Help! Getting back into the game after 7-8 years

[jab5325]

Hi folks! I'm certainly new to the board, and it looks like a great place with a lot of great people.

I'm a lefty, and am not a cranker/high rev player. I've always tried to emulate Earl Anthony in the way he threw the ball, but am really struggling to get back into the groove despite a lot of practice.

Being away from the game for so long, I probably need new equipment. My ball is a 16lb Ebonite Xxcel that, prior to giving up the game, had only about 12-20 games on it.

My shoes were terrible, so I just bought a pair of Dexter SST8 SEs. I love those so far, although I am having a bit of trouble with sole peel back on the inside of my left foot. However, I absolutely love the way they slide with an S10 sole and H7 heel. I also have the S8 and S12 slide soles.

Does anyone have any good tips/drills to stay balanced and get a consistent release and arm swing? It seems that on a lot of my shots, even when I concentrate on balance, I still am a bit off. I am struggling to get a consistent release and arm swing too. I'm often leaving the ball outside of my intended mark.

This results in not getting a lot of strikes. I used to be a "strike bowler" and was never a good spare shooter. I'd have a couple of open frames, but always a 3-4 strikes in a row somewhere. Now, the converse is happening. I can't strike on a regular basis, but I've went from converting fewer then 70% of 7-pins/4-7s to making nearly all of them. This is great and I'm happy with where I'm at spare wise now....but this also leads to low games.

Any thoughts/tips/help is greatly appreciated.

[swingset]

When you haven't bowled for a while, especially if you were bowling in the "old style", the most important thing to work on again, rebuild from scratch is timing, timing, and timing. Did I mention timing?

And, if you're going to rebuild yourself, get your address right (bent knees, balanced arm supporting the ball, bent slightly so your head is over the ball). Make sure your pushaway is right to give you the correct timing with your natural approach, and take that crossover step to get out of the way of that downswing.

Each is a process unto itself, but if you get all those right you'll be 9/10ths to great fundamentals.

A lot of good videos and instructions out there, and good coaching too.

[RobLV1]

Misses to the outside are usually caused by late timing. Since you have been away for a while and much has changed in the game, I would suggest that you find a USBC Certified Coach (Silver or Bronze Level) and start back on the right foot. You can find someone in your area by going to the USBC website, bowl.com, click on "search for," and "coach." You can find a qualified coach right in your own area by entering your zipcode. Good luck.

[jab5325]

I just wanted to thank everyone who responded with their thoughts in this thread.

I've worked a lot on my timing, and I'm now throwing the same scores that I did before I left the game (180s).

The trouble is that I was really, really putrid in my league, and my season average is about 169.....but it's climbing. I've been working on developing/getting back a pre-shot routine, balance, and consistent timing. Though I'm still not "there" with regards to consistency with all of the above, I'm getting MUCH better.

My last 4 league games are even higher with a 191 average, with a low of 171. In the 171 game, I started out with a 7-9 split, and also had two other tough splits during the game.....so all things considered, even that wasn't a "bad" game like those I threw earlier in the season.

[Amyers]

Glad to hear you are making progress. Keep working at it and you will be better than ever