Just Throw The Ball? Really?

[Strike Domination]

Hey folks, I've done a lot of pondering over my physical game the last several months since I fell into a slump over the summer. I recently went bowling with basically non-bowlers and for the first time all I brought was my shoes. Over four games I averaged just under my current league average with a 13lb house ball. I pretty much just walked to the line without having a stance and deciding when to go, but naturally I started the ball with my right foot still and took smaller steps as I got closer to the line(since I didn't push away until about 8 feet away from the foul line). So except for some wrist soreness the next day, now I'm kind of in the mindset of "Why even try?" I managed to actually have fun with it, hooking a conventional drilled plastic ball. I'm just like, why do I even bother to have a real stance and everything if I can do just as well(or bad, really) under those circumstances.

So I'm just kind of wondering, does anyone here just walk to the line and throw the ball? Essentially, that's what I was doing. Sometimes I've done that in league warm ups but that's it. This seems like a fun subject for us to discuss.

[Graaille]

It's called overthinking, overanalyzing, too much strategy crowding out the execution - affectionately known as 'mental constipation'. Fred Borden says do your thinking in the settee area, but when you step on the approach - take a deep breath and "press print" on your plan. When the ball's in your hand isn't the time to start thinking, unless it's practice.

So yeah, don't go thru an entire labor and delivery, just poop - wipe - flush.

[JAnderson]

I even bother to have a real stance and everything if I can do just as well(or bad, really) under those circumstances.

Even your verbage here indicates that your mind treats "when the lights come on" as "real". It's all just throwing the ball down the lane whether it is league or practice or a tournament. Only your mind establishes a difference!

[Strike Domination]

It's all the same to me at this point. What I was getting at was in any other situation where I had my own ball with me I would have had a stance and tried to do the right things in my form. Since I was some how able to score the same as usual, I started thinking about why I would even want to have all that. So my concern is the possibility that I'm spending more time on the approach for nothing special. The only person I can sort of relate it to is Brian Kretzer, the main difference was ball speed and my approach started when my hand was in the ball.

[wes909]

Newton's third law of "equal and opposite reaction forces." For example, if two cars collide, during the collision, car A will exert a force on car B (FAB), and car B will exert the exact same force on car A (FBA). The two forces will have the same strength, but be in exactly opposite directions to one another. In other words, FAB = − FBA. It doesn't matter is one car is heavier (more massive) than the other. :confused:
this would make me assume that the total ball speed does not matter but consider this e=mc2 shows that energy is directly related to mass, and that a small amount of mass exerts a large amount of energy. you may wonder how this will apply to your question

CONSIDER THIS YOU HAVE A 13 POUND BALL AND A 14 POUND BALL . AND YOU THROW THESE TWO BALLS ONE AT A TIME AT A STOP SIGN AT THE EXACT SAME SPEED OF COURSE THE LARGER BALL WILL DO MORE DAMAGE. THUS MASS = ENERGY OK OK NOW IMAGINE YOUR RIDING DOWN THE ROAD AT 60 MPH AND YOU TOSS A BASE BALL OUT THE WINDOW AND IT HITS A SIGN AND DOES MINIMAL DAMAGE. YOU TURN AROUND AND THIS TIME YOU HANG OUT THE WINDOW AND THROW THE BALL AT 60MPH.
SINCE YOU WERE ALREADY TRAVELING AT 60MPH IN THE VEHICLE YOUR MOMENTUM WOULD PUT THE BALL AT 120MPH AND CARRYING MUCH MORE KINETIC ENERGY YOU CAN DO MASSIVE DAMAGE TO A SIGN WITH THAT.

SO IF YOUR APPROACH TO THE LANE HITS 2 MPH AND AND YOUR SWING HITS 13 MPH . THEN YOUR BALL WOULD BE AT 15 MPH .VERY SIMPLE NOW BACK TO NEWTONS LAW (FAB = − FBA) ALTHOUGH THE BOWLING BALL AND THE PINS WILL EXERT THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENERGY UPON IMPACT . THE EXTRA SPEED YOU CARRY FROM YOUR APPROACH THEN TRANSFERS INTO KINETIC ENERGY UPON IMPACT. THINK OF IT LIKE AN EXPLOSION IF YOU HAVE A SMALL FIRE CRACKER AND A HUGE FIRE CRACKER AND THEY EXPLODE THE EXTRA ENERGY FROM THE LARGER FIRE CRACKER DOES INFACT MAKE A LARGER EXPLOSION THEN IF YOU HAD TWO SMALL EXPLOSIONS...


WELL THAT'S MY TAKE ON IT im sure that im not perfect on my physics but that just my understanding of it
if you can apply this to your bowling good luck , all it does is show that a faster approach and swing = more energy (pins flying farther)

[JAnderson]

Well too, SD, if you are able to repeat your approach without thinking about it, then your approach is not a weakness in your game and you'll see limited improvements working on it. To improve we must first find an area where there is room for improvement.

As far as picking up the ball and just walking, you can see Pete Weber do it when he's bowling well. I've had several coaches suggest "going for a walk" when approach troubles appear. I find it an excellent way to warm up and stay loose. Don't even put your fingers in the ball before you start your feet moving. Just go.

Practice is for trying new things. After all, if you don't change you won't improve and that's true for every bowler on the planet.

[wes909]

u know though i think if you through with more speed you get less of a chance of ball bounce im not sure though

[Motiv Girl]

What it really breaks down to is fear of failure.In situations that are likely to make
you uncomfortable or embarrass you.Your mind gathers information that tells you that
you were uncomfortable in that situation,and don't like that feeling.So instead of relaxing
our unconscious mind wants to prevent any other embarrassing situations.For the serious
bowlers,it feels like there is a lot at stake.I need this strike or spare,my team needs it
I need it.You do not want to fail,and the trouble usually begins because of the importance
of the the situation,you have the feeling that your success or failure holds a large personal
stake for you.Your heart starts racing ,and the fact that a shot or game is important,you also
are being watched,which puts bad thoughts into your mind.

How can you learn to let go!
1. Shake mistakes off,don't call yourself names this will reinforce negative thoughts.
Make sure you remember to always give yourself positive encouragement.

2.Face the situation,name what happened or you can't fix it or deal with it.If you
attempt to bury it,it will keep coming back to you if you don't face it.

3.Include a visual memory,the feelings in your body when you threw good shots,the
good emotions that went with they moment.The reason for doing this is to let the
natural fillings into the brain to do its thing.This greatly helps when you need to
just let it flow,and not think about being perfect or a robot.

4.You also need to learn how to handle the stress and anxiety of the moment.You need
to learn deep breathing exercises,muscle relation exercises,visualization and self
talk exercises.

5.You need to stay in the present.Forget about the past,focus on the present.Once that
shot is done and it's not what you wanted , you don't need to try to forget about
it just let it flow out of the mind and move on to the next shot.

A good formula to remember is this:
Staying in the present time +commitment to plan+visualization +finish=great game.

[Stormed1]

Most bowlers tend to stand at the line too long before they"pull the trigger" on that big shot. The longer you stand there with your hand in the ball contemplating you shot, the more negative thoughts can creep into your head. Plus muscles will tighten up and tighten uip your armswing. Bottom line is you know what you want to do as far as where and how you want to throw it before you throw it. So just get up there, do your normal pre shot routine.Set yourself on the approach, put your hand in the ball and go

[JAnderson]

2.Face the situation,name what happened or you can't fix it or deal with it.If you
attempt to bury it,it will keep coming back to you if you don't face it.

Nice Motiv Girl.

Dean Hinitz likes to say: That's what. So What. Now What? I find it to be a great tool for getting past something "bad" that happened and returning focus to where it needs to be: executing the next shot.

[mattro]

This reminds me of what we say on the golf course."the longest distance on any course is the 6 inches between your ears" Most of the time when you are able to get out of your own way (not trying so hard) you manage to succeed beyond epectation.

[Phil]

i'm not the greatest bowler in the world, but anytime i am not doing as well as i feel i should i always go back to I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE ITS FUN!!! not to say that i enjoy losing by any stretch of the imagination, but i think if your really struggling, just have fun for a game or two..... it helps me relax anyway....