Lesson with Mark Baker

[Hampe]

LOL.....yea, a little bit

[Bunny]

I had a 1/2 hour with Mark yesterday. I got to preview parts of the new dvd. Neener, neener. It looks awesome!!!

We worked on...

Keeping my swing shoulder quiet and level on pushaway.

Keeping my first two steps (5 step approach) smooth and effortless. (Explained in the dvd.)


Good Lesson!

[Hammer]

On your approach with your slide foot arch on board 20 and your target arrow on board 10 does Mark have your downswing swing straight or does he have your ball arm swing towards your target arrow? I am guessing that if you don't have an inside out downswing that you won't be able to swing straight on your approach and then have your downswing hit the target arrow on the 10 board. I personally can swing straight lined up on board 20 and then swing out to the 10 board target with an inside out swing.

[foreverincamo]

Finding good coaching isn't easy. I just got lucky by geography that I have three top-notch coaches all in the same house. I worked with Jeri Edwards today on some release drills. Been hanging up in my thumb hole and I know it's me. She changed a few things and after a half hour of working with her I threw games of 287 and 245. Unfortunately I split my thumb open on an old blister and had to quit again just like last week.

[Amyers]

Finding good coaching isn't easy. I just got lucky by geography that I have three top-notch coaches all in the same house. I worked with Jeri Edwards today on some release drills. Been hanging up in my thumb hole and I know it's me. She changed a few things and after a half hour of working with her I threw games of 287 and 245. Unfortunately I split my thumb open on an old blister and had to quit again just like last week.

I've had a lot of problems with that myself. One I'm starting to understand I grip the ball even though I didn't think I did. Two Roby's skin patch is a life saver if you get them in similar spots put it on before bowling it's the one thing I've found that helps and believe me I've tried a lot

[Bunny]

On your approach with your slide foot arch on board 20 and your target arrow on board 10 does Mark have your downswing swing straight or does he have your ball arm swing towards your target arrow? I am guessing that if you don't have an inside out downswing that you won't be able to swing straight on your approach and then have your downswing hit the target arrow on the 10 board. I personally can swing straight lined up on board 20 and then swing out to the 10 board target with an inside out swing.

Arm swing towards target. I think he wants the arm swing to stay the same but open up the shoulder/hip angle.

Like the diagram on Rob's home page. http://www.modern-bowling.com/

[Bunny]

Feeling pretty good after Mark's last lesson. It seems like something clicked.

Keeping my swing shoulder from "collapsing" has really helped. The shoulder tilt is ok just need to keep it quiet and level. (Not necessarily perpendicular to the floor, just keep it where it's at.) It has helped my consistency. I seem to be in and around the pocket a lot more and stringing more strikes together. I won third place at sweeps last week and won $71!

Getting the ball out right with the second step. (I have a 5 step approach.) It's giving me time to stay behind the ball (even a little inside, which is very cool) and turn it at the bottom for some really nice rotation. I'm seeing a lot more power on my hits too! Quite a few times I thought, "Damn, that was pretty awesome!!

Expending minimal effort on the first two steps. There can only be 100% effort (a la John Wooden) on your, in this case, approach/swing/release. Upper body = 70% effort, lower body = 30% per Mark. If too much effort is expended on the lower body then it's taken away from the upper body. (It's in the yet-to-be-released DVD!) It's helping me stay super smooth. It keeps my head still and eyes on target. I feel like I'm seeing the whole lane "clearer" if that makes sense.

My approach/swing/release is feeling easy and effortless. I love that!!

[Hammer]

Hey Bunny, looks like these lessons from Mark will give you more confidence in your games. Good luck.

[Bunny]

Thanks Hammer. Yes! Exactly! I'm definitely feeling more confident. I think it comes from feeling like I have more "control" on the ball.