Larger bowlers

[Bedrock]

I'm a fairly large guy, about 6'3 260lbls. I could shed a few pounds, but not really overweight. It seems like I have a tendency to loft the ball farther down the lane. Watching smaller guys like norm duke for example, I just don't see how they play so close and low to the lane. Any suggestions on this?

[BallBuster]

A guy on my team is around 6'4'', and 300 lbs and he still releases the ball right on the floor at the foul line. It all has to do with your own flexibility, shot style, and personal preference.

[resstealth]

Same story, I bowl league with a guy who's around 6'7, 280 or so and he has the softest release ive ever seen. You literally can't hear the ball hit the lane.

[got_a_300]

Same story here also we have several large and I do mean LARGE guys bowling
on Wed. night league one will hit somewhere around 430lb.+ and 6'6" and you
can hardly hear his ball touch the lane. That just goes to show you it has a lot to
do with ones own flexibility because we have some guys that if they were soaking
wet they might weigh 130lbs. that can not set the ball down smooth they loft it way
out onto the lane.

[edpup316]

I'm 6'2" 360 lb. and i get down low enough that most the time i can barely hear the ball hit the lane. Like it was said before it depends on flexibility and if you are flexible enough then its all about practicing getting low.

[DanielMareina]

Bowling is one of the few sports that actually does give an advantage to smaller or average heighted people. It is not something that makes it impossible to be good, but it is a bit harder. With the approach being the same length, but you having longer legs, for bigger steps, and longer arms for a larger arm swing, it makes it a little harder to keep a fluent motion and swing. Try taking very small early steps, and it will help you have the room to bend the knee a little more in your slide step. Just for your reference, there are lots of professionals over 6' tall. Wes Mallot would be a good example of a taller, bigger guy. He doesn't get really low to the ground, but is very good none the less.

[vgw]

You don't have to bend down, although it is recommended. You could try to aim for a mark closer to your current one to help with your loft. It could also be a thumb fitment problem that is delaying your release point.

[striker12]

yeah if you want to work on flexablity to getting closer to the ground streach one of your legs out and the other one under you and your one under you have your knee ont he ground and then lean your body forward to the leg thats streached out and you will start making tention on the musscle but at the same time its streaching it soo where then you can do it everything.

thats what i did and i dont got much flexablit but enoph to let me roll the ball on the ground.

but yah i do once and awhile loft the ball but mainly when the lanes are eather burnt out or dry soo i can take part of the lane out and get alittle more down lane befor it starts its move into the pins

[tallben]

I am 7'0" and 280 so i know about height. what you can do is use that height for your advantage. try a comprimise between bending your knees and try releasing the ball mor towards the bottom if your swing.

[Stormed1]

If you want to watch one of the best "big" guys look for some old Steve Cook matches. The "cookie monster" is a big boy

[striker12]

yeah storm he is but main thing about tall people they jsut ahve to find there right spot and it depends on there flexability on gettign closer to the ground cause if they over power them selfs they will hurt them selfs,

ik that cause i use to run track and field and i over powered my body and screwed up my legg but have not got it fixed yet cause i will be off bowling for 2 years if i do

[martin]

i have a friend who is tall and he has no problem getting low.. it just comes with practice..

[JerseyJim]

I'm 6' and about 220, and manage to get fairly low. My teammates go 6'3", 6'4" and 6'2 at 280 lbs. They all average well above 200, and the funny part is that they stand closer to the foul line than either my short teammate, 5'7" and me. I set up about 15" inside the last row of dots on the approach. The big guys are about a foot closer to the foul line than I stand.

[striker12]

yeah bowl ik some people that are like that too me im at the dot closest to the foul line and i do a 5 step approach but my first step is farly short then the rest are all abit longer it jsut helps me get abit more speed when im on my approach, i have tryed a 4 step but i just cant do it cause i keep messing up my stride.

[bowl1820]

I'm 6' and about 220, and manage to get fairly low. My teammates go 6'3", 6'4" and 6'2 at 280 lbs. They all average well above 200, and the funny part is that they stand closer to the foul line than either my short teammate, 5'7" and me. I set up about 15" inside the last row of dots on the approach. The big guys are about a foot closer to the foul line than I stand.

This could be a whole other thread, but talking about the larger guys standing closer to the foul line. I think most people stand too far back from the foul line.

Once when I went to Kegel ( I'm 6'3" , I use a 4 step approach) they showed me how I was too far back ( I was behind the last row of dots ). When watched from the side on the video, they showed me my approach and how my stride got longer and longer. This can get you off balance, because your legs are so far apart. Also you kind of run to the foul line.

So they moved me up by the first set of dots, I still took the same number of steps, but they were more equally spaced.

When I got home I started watching others approaches and saw them doing the same thing. Like one guy he was shorter than me and took 4 steps. He was standing right on the end of the approach, he looked like he flew to the foul line.