Need advice equip and technique.

[Mad Professor]

Hello I'm new to the site but I'm kind of a beginner/novice in bowling.

I stopped bowling about 7 years ago due to my aggressive, hostile nature, "demand for perfection" and success and my additiction to excessive bowling. I was in a youth league didn't know any better. I'm 23 now, want to get back into the sport but casual bowling maybe relax leagues.

I have two bowling balls and when I was young I didn't get taught very well, the internet was slow, no youtube and information was from word of mouth. At the time I didn't know anything about balls so I bought what the pro shop techs advised me.

Ball 1# Columbia 300 ROCK ON! 16lbs
http://columbia300.com/products/detail_retired_balls/rock_on/
I bought it used.
I like this one the best because of an aggressive hook at the end.
Really hard to grip, damages the inner side of my thumb.

Ball #2 Visionary Magenta DC - Tour Edition 16lbs
Bought it new.
Easier on my hand.
http://www.bowlingballvault.com/companies/26-visionary/193-magenta-dc-tour-edition

both balls have inserts at the fingers.

Basically today I bowled 20 games, did horrible was expected.
Lanes were dry, really dry *no oil rings*, and my balls didn't hook at all. Probably my bad form, poor rotation and too much power. Out of those 20 games two I did real well, 202 and 186, everything else was 120-150.

Now on my approach I don't have much drift, but I keep throwing my right leg up behind during release and I think I lean too far, but I feel pretty balanced during and after release. I was accurate nailing ball placement on the arrows, but poor rotation I just couldn't get it.

On the inner side of my thumb, I have a blister with skin removed and on the tip of my pinkie it's bloody with a blister. I have a hard time gripping the ball, I think due to weight, which is preventing my control on release. Hence poor rotation. I tried to keep my swing arm straight and try to follow through after release, but I don't pay much attention to what my wrist is doing, I kind of let my ball tell me by it's rotation on the lane and the oil ring if there is any.

I'm think I roll a stroker technique.

It's been 7 years and I can't even hook it, like I use to, even then I had trouble with consistency.

I would like to improve my game.

What would I need to do with my equipment and how can I improve my technique?

Also what is RG # Value range from dry to heavy oil in numbers?

Thanks for reading.

[J Anderson]

Disclaimer: I am not a coach, and while I have bowled regularly for 35 years, I have only taken it seriously for the last two.

First: The best way to improve your technique is to find a good local coach. Through BOWL.com you may be able to find one that's USBC certified.
Second: I was going to say that it looks like your equipment doesn't fit properly, but then I reread your post. 20 games in one day after not bowling for 7 years might give anyone blisters. It would still be a good idea to have the fit checked at a good pro shop.
Third: If you feel balanced, you are balanced. As long as you are hitting your target and not feeling like you're off balance or hopping sideways after the release, don't worry abut the right leg.
Fourth: 16 lbs. is probaply heavier than you need given the current technology of bowlingballs.

[PSBA10]

Welcome to the forums.

Everything J Anderson said is spot on.

If you are concerned about your form, post a video so the coaches here on the forum can see what you are or are not doing, and offer suggestions.

[Chris2game]

Your equipment could fit incorrectly, but bowling 20 games in a day will cause anyone's hand some kind of wear and tear. But I would still get your grip checked out at your pro shop.

From what I have seen from people in general is their leg goes up in the air when they are leaning too far over at the foul line at the waist. This could be what is happening to you or it may not be. If it is, it could explain your lack of rotation on the ball as well.

As for your bowling balls not hooking and there being no oil on the ball that could be explained a few ways.
First, you aren't putting any hand in the ball like you used to.
Second, the lanes could be so dry that your bowling equipment burns up right away and just floats down the lane.
Third, your bowling equipment could be over used and probably need to be cleaned and/or replaced. (for cleaning tips you can read my maintenance guide at: http://bowlingballdb.com/Maintenance.html)

The RG number doesn't determine what condition the ball should be used on. The RG value is simply how soon after release will the ball start to hook on the lane. While this may make you think that you need it to hook sooner on heavy oil, that is not always the case. The ball could hook out in the oil and do nothing when it finally gets out of the oil. But, RG ranges from 2.43 to 2.80. The lower the value, the sooner the ball start to hook on the lane.

Hope this helps!
-Chris

[Mad Professor]

Not sure if I want a coach. I mean everything comes at a cost. I did at one time have a coach/instructor about 9 years ago when I first started to bowl. But after 9 sessions and paying about 25$ an hour or something near that, I was fed up with his teaching and relied on the YABA league staff and members which helped me alot more then his "stand here and hit that arrow and throw your ball like a suitcase." I mean I was expecting rocket science. After my family wrote his last check, I had alot of help from the Youth league. I was taught stance/form, lane conditions, swing power, and wrist action. I never did get to learning equipment, I guess I was focusing more on perfecting my approach then equipment.

But that's in the past.
Anyways...

I'll have the fit check on my bowling balls. I have a feeling that they are out of tolerance with my hand, they just don't feel or sit right. I used to get blisters when I bowled back then, eventually I had to wear a glove because it got so bad.

I'm pretty balanced I don't loft my ball but I do drop it sometimes *before it gets on the lane I can hear the double tap below me.
I'm hitting my target, but I got no hook, I can't remember how I hook it. or what I did to hook it. After 20 games I got a slight hook but not like I used to hook it.

I'm not sure why I got 16lbs balls. If I remember correctly, it was the instructor who recommend that I get 16lbs ball because I was already used to rolling my Dad's old Columbia 300 which was 16lbs. Then when he recommend me to buy the visionary which was my first ball, I kind of stuck with that weight.
Now I question it. do I need to be rolling 16lb balls? The bowling alley I was at today, had speed indicator. I was rolling 15-22mph but on average I was doing about 18-19mph.

And what is the current technology in bowling balls?

I'll take my laptop next time, it has a webcam I think I can sit it and hit record, but does this site allow video uploads? or will I have to upload it to youtube?

I know this seems long But I want to provide the best information possible. Thank you for taking the time out to assist me.

Edit: Thanks Chris I will try cleaning my ball. That might be contributing to my poor/no hook, since no one ever told me that I need to dip it in hot water with dish soap for 20 minutes and wipe it down. Also what do you mean by over-used?

[BaconLad]

Welcome to the site Mad Professor!

16lb ball? Technology is so good these days, you could argue that the weight of your ball is less of a factor. I personally use a 15lb ball.

You don't want anything too heavy but at the same time you certainly don't want anything too lite.
If the fit is correct it will actually feel alot lighter, when I first started bowling I was using a 14lb house ball, it felt as heavy as hell because the hand span and finger holes were too big. My ball (15lb) obviously is drilled to my specifications and as a result feels lighter than the 14lb I was previously using.

I feel like I've got more control and I can definitley get more hand on the ball, thus creating more revs giving me more hook.

You've got to remember not to "pinch" the ball. You might be having thumb/blister problems because of this.
Having said that, it is an awful lot easier to hold the ball properly if it's been drilled right for you.

Oh and 20 games!!! Thats what I like to see! Commitment! Keep it up! ;)

[Chris2game]

By overused I mean that regardless how well you take care of a bowling ball it still will need to be replaced at some point. They can only last so long. What happens is oil gets soaked into the bowling ball causing it not to get as much friction with the lane. This will cause the ball not to hook as much as it should.

As for the weight of a bowling ball its whatever you are comfortable throwing. Most people that I know throw 15 lbs. But I did hear an interesting fact just the other day about ball weight. That on the PBA tour about 60% of the bowlers throw 16 lbs bowling balls. I thought it was the other way around. 16lbs will just make the ball hit harder on the pins but its not a huge difference between 15lbs.

I would recommend keep working with your grip until you can bowl without getting any blisters, bleeding or anything else on your hand. It took me 2 years of trial and error until I got something that works perfect for me. But now that I have it, I could bowl all day and have no cuts or pain.

Hope this helps!
-Chris