Ball and Release Review Request

[ackwdw123]

Hi Everyone, I have been struggling the past 4 weeks with my game. I have a Hammer Arson (16lbs) and an Ebonite Challenge (15lbs), both of which have had decent results in the past. I'm now at the point where I think the balls have seen their life. Neither have much reaction, especially on very dry lanes. I wanted to ask for some help in reviewing my release and see if anything else might appear to be off. I have video's of both balls, which the best reaction I had during my taping today. The Ebonite Challenge is at http://youtu.be/ahRIeuplpek and the Hammer Arson is at http://youtu.be/2GMsMUwjkQQ . If you have a minute and can view and offer any observations I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,
Kevin Ackerman

[Shaneshu87]

it looks to me like your doing everything fundamentally OK. i do see two things, one you drift to the left about 3-5 boards, this may not have an effect based on your consistency with the drift. two your ball speed, wow it looks like you're putting 19mph behind that 16 pound arson, my suggestion slow down and open up the lane. maybe a simple oil extraction will help all you need is a 5 gallon bucket and enough kitty litter to submerse your ball (inside the bucket) in kitty liter, set the bucket next to a heat source, not too hot, but warm enough to help the oil move. leave it in there for a day, after that just wipe it down with what ever cleaner you prefer. you could also have your pro shop resurface the balls back to factory surface after the oil extraction. it's like putting new tires on your car again, new tread better grip. just my 2 cents

[foreverincamo]

I've done the kitty litter/oil dry oil extraction trick myself. In the warmer summer months I put the ball in a bucket of oil dry and sit it in the sun. During the winter I place the bucket near a heat register and let the furnace do the work. Then off to the pro shop and get the ball resurfaced and polished. Works like new after all that. Give it a try

[bowl1820]

Hi Everyone, I have been struggling the past 4 weeks with my game. I have a Hammer Arson (16lbs) and an Ebonite Challenge (15lbs), both of which have had decent results in the past. I'm now at the point where I think the balls have seen their life.

The first thing to check is that they may need resurfacing and a good de-oiling.

Neither have much reaction, especially on very dry lanes.

Considering both balls are meant for more oil, they most likely would burn up on very dry lanes and look pretty weak.
The Challenge is a Asymmetrical with low RG (2.51) Diff. (.057)
The Arson is a Symmetrical with low RG (2.50) Diff. (.045)

I wanted to ask for some help in reviewing my release and see if anything else might appear to be off.

From the little we see your basically okay.

Your release speed is about 17.3mph with a overall ball speed about 15mph with either ball, so pretty average. Considering your doing the crossover step your drift is minimal, that I can see.

Given that you asked about the balls not reacting, seeing a video or two of that would have gave us more information.

[ackwdw123]

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who was able to take a minute to watch my videos and offer suggestions. You are right on the money with my speed, I did some bowling at a local center that was able to measure ball speed and I averaged 14mph, using the Arson. I have thought the speed to be way too fast for the amount of spin I put on the ball. I also noticed I was lofting the ball out a few feet, more so with the heavier (Arson) ball. I'm not sure of how to increase the spin and not increase the ball speed. I had the ball heated to remove the oil and also had the ball sanded down at the beginning of the season. Here are a few more videos if you have a minute and can watch them, I will take any suggestions/criticisms you might have.
http://youtu.be/ee8m7vvxEpQ - Ebonite Challenge 01
http://youtu.be/z1vK1Qm191o - Ebonite Challenge 02
http://youtu.be/Tiat0UpXi1Y - Ebonite Challenge 03
http://youtu.be/PV222_kt2is - Hammer Arson 01
http://youtu.be/al60D-Qa0zg - Hammer Arson 02
http://youtu.be/WX3K75VS1kc - Hammer Arson 03

Thank you,
Kevin Ackerman

[bowl1820]

First thing I see is your turning your hand too early. You need to work on staying behind the ball more coming into the release.

From the Ebonite challenge video 01:


In the backswing your on the inside of the ball which is okay.

But in the forward swing your hand has already turned to the outside of the ball before the release.

Now at the release your basically on the side and top of the ball. You lost leverage and most of your power there that's why the ball didn't come back.

In the video where you struck, you stayed a little more behind the ball.

[fortheloveofbowling]

Good point from 1820 on your hand positions. First, i will say i like your tempo to the line and the fact you may drift is fine. The key with your approach is repeat it regardless of how far you drift. Most coaches will tell you that you need to drift a little to get your hips out of the way if your trying to open your angles in the fronts. The first thing that stands out to me in addition to 1820's observations is the follow through. Now, some guys will say that reach for the sky stuff is old school. Even Randy Pedersen on pba telecasts implies that is is really not a necessity and i would tend to agree. There are many things that used to be standard that are not imperative these days. Having said that though, if i am trying to tell someone about the arm swing i'm going to try to get them as loose with that as possible. The arm swing should be free following and towards your target and the easiest way to convey that to me is be loose and follow through. Try this next time you practice, on your push away try to create an imaginary line between the inside of your elbow through your ring finger towards your target. Your hand position as shown in the still photo from 1820 on the back swing is in good position, on the inside of the ball. Try to keep your hand behind the ball and follow though to past the top of your head and keep the thumb upon release from rotating past 1:00 - 2:00. Check your hand position after you have thrown it and see if you can do that. I think that will help with your follow through and hand position both.

The second thing i may see something with is the spine tilt but can't really see your shoulders all the way through the approach. If you post other videos try to get a higher angle. That is something that Rob would be more suited to comment on though.

Anyway, just my observations. Good luck with your game and as i stated before your tempo looks good.

[ackwdw123]

I can't thank you guys enough! These are all great ideas to try and keep in mind. Tonight at my league I tried turning my wrist much later, but the timing was way off and I even put the ball in the gutter. I stuck with this for my first and second games and could only pull off a 148 and 179. I reverted back to the "handshake" release for my third game and hit a 215. I'm starting to find the handshake release very boring, which is why I took the videos and asked for some suggestions to help take my game to the next level. This is my second year bowling and have been reading and watching all different videos and learning as I go. The suggestions from this post has taught me quite a bit. I'm wondering if either of these balls are correct for someone transitioning from a basic(handshake) release to a release with more wrist/fingers, or if I should consider a different ball. As I mentioned above, I can't thank you guys enough for your time and suggestions. ~ka

[swingset]

Could tell a TON more about your game by seeing more than the back of your knees. Side view, back view. Release stuff, feet, that's all well and good but timing issues are the building blocks and I can't see that part of your game very well.

[ackwdw123]

I plan on hitting the bowling alley on Monday, I'll see about getting some side profile video along with some video with more of a back view. I'm thinking my hand position at release and approaching the line too fast is hurting me. I see a difference between the images from bowl1820 and this one I found.