New inconsistent bowler looking for help!

Questions about coaching?

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Augustblade
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New inconsistent bowler looking for help!

Post by Augustblade »

Hi, this is Eric from Purdue University. My first post here, kinda nervous haha!

I am taking a bowling class this semester and already fall in love with it despite I have no experience before. I bought my own ball a month ago. It is a 10 pound, Columbus 300 Scout reactive ball. I know it is kinda light. I heard many people say to use a ball weighs 1/10 of your body weight. I weigh 132 lbs but my arms are pretty weak.

I bowl almost every day and usually bowl around 10 games when I'm there. I do drills too but not much. I average 110-130 and being very inconsistent. I started practicing sliding two weeks ago and now my score ranges from 80 to 160.

I recorded some videos today to see what I'm doing. Here is the link: " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I hope to get some tips on my approach and release. The ball doesn't seem to hook much. It's more like a straight ball with a 90 degree side rotation. My balance arm flies high also.

I feel like at a bottle neck now. I kinda want to move up to a heavier ball (12 to 13 lbs) but I don't know if I can hold it.

Unlike other people on the class, I really take the game serious and want to be good at it!

Link of my practice video: " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Duplicate in general discussion too just to look for help. Sorry if it violated rules, delete one if that's the case.
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MegaMav
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Re: New inconsistent bowler looking for help!

Post by MegaMav »

Jim, I moved this here for you.
I think there will be dialogue.
djp1080
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Re: New inconsistent bowler looking for help!

Post by djp1080 »

Hi Eric, I, too, went to Purdue, but it was a long. long time ago. Finished up at a regional campus in electrical engineering.
Watched your practice video. You had a couple good shots, but quite a few were a bit left of where you wanted the ball to go. You're wrapping the ball around your body on the backswing. As the ball comes back down you're making a correction for the mistake and this is causing your ball to go left of your intended target.
Since you're using a very light weight ball, your body is able to control the ball more than if it was heavier. If you could get your pushaway swing directed at the target to start and avoid wrapping the ball around yourself to the left of your head, you'd have a swing which would end up going directly at your target. A heavier ball wouldn't allow your body to control it very easily due to the inertia that's generated once the ball is in motion. You should allow gravity to help you get the speed you desire to get the ball down the lane. You don't need much muscle.
I'd suggest that you work with a coach though to help you with working on a hook. The main thing is to keep your hand behind the ball as Coach Shockley suggests in his videos. Keep the crease of your bowling arm directed towards your target at all times which will help you to keep your index finger directed toward your target as well.
Once your thumb exits the ball down near your sliding ankle your fingers will naturally provide the revolutions to your ball to begin making it hook from right to left.
Hope this helps and good luck!
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