Technique critique

[coachkapps]

Early in my practice session. Not my best throw; I felt much better later but didn't capture any more video.

http://youtu.be/l9t-k3TJbBE

[martin]

your balance seemed a bit off.. that's the forst thing i noticed really..

[coachkapps]

I'll be honest, I usually fall off a little. That actual shot, I probably fell off a little AND was trying to get out of the way for the camera! I also felt it was a bit quick. I videotaped myself a few weeks ago and that video I seemed smoother and slower. My big goal is to try and get my hand behind the ball more. I seem to drop/let go a lot.

Today, I actually bowled quite well (7 games - 208 ave.). I actually felt like my hand was good most of the time although this video does nothing to show that.

[vgw]

I don't think you really have much of a problem. Your slide foot was a little crooked, but other than that, it's fine unless you have some sort of pain while bowling.

[coachkapps]

vgw, I am trying to work on that slide foot. I used to really slide that foot basically where I ended up with toes pointing about 2 o'clock. Getting better. I videotaped myself again today. Trying to figure out how to download it since I used a camera this time.

[JaMau24]

I'm always a fan of "bowl how you are comfortable bowling as long as its working", if the way you bowl works great for you, then continue on. If its not, then I would suggest holding the ball out in front of your right pectoral muscle when you start. This way the ball will just fall and everything will be less effortless. When you start low like that, you have to push the ball forward, then back down. Why not just start at that point and let it fall down? Like I said though, if its working for you, keep doing it.

[coachkapps]

Not sure why I ended up there. Have started real low for a number of years. I'll give the waist height a try. I don't like chest high. I get too fast that way.

[coachkapps]

So here's 3 more throws. I'm still pointing my slide toe a little inward, my backswing goes a little behind my back, and I feel fast and like I'm getting no hand at the bottom. Didn't feel as good as yesterday as my thumb was real tender.

http://youtu.be/_2D_C-tcv_0

[billf]

How many games yesterday to make the thumb tender? Is there a chance that maybe you're pinching it a bit at the bottom? Another thing to consider is to get your waist bend over with by the second step instead of the third or fourth. If you want more reaction, try to stay under the ball a bit more. Overall you're ok but we can nitpick anything as nobody is perfect. All the little things can add up to quite a bit more pins over the course of a series.

[coachkapps]

7 games yesterday and today. Basically bowling about 7-10 two times a weekend. Problem is I'm not letting things heal. My thumb and the crack that developed have healed. Now it's just kind of thin skin and sore. I'm hoping tomorrow morning is better.

Please nit-pick! I'm looking for improvement. I get decent scores but want to improve my technique overall. I'll keep working on the things people have mentioned.

Thanks!

[Grimthrow]

I'm not the person to nitpick but your 3rd shot I could tell was going to be too far right just based on how close it was to your leg. What's good is you are hitting your mark every time, had the swing been in the same spot it was the 1st two throws then you would have had a turkey my friend. All I can say is that just the swing on the way down is hitting the same spot...every....single....time. I'm sure you know this and it just takes muscle memory.

[The Mayor]

I think overall, your approach is quite solid. The most important thing I would tell you to do is relax. It looks a bit like you had too much Mountain Dew to drink and you're going as fast as you can. Your approach wasn't overly fast but I think you can get too fast and become inaccurate. The third shot is a prime example of that. You sped up your footsteps a bit which in turn made your swing out of time and your shot was projected more toward the gutter. When you pick your ball up, get in position, visualize your shot and take a deep breath. The 2nd thing is I believe you need to tighten up the thumb a little bit. You are dropping the ball slightly and you said your thumb was becoming tender. This is a result of squeezing. It could also be a pitch issue where too much reverse pitch is being used, but try a few pieces of tape before you get into that. Overall, nice form and approach though!

[aussiedave]

Early in my practice session. Not my best throw; I felt much better later but didn't capture any more video.

http://youtu.be/l9t-k3TJbBE
Not too much wrong. My only critique would be to follow straight through for greater accuracy - get rid of the windmill.
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[coachkapps]

I think overall, your approach is quite solid. The most important thing I would tell you to do is relax. It looks a bit like you had too much Mountain Dew to drink and you're going as fast as you can. Your approach wasn't overly fast but I think you can get too fast and become inaccurate. The third shot is a prime example of that. You sped up your footsteps a bit which in turn made your swing out of time and your shot was projected more toward the gutter. When you pick your ball up, get in position, visualize your shot and take a deep breath. The 2nd thing is I believe you need to tighten up the thumb a little bit. You are dropping the ball slightly and you said your thumb was becoming tender. This is a result of squeezing. It could also be a pitch issue where too much reverse pitch is being used, but try a few pieces of tape before you get into that. Overall, nice form and approach though!

Thanks so much for taking the time to offer your opinion! I love the advice.

After watching my different videos (as well as others I haven't uploaded) and getting some suggestions here, yes, I feel very frustrated with dropping the ball/weak release. Am I right in saying that not only is the thumb probably too loose but maybe I'm also off in my timing and also muscling it?

I feel like my approach is too fast and would like to learn how to let it fall from the top. My swingpath goes from out to in quite a bit and I struggle with that slide foot (most likely timing and not getting slide foot in front of trail foot - Ron Clifton tip). I also notice my hand is very weak at release. Many releases you can see my hand on top of the ball. Oh, how I'm struggling to fix that!

[10-in-the-pit]

Where is the soreness located on your thumb? This is probably something that can be fixed. In your 2nd video, I can see you are playing with your thumb after you bowl. That problem should be corrected first. If you are sore, you really gotta wait until it heals before going out. You can develop some bad habits when trying to bowl when injured/sore.

[coachkapps]

Where is the soreness located on your thumb? This is probably something that can be fixed. In your 2nd video, I can see you are playing with your thumb after you bowl. That problem should be corrected first. If you are sore, you really gotta wait until it heals before going out. You can develop some bad habits when trying to bowl when injured/sore.

I developed a healthy callous just past the crease in the skin of that thumb and also a crack right at that crease. It is on the side of the thumb closest to the index finger. I also have a small blood bruise closer to the fingerprint side of my thumb. Probably from the pressure of gripping it and then releasing (kind of like the skin all gets bunch up and the pressure pulls on the skin)?

I have opened up my thumb hole a little to make room as I've been wearing a strip of that skin protection. This past Friday I was able to bowl without it although I'm guessing the hole was too big (weird, I bowled 7 games, averaging 214!). Saturday I went back to the skin protection and the thumb got sore (probably from that pressure?). Then Sunday it was tender again.

You probably identified i.! I need to heal up, get that hole fixed, and stop using any tape.

I also have a nasty/painful crack on the middle finger right at the grip crease. Switched to a slightly bigger oval grip (pro shop guy suggested). It healed from last week until this past Sunday (bowled Friday with no tear). Saturday it was fine than opened 3 games in Sunday. Help!

[10-in-the-pit]

I would suggest that you bowl with the skin protection at all times. Because the tape has a certain amount of thickness, you'll want to have the thumb sized properly to accommodate it. I used to have a callous like you because I used to grip the ball with my thumb instead of keeping the thumb straight. It's a tough part to correct because when you try to hold the ball, you think it will fall off your hand, so you need to practice and trust it won't.

You could also try putting some tape on your finger tips to help prevent some soreness. For me, my fingertips hurt if the finger inserts are too tight (from my fingers expanding in size) or too large because they are worn out.

[swingset]

Your balance doesn't look that bad until follow through. Your right leg should be further out (to the left) and your left hand should be straight out over it, palm down. Hold that, and your body should be freer to follow through and probably more consistently. Bringing the right leg over earlier will also clear up the downswing being so close to your right leg as it's getting out of the way at the right time. This will make your swing happen in a true vertical plane.

It's not a real bad thing, but if you hold the ball with both hands (90% left hand, 10% right hand) at 90 degrees on setup, your pushaway should be more consistent. You hold down, then bring up, then push away. That's a lot of movement and a lot of places to affect the start of your swing. If it works for you, that's fine but you could simplify it and keep your right arm completely relaxed and doing less work.

See this for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwyn8Thzf0I&feature=relmfu

Others have mentioned your speed, that's preference too...if you can maintain a quick foot speed it's more velocity on the ball without any arm involved, but it exacerbates timing issues.

[coachkapps]

Tried to work on a few things. Took a few clips today....most I'm still struggling. I feel like my tempo was a LITTLE better today. Got some new shoes, felt pretty good in those. One thing I did change was the starting position. I brought the ball up to my hip and that made me swing a little higher in my backswing. I really tried to slow down my feet if possible. Really struggling big time on my weak hand position at release. I must get the thumb hole fixed. Just too loose and needed to wear the skin protection tape to accomodate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Dcy0aTFxA better tempo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRg_19AQn9E

[martin]

seems like still going a bit too fast.. but not sure.. maybe some of the better bowlers here can better judge that.. but the balance is way off though..