New from NKY

[fatback]

Hey everybody,

I'm happy to have found this site. I could really use the help that the people here can offer. I am currently 17 and have been bowling for a while, here's my story.

Back when i was a kid about 4-5 my dad used to bowl in competitive leauges during the weekend, and he would take me sometimes when my mom was not able to stay home. Watching him bowl was rather entertaining for me, and i was in awe when i watched him. He would be classified as a cranker. When i was a little kid i did not understand how he could throw such a hook and do so well. And since then i have enjoyed the sport of bowling. Just watching my dad inspired me to do something with it.

Every year for my birthday i would go bowling with the family, because it was what i enjoyed. I learned how to throw a ball, and since we couldn't afford it, that was all we could really bowl. My dad had stopped bowling in leagues to save money around the age of 8. About 2 years later when we got our money situation figured out, i asked if i could join a league. Of course, my father said yes. He couldn't afford to buy me a ball or shoes, so i was using the house balls and renting shoes. I started off doing horrible compared to the people around me, i averaged about 90 the first few months, and my goal was to be as good as my dad. Boy did i have a lot of work. When i bowled my dad was watching me, telling me what i was doing wrong, and all that fun stuff.

When I was 12 I had an average in the mid 120s, and my dad started trying to teach me how to throw a hook, and it was the most complicated thing I could have tried back then it seemed, i just couldn't get the hang of it. So i kept throwing straight during games, and at practices i would try as hard as i could to throw a hook. That year i had to stop bowling due to issues with school and what not, and i still did not have the hook down. As time went on i slowly forgot about bowling, even though i met some of the coolest people i would ever meet at that league.

I picked up bowling again this year because one of my best friends were on the schools team, and i decided what the heck and joined. I had no gear so my dad loaned me his. He let me use his shoes because we have the same size and he let me use his 1997 AMF Whip and his 1999 Hammer Blade. The thumb holes were too big, but i had to make due with what i had, and i learned that year to throw a hook. I was what most people would call a shoveler, bowling with the bent elbow and all that jazz. He waited until i was sure bowling was something i wanted to do for a long time before i got a ball, and i was sure, and just last friday, i got my first high performance bowling ball, an Ebonite Game On. I am currently learning how to throw the conventional way with a straight arm now because i have a bowling ball i can use without dropping, which feels so awkward bowling that way because i have been shoveling the last 4 months or so. I currently have a 164 average, and i am still striving to be as good as my dad which i still have a long ways to go before i am, but i am determined. This summer me and my dad are going to bowl in a father son league hopefully, which i am greatly looking forward too. I joined this website because i can use all the help i can get and this website seems to be one of the places to start with my questions. I am hoping to see improvement due to everyones help here.

[striker12]

hey thats good too hear that your getting abck into bowling and welcome to the site.

yeah ik what you mean by its hard to change styles i use to have the shoveler style for 3 years but i also only had a half a thumb in the ball and i learned how to hook a ball on my first year but i also got alot of help from everyone in my leauge and other people i met but i started when i was 14 soo the infomation would come in alot easyer and i was able to keep it on my mind for a long time.

and with that bent elbow that your talking about i got that and i still gto my arm going streght back but on my back swing i do a figure 8 hard to controll but it helps with you got a bent elbow but my elbow will never go back streght unless i get surgury which then i cant bowl for close to 3 year or do any sports i got my elbow injured when i was younger playing baseball took a basebal right into the arm poped the bone off then it went back down and filed abit of the other bone know it dose not sit right on my arm and my arm always bent.

it takes time to learn how to hook perfectly me i use to have alot of hook and know since i changed my style my hook has gone down but im also working on ym accuacy and after i get the accuracy then im going to bring my revs back up which will get me my hook soo in the meen time i am also learning how to adjust to the lanes with changed styles

[fatback]

Yeah man that must suck. Thanks for welcoming me to the site aswell. And i think i got the way i bowl from my dad because he has the whole bent elbow fiasco going on and he's somehow gotten it to work for him. lol

[The Mayor]

Great story!

Welcome to the site! Any one of us here would be happy to answer any questions you might have to help you improve!

[striker12]

yeah im still working on my bentalbow but im jsut messing up on my release a couple time wher im behind the ball revving it streght which mnakes it pick up alot of speed and dose not like roll out on the end soo im still working on adjusting my hand abit with my backswing but its a new style it will take time to get use to it