ball speed question

[Scojoy]

Thanks all, will try to maybe rev less and keep it in the middle of the lane

[billf]

Wow I'm shocked. Not one response about where real ball speed comes from. Read 'The Game Changer', watch Norm Duke's bowling competitively video, check most websites and they all say the same thing. Increase your foot speed. Easier said than done to keep proper timing but ball speed is generated from the legs. Adjusting the ball in the stance helps correct the timing.
How high is your back swing currently?

[Scojoy]

You know Bill, I was just thinking of setting up my video camera to determine that. Not anywhere near horizontal I'm sure. Maybe I should start farther back at the rear arrows and get some momentum going.

[billf]

I've used 4, 5 & 6 step approaches with varying degrees of success. Most pro bowlers are of slight build. Norm Duke is one that uses a 6 1/2 step approach and really gets his legs moving so his 135 lbs body can generate the needed speed. At the league level, to be competitive, that kind of speed usually isn't needed. Record your delivery though. There are probably areas that could be strengthened to generate a more natural back swing and a more fluid delivery that will increase your speed and maintain or increase your accuracy.

[sprocket]

A short backswing is not always something that needs fixed. In fact it can be VERY difficult to change if you have always bowled with a short backswing. EVERY type of backswing requires the proper foot work to match it and IMHO it is easier to adjust your foot work to your backswing then vice versa.

First things first though. The ball has to fit your hand. Period. A loose grip is a muscled grip and that KILLS speed. Too much reverse pitch in the thumb hole is a killer too. What I'm talking about here is GRIP PRESSURE. The less, the better.

Back to footwork. Marshall Holman (in his later years) had a short backswing and fantastic foot work. If you watch a video of him you will see just how short his pivot step (right before the slide) is. He drives forward off that short step and that gets his ball in the right place for release. It allows him to accelerate through release. With a short backswing there almost has to be one or two short steps unless the push away occurs very late. If the steps are all the same length or are too slow the ball just has to hang there at the top of the backswing waiting for the feet to catch up. You will either release it early or just stop the swing entirely. If the swing motion stops, speed is nonexistent.

Increasing the backswing has the possibility of making things even WORSE. It can really mess up your timing and if it does increase your speed it can be at the expense of rotation. Or you might get in the habit of trying to stop your swing at the bottom so you can get revs on the ball, and then you're right back to killing your speed. Don't get me wrong; you CAN learn to use a longer backswing but it isn't ALWAYS the best thing to do.

[billf]

Marshall Holman was one or two of the bowlers names in Mark Baker's book as having different timing than all of the other thousands of bowlers, past and present, that he checked with his new timing method.
Good point about the grip pressure. A fluid delivery also creates speed but most people (league bowler with under a 200 average) have too poor of footwork to qualify.

[sprocket]

Marshall Holman was one or two of the bowlers names in Mark Baker's book as having different timing than all of the other thousands of bowlers, past and present, that he checked with his new timing method.
Good point about the grip pressure. A fluid delivery also creates speed but most people (league bowler with under a 200 average) have too poor of footwork to qualify.

I definitely will have to read Mark Baker's book. Honestly I never saw anything particularly out of place with Marshall Holman's footwork. Yes, it was unique, but it wasn't like I watched it and said "how can he possibly release the ball right with that weird footwork?" His swing was quite unique and his footwork matched it. He drove off his short pivot step and was still sliding when he let go of the ball, but his foot speed and his momentum while sliding helped generate more ball speed. He made it look so easy, and to me, every piece fit. I was always amazed that nobody else had a similar approach. I never understood why.

I think short backswings are just very rare among pro bowlers. They all seem to throw the ball so hard these days. However, short backswings are much more common among regular league bowlers I just don't think it's always the right fix to try to get them to use a longer swing.

[billf]

Not a longer swing. Most league bowlers use a long push away with a high starting point. I have moved many people lower and show them how to hinge it. The swing length is the same, or very close, with the added benefit of a decent back swing.

[sprocket]

One other thing I find interesting about Mark Baker commenting on Marshall Holman's foot work: If you watch the title match of the '86 Firestone on youtube you will see Marshall and Mark bowling for the championship. In my book Marshall has footwork that exactly matches his swing. Mark Baker, on the other hand, kind of stutters with his feet at the start of his approach, then takes a very long first step and almost stops. Then he has a long second step and after that his approach speeds up. Finally he stops quickly at the line and often falls off right after releasing the ball. Of the two I think Holman had far superior footwork.

[sprocket]

Not a longer swing. Most league bowlers use a long push away with a high starting point. I have moved many people lower and show them how to hinge it. The swing length is the same, or very close, with the added benefit of a decent back swing.

That makes sense. I can see how that would work for those that fit your description.