Bowling Form Problems

[Mike White]

Hey, my game has improved a lot in the last couple weeks. I'm getting close to my old average again. Yesterday I bowled a 158, 178, and 177. I made a video for those games, but the youtube uploader isn't working well. Basically, I'm having trouble making spares on the left side. Since I'm left-handed, what should I be doing to make those spares consistently?

And I have one more question not related to form but I'll post it here anyway. My parents are going to buy me another bowling ball for Christmas and I told them to get the DV8 Reckless. I was just wondering which drilling layout I should get for my style of bowling. Right now, I'm fine with bowling stroker style but I would eventually like to learn cranker style the right way (with thumb) and use both styles depending on how I feel like bowling. So would anyone recommend I get the Big Curve or Big Crank layout? My Misfit ball has the Big Curve layout. And here's the link explaining them if anyone needs to look at it. Thanks.
http://dv8bowling.com/uploads/balls/...structions.pdf

As for making spares, I would recommend you learn how to throw the ball straight with the thumb in the ball.
At the same time I would recommend you learn how to roll the ball in a curve/arc/banana with the thumb in the ball. You already have more than enough curve. You lack control.

As for a layout, you select a layout based on the difference between how you comfortably throw the ball, and what you want the ball to do.

A Big Curve, or Big Crank layout is not an absolute. You still need to be the one that throws the ball.

Path = You + Layout

Layout = what you need to modify your natural path to achieve the desired path.

[atambohmer]

As for making spares, I would recommend you learn how to throw the ball straight with the thumb in the ball.
At the same time I would recommend you learn how to roll the ball in a curve/arc/banana with the thumb in the ball. You already have more than enough curve. You lack control.

As for a layout, you select a layout based on the difference between how you comfortably throw the ball, and what you want the ball to do.

A Big Curve, or Big Crank layout is not an absolute. You still need to be the one that throws the ball.

Path = You + Layout

Layout = what you need to modify your natural path to achieve the desired path.

Alright, I'll work on my control and try to find which line(s) works well for those left side spares. And that makes sense about the layout. Thanks for the help, Mike.

[atambohmer]

Two of my friends, Dillon and Justin, have recently started using their thumbs while bowling, and they need some starter's advice. We're bowling again tonight, so I can relay any suggestions you give to them. You can skip to 4:29 in this video to see them in action. I included clips of them bowling with and without their thumbs just so you have an idea of how they did bowl and how they're doing right now. They appreciate any of the expert advice you can give them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POR2M2i80YY

[atambohmer]

Alright, I've gotten pretty comfortable with the current form I'm using now. Does anyone have one or two suggestions of things I can work on still? I don't want to tackle too much at once, I'd just like to know a couple things that I could do better. I also feel like I'm at the stage where it would be beneficial to have a coach now, so I don't have to bowl a certain way an entire day before I find out I'm doing something wrong. Anyway, here's a quick two and half minute video of my most recent night of bowling. It was a great time, as usual, which is what really counts when it comes down to it...but perfecting the proper form would be nice too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSkAu...ature=youtu.be

[scottymoney]

As far as layouts, I don't think you should be concerned about it. Find yourself a driller who will watch you bowl and let them decide what you need. I was able to do this and after 4 frames the guy knew exactly what I needed. Makes a huge difference. I looked at layouts for days and I am glad I decided not to tell the guy what I wanted but to have him watch me.

For spares you said you were having trouble with left side spares which most people have trouble with the same side they are handed. What I learned to do was to stand way left as a right hander and to roll it all the way across on an angle using the middle arrow as my mark. this has allowed me to pick up my 10 pins with ease. So for you try standing all the way right use the middle arrow as your mark.

With where you are at now picking up spares is all that is holding you back. And after watching alot of your videos you just need to work on the "exploding" part at the end. By this I mean your last few steps really exploding with power and as your hand gets to the release point explode through your follow through. One of Norm Duke's videos, which is on the forums I think in the video section talks about the exploding through which will make a difference.

Lastly don't worry about hook just get that ball down the lane and let it do its job! Creating hook takes time but it isn't worth anything if you can consistently hit near your mark.

[atambohmer]

As far as layouts, I don't think you should be concerned about it. Find yourself a driller who will watch you bowl and let them decide what you need. I was able to do this and after 4 frames the guy knew exactly what I needed. Makes a huge difference. I looked at layouts for days and I am glad I decided not to tell the guy what I wanted but to have him watch me.

For spares you said you were having trouble with left side spares which most people have trouble with the same side they are handed. What I learned to do was to stand way left as a right hander and to roll it all the way across on an angle using the middle arrow as my mark. this has allowed me to pick up my 10 pins with ease. So for you try standing all the way right use the middle arrow as your mark.

With where you are at now picking up spares is all that is holding you back. And after watching alot of your videos you just need to work on the "exploding" part at the end. By this I mean your last few steps really exploding with power and as your hand gets to the release point explode through your follow through. One of Norm Duke's videos, which is on the forums I think in the video section talks about the exploding through which will make a difference.

Lastly don't worry about hook just get that ball down the lane and let it do its job! Creating hook takes time but it isn't worth anything if you can consistently hit near your mark.

Awesome, thanks for the response. I will work on the "exploding" part of my shot and I'll ask my driller to watch me bowl. And if he can't, I'll probably just show him one of the videos I made to show this forum. And I brought my spare ball that I bought a few months ago which really helped for the left side spares.

[scottymoney]

Spares are the key to scoring. Leaving those opens hurts! My best games have been when I can hit my spares stringing strikes together helps a lot but if you leave the opens it hurts. You have come along way already, just stick with it! Your first video looks like a bunch of teenagers just at the lanes goofing off. But you have steadily gotten better. I also caution you against reading too much and trying to keep changing things.

We had a poster I won't name names (99999) who couldn't be happy with anything and always had to keep changing things. He also wouldn't post a video so you could never see what he was doing. You are on the right track and willing to listen. Just keep at it and try not to keep changing, enjoy the game and work on consistency before trying something new.

[atambohmer]

Spares are the key to scoring. Leaving those opens hurts! My best games have been when I can hit my spares stringing strikes together helps a lot but if you leave the opens it hurts. You have come along way already, just stick with it! Your first video looks like a bunch of teenagers just at the lanes goofing off. But you have steadily gotten better. I also caution you against reading too much and trying to keep changing things.

We had a poster I won't name names (99999) who couldn't be happy with anything and always had to keep changing things. He also wouldn't post a video so you could never see what he was doing. You are on the right track and willing to listen. Just keep at it and try not to keep changing, enjoy the game and work on consistency before trying something new.

Yeah, I know. Missing easy spares can be frustrating, but the spare ball I have made the left side spares way easier. I still missed a few, but I've only been using that ball for one day to practice left side spares. And yes, we were just messing around in the beginning and trying to have a good time doing just about anything to get high revs, but then I joined a league (not the one I posted on YouTube) and I wanted to start learning to bowl with a better form. I'll probably keep up with stroker style or whatever it is that I'm doing for a while until my scores are consistently higher. Today I'm going to try to find Norm Duke's video that you mentioned and work on what he has to say.

[scottymoney]

http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads...ke-1-2-3-4-5-6

[Mike White]

Two of my friends, Dillon and Justin, have recently started using their thumbs while bowling, and they need some starter's advice. We're bowling again tonight, so I can relay any suggestions you give to them. You can skip to 4:29 in this video to see them in action. I included clips of them bowling with and without their thumbs just so you have an idea of how they did bowl and how they're doing right now. They appreciate any of the expert advice you can give them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POR2M2i80YY

Looking over the videos, I think you may have misunderstood something. Now you seem to be throwing the ball fairly "flat".

Lets look at Dillion as an example. Starting at 4:30 he is trying to turn the ball over, but is doing so before the thumb is out of the ball. This results in the ball spinning like a top. At the 4:45 point he throws the ball without the thumb. The way the ball is rolling is what you want to achieve with the thumb in the ball.

By waiting until the ball is near your ankle to release the ball, the thumb is out of the ball, but the fingers are still in the ball. At that point you throw it just like you had no thumb in the ball.

By combining the thumb in the ball armswing, and the thumbless ball release, you get the "explosion" that Duke speaks of.

Todays oil patterns will help guide a good rolling ball towards the pocket.
The thumbless approach allows you to achieve a good rolling ball while making plenty of other errors.
That is why you seem to get good scores quickly with thumbless, but you will plateau much lower than your potential.