Do I have too much ball for my throw speed?

[Hammerguy529]

Ok, I throw both the hammer hotsauce pearl and the ebonite magic. I often find myself throwing softer and I don't exactly know how to correct it. When I try to throw a bit harder I lose more accuracy or end up in the gutter. Now that begs the question am I throwing too much ball for the lanes at my house for my speed? I love both of these balls and they are both quite the eye catcher. I am also a bit new to the sport to really understand the technical aspect on which does what? Should I step down to a less hooking ball to compensate for my speed, or should I bring my speed up?:confused:

[Graaille]

I think the only thing you may need to change is your philosophy. Let me explain.....

You say you lose accuracy when you throw harder, which to my mind says that you're forcing the ball/muscling the ball. Don't think of it as throwing harder, relax the shoulder and get a more relaxed swing - then speed up your tempo to the foul line. The more relaxed your swing, the more relaxed your shoulder - the better your accuracy will become. And with that, then the only change in speed you'll have to make is how far up/down in your stance you hold the ball, and at what tempo you approach the line at.

Now I won't deny that you may have too much ball - I can't and won't say one way or the other. But if your swing is truly relaxed and in the groove, and the inside of your elbow is always pointing at your target thru the swing, and you still wind up guttering it when your tempo is up -- then it's time to either change targets or change balls.

Honestly, the ball change is probably the last resort. Fundimentals first - then equipment.

[PSBA10]

Graaille is right. If you are losing accuracy when you throw "harder" you are probably muscling the ball.

Remember gravity is your friend. For me, to throw faster I raise the ball in my starting position. That gives gravity more time and distance to increase the delivery speed. Conversely to slow down, I lower the ball in my stance. It takes some practice to get the timing right, but it's worth it. Your accuracy will return and you will be able to adjust speed as conditions demand.

[Hammerguy529]

well thank you for those two responses....I think I may get a tad too "excited" when preparing for my release. I don't want to spend anymore coin for some new equipment without trying to rectify my issues first. The last night I went bowling was my biggest failure as far as correcting my throw. I'd like to say that I thought the conditions were very dry and I just didn't have enough speed on my throw which could explain why I was brooklyn every turn. It seemed when I raised the ball a little higher in my hand I did pick up some controllable speed. I plan on practicing and practicing further. Hopefully it is just me as I really do not feel that it is the balls in any way, but who better to ask than the pros?

[PSBA10]

Well, there could be other factors involved also.

Where do you play the lanes? By that I mean where do you stand and what is your target. You may be simply playing the wrong part of the lane.

Typically, the outside of the lanes have less dressing (oil) than the middle of the lane. If you are trying to go down and in from outside, there may well be not enough oil to hold your line. If that is the case, move both your feet and target toward the center of the lane by 5 boards. Keep making these moves till you see a ball reaction that is repeatable. Once that is found you can make small adjustments to get yourself to the pocket.

[playbowl]

well thank you for those two responses....I think I may get a tad too "excited" when preparing for my release. I don't want to spend anymore coin for some new equipment without trying to rectify my issues first. The last night I went bowling was my biggest failure as far as correcting my throw. I'd like to say that I thought the conditions were very dry and I just didn't have enough speed on my throw which could explain why I was brooklyn every turn. It seemed when I raised the ball a little higher in my hand I did pick up some controllable speed. I plan on practicing and practicing further. Hopefully it is just me as I really do not feel that it is the balls in any way, but who better to ask than the pros?

Sounds like too much ball for the conditions. Your ball is reading the lane too early. Try taking the finish to 4000 or even 4000 with polish. Unless you are in the 16+ MPH range at release the Majic and HSP appear to be the wrong balls for the condition you bowl on. Having equipment that is too strong usually makes for a long night. Get yourself a Tornado,Scout, Groove, Razor, Mojave or any one of a dozen more entry level reactive balls and use that on dry lanes. Too often bowlers use equipment that vaporizes their line in 2 or 3 shots. To be able to "shell down" is an option that should always be in your arsenal.

[Hammerguy529]

well thats just been it, I've been hit or miss with the lanes lately, I start off on the left side*Im a right hander) and throw wide....maybe I should move more to the center and see what happens from there. With the exception of the magic, I love to throw hammer so what would be a good middle of the road ball, perhaps the razyr? This last weekend that I've went bowling was the first time Ive ever had such a hard time getting on the jersey side of the headpin :(

[Graaille]

If you want to stay hammer, I'd say my first choice would be a Vibe -- less expensive and a good look on drier lanes. You can go Razyr or something from the Raw line, but if you feel like getting one more ball - go Vibe.

But my advice above still stands as my actual first steps. And if you're still in doubt about exactly how to speed up/slow down/not muscle your swing/gain accuracy -- take the money you'd spend on a ball and schedule some time w/a coach. We can give generalizations here, but we don't have eyes on target so as to make more specific "catered to you" advise that a decent coach would. Plus, he/she might suggest a slightly different layout on the balls you already have, or they might say "Hey, you might do well to pick up a <fill in the blank> to help you on this condition"

[Hammerguy529]

alright, well I think Im going to give it a few more tries before I cough up for another ball. :) I'd like to really get a constant feel and make sure its not just user error as well....I wouldnt mind a vibe though.....or that psycho...but if you think after all that and even some coaching I may get the vibe too. I would really like to figure out what my pap is even if I have one as of yet....alot of things to the sport that I don't have a full knowledge of yet and Im trying to soak it all in. Thanks

[JAnderson]

It's rare for a newer bowler to be rev-dominant. The terms "rev-dominant" and "spped-dominant" are generally used to refer to a bowler that does not have a good balance between revs and speed on a an average lane condition. Rev-dominant bowlers have more revs than necessary to produce good ball reaction for a given speed. Speed-dominant bowlers have more speed than necessary to produce good ball reaction for a given rev rate.

Hammerguy529 - what happens when you do manage to throw your current equipment faster on the correct line?

Everyone has made good suggestions thus far. There are a number of different adjustments a bowler can make when the ball is hooking too much.

1. Change line
2. Different equipment (or changing existing equipment)
3. Increase speed
4. Decrease rev rate
5. Decrease rotation
6. Increase tilt

The fifth and sixth items are not typically concepts for new and recreational bowlers but are included to illustrate a point: only 1 of the six adjustments includes equipment. All of the others are equipment independent.

What adjustment or combination of adjustments is made and in what order depends on the bowler. Some bowlers, such as Walter Ray Williams and Mike Scroggins, will increase speed before anything else. Why? Because that is a strong point of those bowlers' game.

Changing equipment is perhaps the easiest, but not always the most effective.

I listed the adjustments above in the order (that is in my opinion) easiest to most difficult for the average bowler to make correctly and consistently.

[Hammerguy529]

Well I just got home from a practice session and I had some help from one of the leaguer's assistance, and I got a few pointers and a major MAJOR problem I was having is I wasn't getting the ball in the right area before hooking. I am hooking very much but with a little help I managed to squeeze out a few more strikes at a much more "recurring" rate. I average 130ish according to all the games I've bowled and kept track of, and I managed to turn loose a 176 before I stopped. Thanks again guys! Im gonna keep practicing it up and hopefully after I pick up a psycho raw-hammer (my next ball in my arsenal or the onyx vibe) I will be done with ball shopping!

[Jamski]

Speed has been everything to me. I was "coaching" my son and clucking away at him for going too fast, meanwhile lamenting the fact that I couldn't seem to get any grip on the lanes...when the house owner's son took me aside and gently suggested I follow my own advice! :o

Bottom line...it worked for me. I speed up, the ball hooks less, if at all. I slow down, it cuts, sometimes violently. Amazing stuff, and it's made all the difference. The rest is all up to how good a read I get on the lane.