Footwork Part 2

[Double C]

Thanks to all with helping me find a consistent starting spot. This has helped immensely. Gives me more confidence.
Working on release now...and how to hook the ball.

Went to a Motiv demo...and threw a bunch of balls. Also brought my Outcast to compare. Did not find one that I could hook. Guys on my left and right were hookin the snot out of the Revolt. Me? Ha Ha got some pretty straight shots with that ball...and all the others.
So, obviously need to work on that phase. (Sigh).

[Tony]

Obviously we can't see that you are doing but the balls you're trying including the DV8 outcast will hook by themselves without much help from you. The conclusion would be that your current release is helping the ball go straight. I have a teammate that does the exact same thing, he throws a RG hyper-cell and it goes darn near straight. I on the other hand have an Outcast and it hooks a ton throwing with either the old suitcase handle release or a standard behind the ball release.

Take a look at a few of these video's from Gold coach Richard Shockley, and keep in mind that you don't need to try and learn a PBA style release from the start, you can always work on advancing to that later.

Search "Richard Shockley bowling release"


you will find a number of different videos where he goes over different releases.

Here's one of them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5IwJEtyMTI

[DMS]

Double C,

What's your ball speed? If you're throwing it fast on slick lanes (long oil on an slick lane surface), and have a low-rev release, it doesn't matter what ball you have... It's gonna' go straight.

The 'ball will hook itself' theory only works if the ball can get traction on the lane, and has low enough inertia for it to matter.

I'm a low-rev player and my home house has the slickest lane surface (Brunswick Pro Anvilane) and uses low-viscosity oil laid in a long (42 foot) pattern. I play up the 5 board, usually... Just so I can have my ball bleed enough energy to make the turn at the end of the oil. If I throw a ball over about 13 MPH (measured at back end), then it's going to hit low or just flat go through the right side of the pin deck!

Check your speed... might be part of the problem. If you need to reduce it, try starting your approach a little (or a lot) closer to the foul line. I've got short legs, so I'm starting my approach with my heels about 12 inches ahead of the approach dots that are nearest the foul line on a fresh condition. After the lanes have broken down a little, I can move back a foot or so and start using a little more speed, which DOES help my carry percentage. That's why people are always striving to increase their rev-rate... So they can throw faster, get better pin action, and possibly carry their weaker shots.

[Double C]

I believe it is a Pro Anvilane...but will check when I go to bowl. It does have rangefinders. I have no idea what my speed is...or revs. I don't think I'm that fast. I guess I could bring a stopwatch and have it timed...then check a chart to get my speed.
I throw my Outcast on the 5 board. It does hook a little. I know it's not an agreesive hooking ball. Sometimes, if I miss the 5 board, and it goes over 6 or 7, I may get a Brooklyn.
My coach is booked...so it may be awhile before I can get my specs down. I have been so inconsistent, that I don't think it would be pertinent as this point.
Will try to post a video...if I can get the wife to stop putting her finger over the camera lens! LOL

[Tony]

I believe it is a Pro Anvilane...but will check when I go to bowl. It does have rangefinders. I have no idea what my speed is...or revs. I don't think I'm that fast. I guess I could bring a stopwatch and have it timed...then check a chart to get my speed.
I throw my Outcast on the 5 board. It does hook a little. I know it's not an agreesive hooking ball. Sometimes, if I miss the 5 board, and it goes over 6 or 7, I may get a Brooklyn.
My coach is booked...so it may be awhile before I can get my specs down. I have been so inconsistent, that I don't think it would be pertinent as this point.
Will try to post a video...if I can get the wife to stop putting her finger over the camera lens! LOL

If you are throwing from straight behind and over the 6/7 board and getting a brooklyn, then your ball is not going straight, that's 15 boards or so off of straight.....
If you think the oil pattern and lane type and speed are stopping your ball from hooking at all try an experiment and use the ramp right down over 2nd arrow, and see what a ball that has zero rotation does on the lane. You can also try it over first and 3rd arrow and see how the heavier oil that's likely present at 3rd arrow effects the ball.
FYI you want ball speed, throwing the ball at low speeds is undesirable, if you can throw in the 14 to 18 range and stay consistent you will have much better results than rolling a 12 mph ball.

[Double C]

Went to bowl at a new house that I've never been before. It's an anvilane. I asked how long the pattern was. Guy at the counter was not sure...maybe 37 or 38 feet.
Started with my spare ball, just to warm up. I throw it like it's my Outcast. Throw it over 16, it will drift left a board or two. After a couple of frames, I threw my Outcast. Standing at 20 and layed it down on 6, that ball hooked over to about 25. WTF. Long story short...I think these lanes were really dry! I was getting NO oil marks on my ball...at all.
I will spare the details..but I experimented with different angles. So,tonight, I had more hook than ever, and had a hard time,dealing with angles. I made most of my strikes, standing on 5 and laying it down on 2, man that was scary! I had one strike, I Layed it down on one....watched it hang on the edge...and it swung left into the pocket! I think I left the 10 pin.
This house had a ball speed indicator, and other stats. I was averaging 12.7, and had a high of 14mph.
So at the house I usually bowl at...which I thought was dry...isn't! Tonite I experienced DRY...OMG.
It was fun...though, YES...IT WAS!!

[Tony]

Went to bowl at a new house that I've never been before. It's an anvilane. I asked how long the pattern was. Guy at the counter was not sure...maybe 37 or 38 feet.
Started with my spare ball, just to warm up. I throw it like it's my Outcast. Throw it over 16, it will drift left a board or two. After a couple of frames, I threw my Outcast. Standing at 20 and layed it down on 6, that ball hooked over to about 25. WTF. Long story short...I think these lanes were really dry! I was getting NO oil marks on my ball...at all.
I will spare the details..but I experimented with different angles. So,tonight, I had more hook than ever, and had a hard time,dealing with angles. I made most of my strikes, standing on 5 and laying it down on 2, man that was scary! I had one strike, I Layed it down on one....watched it hang on the edge...and it swung left into the pocket! I think I left the 10 pin.
This house had a ball speed indicator, and other stats. I was averaging 12.7, and had a high of 14mph.
So at the house I usually bowl at...which I thought was dry...isn't! Tonite I experienced DRY...OMG.
It was fun...though, YES...IT WAS!!

When you encounter lanes like that again experiment by moving further left and throwing more down the middle of the lane, if there is any oil left, it will be down the middle and you'll usually find that there will be a better line, than right down the 2 board. Remember with most lanes anything outside the 10 board will generally have less oil.
You might want to look on line at some strategies for increasing ball speed, like holding the ball up a little higher in your starting position, if nothing else you will be able to see how you can manipulate the speed a little. Now you see what it's like to throw a bigger hook!

[Double C]