So much to learn!

[vgw]

Do you use a ball cleaner after you bowl? That would be a good first start. You can just spray the cleaner on and wipe it off the ball. That should help remove the surface oil. That will help on a short-term basis, then after you bowl a lot of games, you can take it back to the pro shop to have it resurfaced or do the oil saturation thing when you start feeling a noticeable decline in performance. I have only had resurfacing done at the shop and have not tried the saturation methods. I also give the ball a good soak every month or so in warm water and dish washing liquid, using a microfiber towel to wipe off the oil.

[trickysocialwkr]

I just bought ball cleaner today and started using it after i'm done with a session. I also asked my pro shop guy abotu buying a sanding pad to use to rough up the cover stock, but he basically said it was better for me to let him do it. I think i'm planning on taking it to the pro shop every couple of weeks to be revitalized. is soaking the ball like that a safe way to remove the oil? i just didnt know if the water would damage the ball.

i'm noticing that with the new, more full drill pattern i'm still having release issues, like coming aroudn the ball on the release instead of staying under it. I was having a hard time with my strike shot leaving single pins today, and producing the kind of curve i'm looking for on the ball. still feeling very new to how the ball feels after the redrill

[BallBuster]

Now that your ball is drilled to fit you better you have to work harder to stay behind it. That's how you get the best axis rotation. Also make an effort to keep your elbow straight. Coming around the side is your body's way of compensating for the lack of muscle mass in the wrist. Yes it gives you a sweet hook, but a very inconsistent shot altogether because it makes you articulate more at the shoulders and hips when both should remain fairly square with the foul line. The answer is simply practice to build the muscles. Stay behind the ball and release as if you were throwing a football underhanded in a spiral motion. And no, soapy water will not harm your ball. I've recently gotten into the habit of washing it with warm/hot water and dish soap. And yes, it does help remove oil from the ball. Especially with a microfiber towel and a little rubbing alcohol to dry up the water. This can be done multiple times.

[trickysocialwkr]

i have been practicing alot more lately, really trying to build up muscle memory of keeping my hand under the ball, since coming around it was a big issue for me. one problem i'm still encountering though is a general lack of curve, which is exactly what I was finding before my balls recent redrill and discovering I had to relearn my release.

typically and ideally speaking, I prefer to play the mid lane with my Twisted Fury. I release at around the right 17 board, cross the arrows at roughly the 13 board, and then break in. most of the time now though I find myself only able to play the outside of the lane and throw in much straighter, with only slight curve.

previously I controlled curve by adjusting starting height of the ball before pushaway and how close I was to the foul line before pushaway, but my reading and instruction from others makes it sound like I shouldn't be relying on this as much. what else can i do or practice to get more out of my ball? thoughts?

on a positive note, i'm noticing some more consistency when I actually focus on and concentrate on my game. spares are getting better.

[vgw]

Sounds like you are making real good progress. Spares are what keeps you alive, the strikes will win it, but I've seen lots of guys who can throw monstrous strikes, only to die because they can't hit a 10 pin or multiple-pin spare. As you become more accustomed to bowling on various lane conditions, you can think about adding another ball to handle a situation a little better.

[littlelegs]

If your wanting info Get this PDF its called
Click here "Chapter 6 – Bowling Ball Parts and Dynamics"

"Chapter 6 – Bowling Ball Parts and Dynamics"

Its appears to be from a USBC Bronze Certification coaching manual. Its 58 pages long and
has most of the basic information you could want. Everyone should read this

Info on proper/improper fit, span & pitches, coverstocks, surface adjustments
Ball Construction and Dynamics
Basic bowling ball math
Weight blocks
Pin
Center of Gravity (CG)
Pin-in/pin-out
Radius of Gyration (RG)
Preferred Spin Axis (PSA)
Differential
Track flare
Static weights

and more.

also get
click here for chapter 8 USBC Lane Play pdf

click here for chapter 7 USBC Fine Tuning the Physical Game pdf

click here for Matching the Ball to the Bowler pdf

I wanted to say thanks for the links. The Chapter 7 link especially, as it made me step back and think a little bit harder about my release and realize something fundemental I need to change that I didn't know I Was doing.

[tumblebug1949]

Littlelegs, I totally agree with you. Thanks bowl1820 for providing the wonderful links. Excellent reading and something everyone should devote some time to.

Tom

[trickysocialwkr]

so any tips for putting more revs on the ball or getting more curve? i don't want to feel like i'm forced to play the 4th board every time I go to the lanes simple because that's the only way I get any reliable curve

[littlelegs]

This may help coming from the perspective of someone who struggled with this part of the game. I'm finally getting there but it was an uphill struggle as so often guides, articles and advice miss basic pointers. Some of the stuff I knew I should be doing but didn't realize I wasn't until I videoed it and/or had got people to watch me. Other bits and pieces I gradually learned...

One of the most obvious things - make sure your thumb is snug (but not too tight to get out of the ball). There should be no pressure needed on your thumb during the swing, it being there just to help guide the ball in the right direction.

Ensure your thumb is coming out of the ball first and early enough. If it isn't you're probably still gripping it. It's easy to do without realizing.

Keep your arm relaxed and loose. This really is pretty vital for a accurate, repeatable release with good revs. Tightening the muscles really can reign the revs in and make you lose accuracy.

Stay behind the ball. DO NOT come up the side of the ball with your arm if looking for good revs with accuracy. So then you ask how to get movement in the right direction instead of forwards? This was my biggest problem area for ages as so few guides explain it simply and it really is pretty simple (although getting the execution right takes time and practice). Just rotate your fingers and wrist at the time of release but NOT the rest of your arm. Google some Tommy Jones release videos to see what I mean, as his exaggerated release helps highlight this. His arm stays the same direction throughout. It's the the wrist that rotates to create spin in the right direction. It also helps with getting the thumb out of the ball just that little bit earlier.

Keep your wrist strong until the moment of release (cupped if you can for higher revs). This sounds simple but you're essentially trying to completely relax the arm muscles on the downward swing whilst keeping the wrist muscles tense which takes some getting used to.

Follow through with the arm all the way over the head. It really does make a difference.

Try not to lean too far forward when you release. Getting low by bending the knee is good but dipping forward can kill revs and accuracy.

And as has been said before keep the ball clean between frames and after each session.

*an edit to add something as I think of it* Use the maximum back swing that you can control. I say this for two reasons. Try to copy someone like Tommy Jones and you may just find you're simply missing everything. That's a hard style to bowl and something I believe you need to 'feel' comfortable doing before trying to learn it. However, I struggled for a year with getting my thumb out of the ball early enough to get revs. Whatever I tried it simply wasn't happening. Then one session I tried something slightly new and it was like the light coming on for the first time...I simply took my back swing ever so slightly above horizontal as opposed to quite a bit below. Suddenly I had revs. Then the practice kicks in as you learn to control the direction of the revs and the accuracy of the ball with the higher swing.

Along with the above I switched from a 4 to a 5 step approach as I find with the higher swing I needed the extra step for the timing, otherwise it was always just a little out.

I hope that helps a little and I'm sure I'll be corrected by some of the very good bowlers and coaches kicking around here if they see anything wrong. As I say all the above is from the POV of someone having the same problems and steps that worked for me to help overcome them. All of the above has made a big difference to my game. Currently I'm still settling down and trying to get proper muscle memory going for all the changes as there's been a lot of them over the last 18 months or so.

[littlelegs]

I apologize for the lack of paragraphs. I put them in and quick reply seemed to ignore them. I also can't seem to edit the post in IE or Firefox. I simply get a permanent loading wheel graphic over the edit button when I try to.

Scrub that. I got editing to work by copy/pasting the edit URL into the browser