Coaching and Instruction

[Aslan]

So, I found a guy to give me lessons/coaching (backstory). I watched him bowl one evening and before I even knew who he was, I told my friend, "whoa, that guys good." You could just tell the way his form was and how effortlessly he got the ball down there...not to mention his score.

Anyways...so he has given me a few lessons and I have to admit, some of things he's corrected have done wonders for my game. He's got me more upright rather than reaching. He's got me focused on a good follow-through. He's convinced me to throw finger-tip grip and not switch back to conventional for spares. But...there's some things he's tried to get me to do that just don't feel natural. For example;

- Starting with the ball just above my belt versus just under my chin.
- Dropping my leg behind me versus kicking it left.
- Moving my release out so I'm almost tossing the ball versus releasing near my leg.

And I'm kinda torn...because on the one hand...this guy has really helped my game. The grip change and follow-through tips alone have brought me from a 100-135 bowler to a 135-175 bowler. And he's done it for next to NOTHING as far as payment...I've tried, he's refused to take it. On the other hand...some of bowling is about relaxing and feeling comfortable. Not sliding my leg (for example) is SO uncomfortable that most times if I force myself not to do it...I screw up my release and aim because all of my effort is focused on not kicking my leg.

Whata you fellas (and ladies) think? Have you had similar experiences trying to change something and it was hard but eventually became natural? Or maybe you tried to change something and it was too unnatural so you went back to the first thing.

[vdubtx]

Congrats on finding a good coach. Seems like the guy knows what he is doing and can communicate that to you. Takes a special person to be able to see and communicate changes to another persons game.

To answer your questions regarding things that don't seem natural:
1. Starting with your ball about waist height is normal. Any higher is not for most people. Now, not to say it's not done, but look at different pro bowlers approaches on youtube and you won't see any that hold ball that high.
2. If by dropping your leg and and "kicking" it left you mean like this, LINK (http://strikersbg.com/uploads/media/bowlnig/bol6.jpg), then yes, that is what you want on your follow through. I would not purposely "kick" my leg in that direction. Should be a natural motion of your leg going to behind your plant foot during your slide.
3. Without seeing your release it is hard to say. Sounds like he incorporated loft in your release?

If the tweaks are helping your game, why wouldn't you keep at it and practice the tweaks? They will become natural to you the more you practice. The first step in improving is to correct bad habits and it seems like you may have had some.

Good luck.

[Aslan]

I don't know why I got used to holding the ball high to start. I think the coach wants it lower because by holding it that high, I have a tendency to push it out and thus I start to lean over. So he's trying to straighten me up. On the other hand, by having it start high, I'm creating a longer backswing simply due to gravity which helps me not "push back" in my backswing....I'm just letting gravity do it. And if I need to slow my speed a little...I lower the ball, less backswing, less momentum on the swing, slower speed. If I need a little more speed, I can raise it up a little, more backswing, more momentum. It's just how I adjust my speeds without "muscling" the ball backwards or forwards.

My leg kick is a little more lateral than the picture you linked to. Probably a bit more dramatic than that. However, the coach just wants me to kinda just drop it back straight. I always was taught to move it left, not just for balance, but to clear the path for the ball on the right side.

And yes, I think he's trying to incorporate more loft in my release. My only concern is that with that increased loft, I lose a lot of momentum/energy/speed when that ball hits the lane.

But yes...I'm being patient and trying to incorporate his ideas into my approach and release. Like I said, just a couple of his tweaks have made a world of difference. I just have to be patient I guess...and understand it may not feel 100% natural at first. The fingertip grip felt strange at first...now it feels great...as an example.

[GeoLes]

All points sound about right to me. Startign ball height must correspond with approach speed and timing. (I do no-ball drills on the appoach for that). Most important is getting that hand forward and on the release. It gives the ball momentum to increase pin carry downlane. It also gives you more release control. Later as your game develops beeing able to "reach down lane a bit" - so to speak on the release will allow you to "shape " your shot. (See video clips of Pete Webber's release on You tube).

[dnhoffman]

Agreed, his suggestions seem fine