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beerframe
07-03-2012, 03:35 PM
I picked up Bowling Execution by John Jowdy at Barnes and Noble yesterday as a birthday gift for myself. It's very in depth and interesting. Anyone else ever read this material? And has it helped? I can't afford lessons so I figured this would be the next best thing. Heading to the lanes tomorrow, might take the book along.

Mike White
07-03-2012, 03:51 PM
Just got it, and read it myself. Now going to re-read it and take notes.

ursus
07-03-2012, 03:58 PM
I checked it out from the library a month or so ago and have made it about half way through it. Makes a lot of reference to PBA players who I am not all that familiar with, if I had a better understanding of what the players styles were it would be a little easier to fully understand some of the points.

billf
07-03-2012, 04:03 PM
I've read it several times over the past few years. I finally down loaded it to my Kindle so I could bookmark specific items. It's pretty good and in-depth.
For players he mentions try Youtube. I've found a lot of them there and knowing their styles does help understand the point being made.

GeorgiaStroker
07-03-2012, 07:13 PM
Bill, have you read a book called "Perceptive Bowling: A text for the serious bowler" by Robert Strickland? I picked it up on Amazon the other day and it's really in-depth and interesting. Lots of stuff about the ball layout and reactions. It was written in 1980 but the author re-issued it last year with updated notations for the modern equipment. This book is right up your alley. Pun intended.

billf
07-03-2012, 11:28 PM
Not yet but will check into it. Thank you for the suggestion.

Stormed1
07-04-2012, 01:00 AM
I bought Bowling Execution when it first came out and it was very helpfull in freeing up my armswing. I just ordered Mark Bakers The Game Changer and look forward to reading it.

Hampe
07-04-2012, 11:00 AM
I bought "Bowling Execution" and "Focused for Bowling" about a year and a half ago......for me, "Focused for Bowling" was WAY more helpful (although it's more about mental stuff than technique.......if you're looking for a book just for technique, Bowling Execution is probably better).

beerframe
07-04-2012, 01:35 PM
Sounds like a rave revue from ya'll. Guess it was a good buy afterall. Really like alot of the content featuring points of Chris Barnes' game.

nev
07-04-2012, 08:36 PM
Does anyone know of a good book on ball drilling, layout etc apart from Bill Taylors "Fitting and drilling a bowling ball"

icon
08-09-2012, 11:59 PM
Ill have to see if i can find this book, i read the parker bohn and some other books.

beerframe
08-10-2012, 01:57 AM
I read through the parker bohn III book, but didnt like it's 30 dollar price tag.

billf
08-10-2012, 08:53 PM
I picked up Bowling Execution by John Jowdy at Barnes and Noble yesterday as a birthday gift for myself. It's very in depth and interesting. Anyone else ever read this material? And has it helped? I can't afford lessons so I figured this would be the next best thing. Heading to the lanes tomorrow, might take the book along.
I have the actual book and have read it several times over the 7 years I've had it. Last year I downloaded it on my Kindle and bookmarked several key areas so I could refresh my memory at the lanes.

ursus
08-10-2012, 09:39 PM
After 3 months I finally finished the book last night and now I need to return it and pay my healthy overdue book fee to the library. Now I would like to see if I can find the Mark Baker book.

Stamps
08-11-2012, 09:19 PM
I bought "Bowling Execution" and "Focused for Bowling" about a year and a half ago......for me, "Focused for Bowling" was WAY more helpful (although it's more about mental stuff than technique.......if you're looking for a book just for technique, Bowling Execution is probably better).

I have been toying with buying "Focused for Bowling." Glad to know it was helpful so I might have to get it now.

Fatal
08-28-2012, 10:12 PM
I'm also reading bowling execution version 2. Focusing on the game seems like a good read too.

JerseyJim
09-03-2012, 05:22 PM
Does anyone know of a good book on ball drilling, layout etc apart from Bill Taylors "Fitting and drilling a bowling ball"

Try Chip Zielke's (sp?) Revolutions II.

rongarm
09-06-2012, 12:51 AM
I remember when Mark Baker just started out giving lessons. He at that time was not real popular as a instructor. But after a few yrs. he studied the game much more indepth and has become one of the country's best. I believe he still teaches in Orange County (So. Calif) and other places as well. One of my friends got his book "game changer" and thinks it is s pretty good book. I sit and read.

bayedup84
10-03-2012, 02:06 PM
beerframe...how was the book? you see a difference after reading it?

AZBowla
11-20-2012, 12:48 PM
We gotta do something about the spammers that keep cropping up in here. Yikes.

Getting us back on topic, just like anything else, too much information can be a bad thing. It's very easy to fill up a bookshelf with all sorts of bowling books, read all the websites you can find and watch a zillion videos on youtube and end up one big fat confused mess.

I'm purposely limiting the information I'm studying right now to the basics. For that, I recommend Mark Baker's game changer because he boils down the physical game to it's basic components and gives you simple, common sense answers to the questions we all ask ourselves such as "why can't I do that all the time" when we throw a great shot or "why did I just miss left when the last two shots that hit that arrow were right on target" and so on. I just bought it yesterday and I'm already on my second read through.

For instructional video, I've been watching the Norm Duke 1-2-3-4-5-6 videos on youtube and I've learned quite a bit from that as well. For starters, when I start in my stance I have the ball resting on my left hand (my throwing hand). After watching Norm's videos, I know now that I should be supporting the ball with my right hand instead in my stance, so that my throwing arm stays relaxed and loose - I had no idea! But it makes perfect sense and I can't wait to put what I've learned from the book and the videos into practice.

scottymoney
11-20-2012, 04:13 PM
I plan on getting The Game Changer eventually. With getting the new ball and focusing on fun I have decided to do just that. Take what I know so far and without adding anymore things to it, go out and have fun and not over think bowling. With the new ball last night in League I was 20 pins over my average and I bowled great except for a few small errors at times, most mental. So last night I decided i am sticking with what I know and will come back to soak up more information when I think I am ready to start tweaking.

Stupid errors I did last night:
1. Step with my right foot first even though I always step with my left foot first. Even dumber was to try and fix my approach after the misstep and not just stepping back and starting over.

2. Throwing it in the gutter. My target is the 2nd arrow or just one board to the right of it. I lost focus and totally threw it into the gutter.

3. Beating myself up over missing the pocket. I missed the pocket and instead of forgetting it I though about it and the next ball i overcompensated to make sure I didn't miss and missed left.

4. Not taking my time.

these to me are stupid mental things that I just need to overcome. I will attack this before trying to absorb more things to work on.

J Anderson
11-20-2012, 04:44 PM
Stupid errors I did last night:
1. Step with my right foot first even though I always step with my left foot first. Even dumber was to try and fix my approach after the misstep and not just stepping back and starting over.


Can't say I've ever started with the wrong foot, but the number of times that I've felt myself going wrong on the approach and should have stopped and started over seems almost endless. The worst was on the first ball in warm-ups my second step felt wrong like it slipped backwards. I hadn't switched the on my SSR8s back for bowling left-handed after I had bowled a few right-handed games earlier in the week. Didn't stop and start over, but did a nice face plant on the lane when my right foot stopped dead instead of sliding.

Sounds like a good plan to just focus on executing what you know and having fun for now.

AZBowla
11-20-2012, 05:24 PM
If I could tell myself only one thing when bowling it would be this: Just. Relax.

The other night when I suddenly had my A-HA moment and my game went from embarrassing to (for me anyway) awesome, it was because I just decided to stop looking at the scoreboard so much and to just relax and throw the ball as fluidly and effortlessly as I could. Next thing I know, I'm perfectly balanced at the foul line, holding the finish all the way until the ball hit the pins and the pins were flying everywhere with each shot. It was to date the best time and most fun I've ever had bowling. It's my goal now to bowl that relaxed and at ease every time I go and to have at least that much fun if not more. After all if it ain't fun, then why do it?

scottymoney
11-20-2012, 09:55 PM
Can't say I've ever started with the wrong foot, but the number of times that I've felt myself going wrong on the approach and should have stopped and started over seems almost endless. The worst was on the first ball in warm-ups my second step felt wrong like it slipped backwards. I hadn't switched the on my SSR8s back for bowling left-handed after I had bowled a few right-handed games earlier in the week. Didn't stop and start over, but did a nice face plant on the lane when my right foot stopped dead instead of sliding.

Sounds like a good plan to just focus on executing what you know and having fun for now.


Yeah this was a first for me. I have never stepped wrong foot first. I was telling my wife about these blunders during dinner. She replies to me I did that before but I caught myself and was able to start over. I just told her I was bull headed and thought I could get back on track.

I now have my thought before every ball: "Left foot first, walk straight, release up through the ball"

And yeah it is fun time, no more researching on what to change, or to try other styles and lines. It is time to master what I know and fine tune it.

Basisud
11-21-2012, 08:14 AM
I don't mean to sound mean but how did you think you could compensate for leading off with the wrong foot? 6 baby steps or 4 giant steps? I've reset just because something on my lead foot didn't feel right. I can't imagine making it through a whole approach after leading off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry and I really don't want to sound mean. Have you recently changed from a 4 step approach to a 5 step approach? Have you recently tried switching hands? My 5 step approach is so engrained that when I'm horsing around and trying to bowl right handed or when I try a 6 step approach, I have to make a conscious effort to lead off with my left foot and even than it doesn't feel correct.

AZBowla
11-21-2012, 01:40 PM
Meh, we all do dumb stuff once in a while. I've actually tripped over an untied shoe lace before and dumped a ball right into the gutter. Talk about a preventable accident - the first thing I do when I walk onto the approach is look down at my feet so I can place them where on the boards I want to start from, so I should have noticed the untied shoe right away, but for some reason my mind was elsewhere and I totally spaced it. Thankfully, the only thing that went into the gutter was the ball. I could have very easily ended up doing a face or body plant into the gutter on that one.

madhav1A
11-22-2012, 12:04 PM
not read that book hope it helps you

scottymoney
11-22-2012, 09:48 PM
It was just me being thick headed and trying to fix a mistake rather than just stopping and starting all over. And the only thing I can think of is I was concentrating so hard on keeping my arm straight all the way through the follow through and just started badly. It was completely stupid and completely my fault. Definitely won't happen again.

GeoLes
12-19-2012, 11:02 AM
My coach says to do all your thinking behind the approach. (how I hold ball, how I swing, release, etc.) end with where will I stand and through which mark will I release. Stand on the approch, set your feet, walk to your mark and release the ball downlane. - Done.