Not sliding affecting my ball speed?

[teamxdmatt]

i just started bowling again after a couple of years and i never did slide i just don't feel comfortable trying it but is it affecting my ball speed too? i only throw about 13-14 mph and i have a short backswing as well for some reason i don't like having a high backswing. is my speed ok or do i need to try something i'm just not sure on what to do. i'm putting alot of wrist into the ball on a house shot standing on 30-35 and throwing out with my action packed.

[mdmjdm]

13-14 mph is going to cause you problems, esp when the lanes dry out. Seems like today's game requires at least 15-16 mph, maybe because coverstocks these days soak up the oil like sponges.

Maybe try cheating your backswing up a little at a time, by raising your starting position a little at a time. It should take your backswing higher and increase ball speed a little.

Personally, that is the type of change I make in small increments...last time I tried to make a BIG adjustment to my start and backswing my timing got all screwed up, taking even longer to fix.

[DanielMareina]

Not sliding will effect lots of aspects of your swing. I bowled in street shoes for nearly a decade. It helps you get a lot on the ball, and really crank the ball out of your hand. This is not a good thing for your overall bowling game though. I would recommend getting a pair of Dexter SST's or any shoe with a interchangable slide pad. Start out with a 2 or 4 pad (not much slide) and go from there. It will mess your timing up to slide, but it will take a lot of pressure off your knee and smooth out your release. My average went up 8 pins the first year that I changed over to bowling shoes, and my knee is very thankful too. As for ball speed, the post above me is correct. 15-16 is as slow as you want to throw it if you put a lot of rotation on the ball. And his advice about raising the starting position of the ball is dead on! Good luck!

[teamxdmatt]

i just cant seem to get he approach right on sliding.. and i've tried to use a higher backswing but i havent seen an increase in speed probably cause i don't slide. i'm just lost lol

[DanielMareina]

You can try to speed your feet up. This will make your arm increase speed to keep up, and in turn will increase ball speed. Depending on your current speed, it may be a good idea. If you are already quick with the feet, it may be too fast. Without seeing it, it is hard to tell you what to do. I do recommend sliding though. Just to reiterate ;)

[teamxdmatt]

my approach isn't fast at all . i hope trying to approach faster will help thanks. i do have alot of trouble on dry lanes i don't really have a ball for it. any suggestions on a ball for dry lanes? thanks for your time.

[DanielMareina]

It would help to know what ball you throw right now. The key to picking new balls for dry lanes is to match the ball style with the other balls you have, so as the lanes dry out it makes the transition between balls easier. As far as balls for dry lanes, I would suggest Tropical Heat, Fast, or the Reign by STORM, or maybe the new Slingshot by Brunswick if you want something really tame. I will tell you which one of these balls will work best for you when I hear what ball(s) you throw right now. Until then, good luck on the faster approach!

[teamxdmatt]

right now i'm using an Action Packed by columbia 300.. i bought it off my friend we have pretty much dead on the same span i'm not sure how the drill pattern is on this i will take a picture of it for you. i've let it get pretty dull though i need to polish it back up to factory finish. right now if here is some oil on the lane i can stand on 30 and swing it out to about the 4th or 5th board and it will come back for me probably because of my slow speed. my average is ok but i want it to be better around 160-165 range is what i'm at now but when it comes to dry lanes i'm so inconsistent.

i also have an Xcel but it's sanded right now i would use for heavy oil i think its drilled to go long i will take a picture of it as well. those are mainly the only two i use. i use the action packed more though. i hardly come across heavy oil lane conditions so maybe i should polish it as well?

i will take pics of the layouts when i get home from work. thank you for the help

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q20/emphasizedismatt/ball1.jpg
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q20/emphasizedismatt/ball2.jpg

[mdmjdm]

Getting some surface off of those balls will help, the dull finish just makes it read the lane earlier and smooths out the reaction. The Xcel is definitely drilled to go long and arc, with the pin that far off your PAP. If it snaps at the breakpoint, it must be due to the speed, because that drill is intended to reduce the track flare. That is the one that should have the polish. The other is drilled to pretty much maximise the ball...as much flare as it will get. The pin is up, so that makes it go longer. How many games on those balls? Last time they had the oil baked out? If you really want to tame out a resin ball, simply dont clean it...the oil will build up in it over time and soften the reaction. Of the two layouts, the Xcel has more of a "dry lane" look to it...add a polish to it. As for a dry lane ball, I'm a Morich guy, and they don't have much in that arena...lol. The Solid LevRG is very tame by Mo's standards, and the Mojave simply WONT move in oil, it's for REALLY dry lanes. Forget the Sahara, though...NOT a dry lane ball

WHICH problem with dry lanes are you having? There are essentially two that people struggle with: Early read (IE the ball starts to hook too soon, and just keeps digging) or Over-reaction at the end of the pattern?

With the dull surfaces and low ball speed, I'm guessing the first. Polish will help some, but ball speed is a MUST when they get really dry. The first 10 boards of any house dry out like that, you can also get your breakpoint in to the 10 board or so...there is usually a little more hold in there.

I had a few other ideas for you to try, in addition to Daniel's earlier posts. Look at a target further down the lane. I know it sounds odd, but it tends to make most bowlers extend through the shot better rather than lifting up. You can also get a little more loft on the ball, which can be helpful when you are just a LITTLE high. Getting the ball to hit the lane maybe 2 feet farther can get it off the head pin, useful for a good line that suddenly leaves you 4's and 9's. I'm not talking about LAUNCHING it to the arrows, just a few feet.

Take your time with the increase in speed...it will take time to adjust to. Work on it in the summer, and I'm sure you will have it fixed by winter.

[DanielMareina]

mdmjdm had the layouts pretty well pegged. Assuming that your axis is close to where the weight hole is drilled on the Columbia ball. To tell you the truth, both layouts aren't exactly ideal for people who average where you do. The high flare layout on the Columbia is a good layout, but will have a lot of over/under reaction problems. Especially with a strong layout on a core that isn't great. The Xcel isn't a bad layout, but if it is sanded, that will cause you problems. I would suggest resurfacing the Xcel with around a 1500 grit polish, or take it to 4000 grit abralon. Either will make it a little more of a viable option. With those two balls, you are wide open on choices for light oil ball. Usually I would suggest balls that hook like the other balls you have, but both of those should be replaced some time in the future. I would suggest starting what will be your new arsenal with a Storm Reign. It is a great ball! It will slide through the heads clean, and the core is very predictable and very powerful. Also, you could follow it up with the Reign of Fire to replace both your other balls later on and use that for heavy to medium oil. If you can find out what your positive axis point is, I would be happy to suggest some layouts that would work for you. I hope this helps!

[teamxdmatt]

Thanks for the great advice guys!

these balls have a pretty good amount of games on them. well the action packed is the one i use the most and i haven't done anything to it since i got it. the xcel i don't use that much. on dry lanes i have a problem with the ball hooking way too much sometimes going brooklyn or going through the head pin with the action packed ..even though i move over sometimes its right while sometimes it hooks way too much still i get really frustrated. while if i had a fresh shot out there i wouldn't have a problem . like the other day there was a fresh shot out and with the action packed i shot a 223 185 and 180 but that was with me standing on 30 and swinging out to the 5th board. i tried to get some more ball speed also but it seemed like the ball was hooking even more probably because i was lifting more too while trying to throw faster.



daniel,
the xcel was drilled for me when i just first started bowling in 2006-2007 so i'm not really sure if that's my actual layout i would use today.. i know the fingertip holes are drilled pretty deep to take top weight out i guess? i did used to have a problem trying to hook the ball but it seems now i put alot of revs on it now but not enough speed now its weird. i do see the action packed is inconsistent as you state the over/under reaction problems. i'd say i have a medium-high track on the ball right now. those balls you mentioned looks like they would work for me from watching some videos on them.

[DanielMareina]

The only reason to drill finger holes deep is because the center of gravity is too far below your mid-grip. It isn't actually called top weight, although that is an accurate description of what it is. If you set a ball with the middle of your grip straight up, there are 6 sides that have a weight restriction set by the USBC. Each of the three sets of two sides must be within 1 oz of each other with a .1 oz variance. This means that the left/right finger/thumb and hole side(top)/opposite side must be within 1.1 oz of each other. In the old days, static weight mattered enough that they made these rules. Now it means almost nothing, but the rule is still there, so we have to follow it.

When bowlers start out, the pro shop guy will do a generic layout on your equipment to make it easier on you to succeed. To tell you the truth, neither of yours are generic. I really think that you would be more successful with a different layout. This is easiest to do by buying a new ball, but if you want to, you can plug the fingers and thumb on your sanded ball and try a different layout with it. I would suggest a pin above your fingers to add length, but make it a 5.5" pin from your positive axis point(PAP). This may not mean much to you, but your pro shop guy will understand. The reason I suggest this layout is because that ball is more aggressive than you need. Since you barely use it now, it isn't a big loss, but it could be a big gain. The farther the pin is away from your pap, to an extent of about 6", it will smooth the transition of the ball into it's hook phase. This does two things. First, it makes the reaction of the ball much more predictable and controllable. Secondly, it will take away a lot of the over/under problems people have with high flare layouts. I personally have about 12 balls with 6 different layouts on them. My favorite layouts are 5" pins above my fingers and 4.5" pins below my fingers. Every one is different, but from hearing the problems you are having, I think a longer pin and maybe a 4000 grit coverstock on your sanded ball would be much more beneficial to you than having it ready for dry lanes that you don't usually encounter.

[teamxdmatt]

thanks for the great information! i greatly appreciate it. would it be better for me to just start off with a new ball that's not as agressive for a typical house shot and start over? maybe the brunswick slingshot or reign as my main ball and maybe the tropical heat as a dry lane ball? so pretty much why i've been real inconsistent on the lanes is because of that layout on the action packed?

[DanielMareina]

The layouts you have aren't really helping you, but it is much more likely that the coverstock is creating the inconsistency. The layouts just make it harder to get lined up, the coverstock will make it hard to have the lined up shot be consistent. I wouldn't get a tropical heat and a slingshot. The two balls are similar in concept and hook potential. I just drilled a slingshot for a guy the other day and it reacts very nicely, but the tropical heat is just as good. The Reign, on the other hand, is a much better ball for lanes with more oil, because it is much more aggressive than either of the other two. I think that new equipment will be a better way to go, but at the same time, it costs money. So if it is worth it to you, I would buy at least one new ball. I would start with the black/silver Tropical Heat, because it has the Hybrid coverstock and a great consistent core. The hybrid coverstocks are much more adjustable and predictable. The other two Tropical Heat colors have a pearlized reactor coverstock, which is still good for its own reasons too. After you get used to that ball, decide from there what kind of ball you want to compliment it and go from there.

[Strike Domination]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but in addition to the shoes and your footwork, one other cause of not sliding enough is bending at the waist too much. Check on that.

[teamxdmatt]

thanks for the help guys.. ive been trying to throw more straighter than swinging the ball out alot. it seems to help somewhat but i cant use the action packed for that just too agressive still i need to get rid of it. the xcel does pretty good but burns up the oil very quickly since its still sanded. i'm going to get rid of these and start all over with new . ive also kept my hand closed on the ball to get less hook and it seems like i throw a little bit faster doing that but i'm not really sure.