroid injection and I now bowl with a wrist brace, which has helped considerably. It's been a couple of months and some of the pain has started to come back, so I'll probably end up getting another injection at some point.

[ecub]

Consistency for me. I can hit my mark, but sometimes not at the same speed or not enough revs.

[jbeck]

Consistency for me. I can hit my mark, but sometimes not at the same speed or not enough revs.

I'm in the same boat! I may not always hit my target, but I'm pretty sure I'm 90 % accurate with it. I just need to match my revs with my speed or vice versa and that's what kills me in consistent pin carry.

[Tampabaybob]

I'm in the same boat! I may not always hit my target, but I'm pretty sure I'm 90 % accurate with it. I just need to match my revs with my speed or vice versa and that's what kills me in consistent pin carry.

It comes with many years and thousands of games of practice. Very, very hard. You'll see some of the pros on tour bowling well for a few weeks and then all of a sudden they don't qualify for a few weeks. I can tell you from experience, after those weeks of not qualifying, you can bet they're at the lanes every day probably bowling for 4-6 hours and working on their game. It's not something that comes easy.

[billf]

I wish I had started bowling 30 year earlier. I bowl against people who started very young while I didn't start until 37. That's put me thousands of games behind.

[Tampabaybob]

Yeah, I was very fortunate. My Mom and Dad were bowlers. they bowled "Duckpins" for years in Connecticut before Tenpins really came into the area. Our first "new modern" bowling center wasn't even built until 1959. That's when all three of us started bowling tenpins. It just kind of took off from there for me. I was very fortunate, I had several del good coaches along the way. I guess that's one reason I coach today. It's my way of giving back to the game that has done so much for me.

[swingset]

Yup, accuracy and consistency are my boogeyman, as they are for most bowlers.

[GeoLes]

100% more flexability. I am a tall, stiff old guy with a high lunge finish. Knees are bent (about as much as they want to go), but I am still not close to the floor. I see a number of pros (Wes Malot, for one) with high finishes, so I guess it's okay, but I am still green with envy when I see these young guys with the super high backswing dynamically powering to a whisper quiet relese, Like Michael Fagan "Whooosh".

Not reallly required to bowl well, but it looks so great. I wish that were me.

[billf]

100% more flexability. I am a tall, stiff old guy with a high lunge finish. Knees are bent (about as much as they want to go), but I am still not close to the floor. I see a number of pros (Wes Malot, for one) with high finishes, so I guess it's okay, but I am still green with envy when I see these young guys with the super high backswing dynamically powering to a whisper quiet relese, Like Michael Fagan "Whooosh".

Not reallly required to bowl well, but it looks so great. I wish that were me.

Try bowling in an argyle sweater.

[Tampabaybob]

Wow Bill, Really?

[J Anderson]

Wow Bill, Really?

Only if you buy the official PBA argyle Fagan jersey. There's a lot of fine print in the guarantee but I'm sure it must work;)

[Bendial]

For me it would be to loosen up my arm swing. I carry all my stress in my shoulders and my swing is really tense, for some reason I just can't let my arm relax enough with that much weight in my hand.

[Hammer]

Better balance at the foul line. Sometimes after I release the ball I am a little off balance. I think it might be my slide foot not getting under the center of my body or I muscle the ball right before the release.

[swingset]

100% more flexability. I am a tall, stiff old guy with a high lunge finish. Knees are bent (about as much as they want to go), but I am still not close to the floor. I see a number of pros (Wes Malot, for one) with high finishes, so I guess it's okay, but I am still green with envy when I see these young guys with the super high backswing dynamically powering to a whisper quiet relese, Like Michael Fagan "Whooosh".

Not reallly required to bowl well, but it looks so great. I wish that were me.

Yoga. Seriously.

It's wonderful for flexibility, and it has done me wonders. It's probably, honestly, the perfect bowling exercise.

[I suck at bowling]

I wish I could slow down, lol.

Been trying to for a month, and I'm only making minimal progress.

[sprocket]

I want lessons this spring/summer from someone who is really good at doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I would need ongoing lessons, like once a week. I want to return to using my thumb on my strike ball. I know I am very close to being able to do it right, but my arm swing and release are a little out of whack. The position of my shoulders is a problem I think. I think I could get back on track pretty fast with some help.

[richardsymms]

Judy I sent you a private message because I was not smart enough to find how to reply to your blog. Anyway, I have found mark baker's book "Game Changer" to be just that! Has change my game for the better by showing how to be consistent and much more. Also go to Bowling4fun.com and read all those great and helpful articles by Ron Clifton. There are more but these two are the best I have found.

[Tampabaybob]

For those of you on the other side of the country, I wish I could get on a plane and show up to help you out. Unfortunately, that's cost prohibitive and your best bet is to find a "Good" local coach. It'll be money well spent. As far as some of the comments, I'll try to give you a better perspective here.

For those of you lacking in accuracy, try not blinking your eyes until "you see the ball roll over your target". Yeah, one micro second of a blink and you can blow a shot. Not the easiest thing to learn but with practice you can get it easily. Remember...."YOU CAN"T HIT WHAT YOU DON"T SEE".

For those that feel they are muscling the ball, listen up. Let gravity do it's job. When you push the ball, or drop the ball into your swing, DO not use your muscles. If you've been bowling more than a few months, this is not hard to learn. Let your muscle memory take over. IF you let gravity swing the ball (remember you're moving quite quickly down the approach ! ), and only use a little bit of force at your release point (the EXPLOSION POINT as I like to call it) - you should see a remarkable difference.

For those that fall off balance at the line, slow down and sty in time with your arm. Make adjustments to where you start the ball in your stance, adjust your foot speed (slow, slow, quick, quick) and post your shot at the line. Several times recently while working with some one locally, I have "fixed" their problem, just by having their bowling side leg kick over to the opposite side for balance. Plus keep the non-bowling arm stretched out. THESE are your balancers !! Use them. You should be able to stay "completely" balanced at the line on JUST your slide foot, UNTIL THE BALL DROPS OFF OF THE PIN DECK. IF you can do this on very shot, you will see an amazing difference in your leverage at the line. Case in point...helped a lady a couple of weeks ago with this exact example. She was bowling in a tournament the next day and wanted some pointers. This was a Saturday. On Sunday afternoon she called me to say everything worked well, AND she won the tournament AND $1000.00 !!! And she was bowling against many bowlers much higher average than hers. So it does work.

Questions? Let me know. And no, I'm not going to fly all over the country to give lessons....LOL.

[billf]

Bob, I spent 90 minutes Thursday evening working with a young man I had nicknamed "dumper". I told him he was Thumper's bowling brother. He says he has been bowling for years but took a break for a couple of years and lost his form.
I concentrated first on giving him a slide, complete with balance leg. Then I moved his index finger to 1:00 throughout the swing and put his balance arm in proper position. He couldn't believe the movement he was getting out of his Cyclone on fresh oil. Tomorrow at league I will get to see how much he has been practicing what he learned.

[Tampabaybob]

Yeah, it's nice when you coach someone, and you can see the immediate improvement. What they sometimes don't understand is once they have learned a different way of doing something they need to get down to the lanes and practice, practice, practice. I've spent countless hours with some people that just never get it. Sorry to say, I'm always unavailable to them when they want more help. No use wasting his time, my time, and in some cases his money. Can't buy me enough advil to overcome the disappointment. LOL

[classygranny]

I've spent countless hours with some people that just never get it. Sorry to say, I'm always unavailable to them when they want more help. No use wasting his time, my time, and in some cases his money. Can't buy me enough advil to overcome the disappointment. LOL

I seem to be leaning on "timing" to be the answer to this question. With timing and balance at the line, you get away with a lot of little mistakes.

Bob...I hope I'm not one of these people to my coach. I know I tend to forget things easily, and I try and write everything I can down. Sometimes, I just forget from lesson to lesson. Is there anything I can watch from my coach to see if what you are talking about is happening? I know there are a few things we addressed in my first lesson, that I now have questions about, but I'm thinking it's because it wasn't "expanded" on and in going forward I have started to question myself. Any suggestions on being a "good student"?

[TCJ]

If I could make one change to my normal bowling style, I'd adjust my swing plane. At some point when I go back to one-handed, that's what I'll be working on.

[classygranny]

Bob...I hope I'm not one of these people to my coach. I know I tend to forget things easily, and I try and write everything I can down. Sometimes, I just forget from lesson to lesson. Is there anything I can watch from my coach to see if what you are talking about is happening? I know there are a few things we addressed in my first lesson, that I now have questions about, but I'm thinking it's because it wasn't "expanded" on and in going forward I have started to question myself. Any suggestions on being a "good student"?

Bob or anyone...suggestions on this? I go for next lesson on Thursday.

[billf]

There is nothing wrong in repeating what was said to you in a previous lesson (shows you were paying attention) and saying how now that you've been trying to put these items into your game you know have questions about them. Let's face it, how can a person have a good question about something they may have never heard of before and have never done before?
As a coach you don't want to always go into too much detail until you think the client is ready for it. It's kind of like me trying to explain quantum physics to my wife, all you get is a blank stare.

[J Anderson]

Bob...I hope I'm not one of these people to my coach. I know I tend to forget things easily, and I try and write everything I can down. Sometimes, I just forget from lesson to lesson. Is there anything I can watch from my coach to see if what you are talking about is happening? I know there are a few things we addressed in my first lesson, that I now have questions about, but I'm thinking it's because it wasn't "expanded" on and in going forward I have started to question myself. Any suggestions on being a "good student"?

Bob or anyone...suggestions on this? I go for next lesson on Thursday.

If you have spent at least some time since your last lesson practicing one or two of the things that your coach wants you to work on, you're not in danger of being one of "those" bowlers that Bob was talking about.

Good teachers realize that students will have questions on things that have already been covered, especially as the student tries to apply the lesson. By all means, bring your questions to the next lesson. Every one learns in somewhat different ways and it shouldn't bother him to try a few different ways of explaining something.

[GoodGravy]

Release the ball the same way...every time! All the rest I can adjust for. I get lazy, distracted, tired, etc. and the ball comes off my hand to early or it is a week shot. It is amazing to me how much mental discipline is necessary just to throw a ball...reminds me of my baseball coach, football coach, hockey coach, drill sergeant, boss, wife, kids....gosh...remind me again why I play this game????

[Tampabaybob]

Judy, One of the things that I've done in the past is to let someone video the lesson. They'll either set up the camera behind the lanes or have someone with them do it for them. I don't mind it at all, it not interfering with what I'm doing and it's something that you can take home and review. A PICTURE IS ALWAYS WORTH THOSE 10,000 WORDS. Ask your coach if he wouldn't mind letting you video tape your next lesson. I'm sure that most would say sure, no problem. That way it stays with you and when you feel a little "OFF" you replay that tape !! How's that sound?

[Tampabaybob]

If I could make one change to my normal bowling style, I'd adjust my swing plane. At some point when I go back to one-handed, that's what I'll be working on.

TC...Not to jump in on Judy's post, but let me just address, what you just wrote. Your swing plane, whether you're bowling two handed or one handed is going to be very similar. Your head should still be over the top of your arm swing, on your delivery, regardless of how you bowl.

Your best bet is to do a video of yourself and have us take a look at it. Or have a buddy video you. If possible take a few shots (frames) from the side as well. There may be something very slight that is giving you problems and another pair of eyes can see. In this case possibly several sets of eyes !!! LOL Anyway post one up here and let us take a look at what you're doing and we'll see if we can help you out.

[TCJ]

TC...Not to jump in on Judy's post, but let me just address, what you just wrote. Your swing plane, whether you're bowling two handed or one handed is going to be very similar. Your head should still be over the top of your arm swing, on your delivery, regardless of how you bowl.

I agree. However, it wasn't. That's why I wanted to fix the one.


Your best bet is to do a video of yourself and have us take a look at it. Or have a buddy video you. If possible take a few shots (frames) from the side as well. There may be something very slight that is giving you problems and another pair of eyes can see. In this case possibly several sets of eyes !!! LOL Anyway post one up here and let us take a look at what you're doing and we'll see if we can help you out.

Thanks, but I already fixed it. It took me about three games of trying various adjustments and my swing plane is just fine now.

[Tampabaybob]

TC... Good to hear you fixed the problem. Good practice and concentration on your main point of change usually will do it. Good Luck, hope to see a post soon about your 300 game/800 series !!