12 year break. Need to totally change game HELP!

[travkoiboi]

I recently got back into the game after a 12 year break. I bowled heavy in HS averaging give or take 10 pins around 200. I am left handed. In HS you would consider me a tweener player (low ball speed - high rev) I was fairly consistent... but always seemed to have issues with power and ball speed. After HS i decided to leave the sport when I went to college. I am now 29 I started up again, I bought all new equipment (storm - vivid, nano,crossroad) starting again I have the same form but have run into a huge problem....

In my years off I got into other competitive sports and bodybuilding. Because of this my ball speed is not an issue. Now my rev rate is behind. I feel I need to change everything about my approach to get my timing on, Where do you start to learn how to "ride the bike" again? I am in 2 summer leagues one of them being a sport league and I couldn't even get a good read on the lane because every shot of mine seemed to be different.... pulling ball, speed, release, timing... it's all wacko.

Back to the drawing boards and starting over... just looking for any advice.

[billf]

Stop muscling the ball. Let your foot speed dictate your tempo and arm swing. Keep your swing free and fluid. It's not easy to learn to do after years of being able to muscle weights around but imperative to timing and accuracy.

[travkoiboi]

Thanks for the reply. I do agree with everything you said. I am happy that the ball doesn't feel like weight but now it's a issue of being more fluid. I just need to practice with different approaches and tempos. My tempo current (from HS) is quick which before produced some extra power which I couldn't really produce with upper body. Hopefully i can work out the kinks.

[dgz924s]

What Bill said and in addition trying to get back to the old form on a sport shot maybe a bit a of a battle as the lanes are really tricky and even the best of bowlers drop average on them. In your case you are trying to regain the swing, timing and alignment and on a sport shot it is going to be difficult getting these things down by having to "chase" yourself around the approach trying to find a line that works for the tough conditions. Work on the house shot getting the form back then apply it on the sport shot.

GL!

[billf]

On the sport pattern, with the increase in your speed, try playing way outside when the length is under 45'. 45' try straight up second arrow. It's straighter but helps take some of the pattern out of the equation. You're doing two leagues so you will be able to see the difference the sport patterns make and although frustrating, it will make you a better bowler quicker.
Take your upper body out of your game. Just let your arm swing. Practice at home by being in your finish stance and swinging your ball back and forth with momentum ONLY. All ball speed should be generated by the legs, the upper body is just a fulcrum.
I laugh when people say to me "If I had guns like that I could throw it that hard too". It's taken me years to learn but I don't use ANY upper body in my swing, only my legs. Now maybe if they did squats and lunges like I use to do then they could throw it that hard.

[billf]

Another thought. You can try lowering your pushaway. I've had to lower mine to about horizontal to keep my timing. Of course to me it feels like I'm just dropping it straight down. Loweering the pushaway will lower the backswing thus creating less arm speed while maintaining current rev rate (that will increase as you get more comfortable).

[travkoiboi]

good stuff... foot work is first thing i will be working on.... once those mechanics are flawed move on to the next... gonna go shoot... no score... just shot shot shot.

[TheSheibs]

I am in the same boat you are. I started bowling again after 10 years in the Coast Guard. I noticed my ball was too light and that I had to really force the ball to curve. I'm also left handed. I have tried adding a step but have been a four step bowler forever. I went to one pro shop to see if they could help me and ended up with a ball that I had to work twice as hard to make curve. Went into the pro shop at the alley after realizing that the ball was set up to have no curve to it. I also switched from synthetic lanes to real wood lanes. They set me up with a Colombia 300, 14lb Freeze Hybrid, with a finger tip grip and a balance hole on the left side when looking at the finger holes. They took the time to show me how to throw it and I have been hitting in the 180s to 195s with bowling a 216 last time out. I found that I needed to keep my steps in a good tempo, bring the ball back a little bit more, and let the ball roll off of my fingers, leaving the ball to do all the work.

I do agree that you need to practice your arm motion. Get the muscle memory back of swinging your arm like a pendulim and don't "muscle" the ball down the lane. I throw my ball between 12-14mph and still strike. I also use a four step approach and sing the first four words to the Star-spangeled Banner in my head as I take each step. I would say pick a song that has the speed you want your approach to be and use those words, sang just like in the actual song to help keeping your approach the same speed. This is something that my dad told me to do that my grandfather encouraged me to do. It sounds silly but it works.