aiming in the 4-step approach

[sideshow_ben]

I just bought real shoes, a real, fitted ball and have been watching videos and reading blogs like mad to turn my 30-yr-old sloppy game into one I enjoy. However, aiming in the 4-step approach has me a bit baffled, and I'm hoping someone might know of a video or two that could point me in the right direction.

If I point all my body (hips, knees, shoulders) straight forward then my release pretty much goes that way too...and right into the gutter because I have a decent hook. If I turn my hips or shoulders a little to the right and stand a little to the left of the lane then I can get the ball to go right-ish, but I always end up hooking back too far and at best, make a Brooklyn (right name?) strike. So I'm curious whether aiming involves one of these.

* the direction you push the ball on the first step, i.e. push the ball in the angled direction you want it to go
* push the ball straight ahead but angle the upper body a bit
* Keep everything straight and use your muscles as the ball swings forward (4th step) to angle the ball
* I'm totally off and have no clue what I'm talking about

Thanks folks!

-ben

[billf]

Aiming is the same no matter how many steps your approach. Angle the whole body towards the target, in line with where you want to see the ball break (turn left). You can even start with a slight body angle but walk straight if angling gets to be an issue. Start at say board 25 (dot just left of center) and have your ball go over the 15 board at the arrows (arrow just right of center). This is usually a good line for people with strong hooks to start with and adjust from there.

[striker12]

ok if your ball is over hook then from where your standing move say 5 boards left then move your target 2 boards it will open the lane up abit and if u went to much then go back right 2 boards to make it from your original stop 3 left with feet 2 left with target and just adjust it takes some time to learn and get the hang of it.

because where you are looking on the lane (arrows or boards) is where u will want the ball to go too and also your follow threw of your arm should point right to that mark when you first lease the ball but do not take your eyes off your mark untill the bal gose over it cause then you will now if you hit your target or not and if you missed say to the right 3 boards then u should right too look 1 board left of your target and see what happens there.

me i have to look just on the right side of my target cause i throw the ball alittle left of target mostly.

[vgw]

You might be aiming correctly but your position is off. It sounds like you need to move much further left on your stance/approach if you are crossing over (brooklyn). You will need to learn how to adjust to the lane. Form is one of the most difficult areas to work on because there are so many parts and tweeking one area can affect another.

One thing you can also try is to make sure the ball push off is towards your target. So if you are aiming for the 2nd arrow, push off the ball directly towards the 2nd arrow. If you have a free armswing and relatively smooth release, your ball should be right around that 2nd arrow.

[GeorgiaStroker]

You may also be throwing too much ball for the lane conditions. You might need to look into getting a less aggressive ball. As for DVD's I really like the 3 DVD set by Dick Ritger. He really breaks things down and gives a lot of different drills for each aspect of the approach and release, as well as discussing about aiming and playing lines and angles. It really helped me anyway, your mileage may vary.