New to fingertip bowling / modern bowling. Need help!!!

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tb10031
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New to fingertip bowling / modern bowling. Need help!!!

Post by tb10031 »

I've posted in the general bowling forum and have received some great insight and ideas from fellow community members. Multiple drills have been offered to me such as Joe Slowinski's foul line drill and other one step drills(which I plan on practicing starting this week). Recently I have been bowling 2-3 days a week, so I want to make sure that my time spent bowling is efficient and effective in regards to improving my game. I think that it's a good idea for me to start here, and work on my approach backwards. I just want to give a heads up that I am not by any means a good bowler yet, and I may need more help than this can offer, but I'm giving it a shot :)

To give a little information about myself, I have bowled on-and-off ever since I was 8 years old. I am now 24, and have only bowled in a league since last year. I used my dad's conventional bowling ball (16lbs) during last year's league and recently purchased my own fingertip ball about a month and a half ago (a Storm Optimus). I have always had a huge passion for bowling, but never knew what I had to do to get better. My motivation to get better is obviously the desire to improve, but I also want to be able to beat my girlfriend consistently! Last year in our league my average was 122 and her's was 186. This year my average was 150(but climbed to 160 with the Optimus) and her's is a 206. I'd like to be able to reach that level where I can be more competitive. I have never had any coaching and have used a ball not intended for me for so long, that I am quite certain that I've developed some terrible habits in the process which is preventing me from developing into the bowler I want to become. My high game with the conventional ball was 178, and my high game with the Optimus is 246, but that doesn't mean anything because I cannot consistently get games near or over 200.

However, I have lost 25-30 lbs since I was fitted for my new ball, so the ball doesn't fit like it first did. The thumb hole is a little loose, but I inserted thumb tape into the ball to try compensating for the room. Despite this extra room, I developed several blisters on the top/sides of the thumb, but have used turbo quick release(blue) tape and haven't had any issues as far as blisters/cuts. Before using the tape I was gripping pretty good, but with the tape I am allowed to keep a relaxed thumb through the approach and swing.

Below I will link several rear view videos of my approach and release (pre-drills) to get some insight on what and how I should try to develop a proper approach and release with good timing. As you will notice in the video, I essentially do not have a slide and my timing is way off or so it seems to me, so please take a look and give insight on what I should work on first!

(The first 3 videos ended up being strikes which wasn't intended, but they are literally the only 3 videos I have that meet the video analysis requirements - I also want to add that occasionally I end up throwing a gutter ball and I cannot figure out why as I believe I am using the same target and so the 3rd rear view video shows a gutter)

Side View
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Rear view 1
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Rear view 2
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Rear view 3(poor angle)
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Any and all suggestions/critiques will be appreciated! I thank you in advance for taking the time to help a newer bowler such as myself.


UPDATE:

Thanks for the response Jim and John! Yes, it is Spectrum Lanes in Michigan. This is the center I spend the most time at practicing due to it being open later than most in the area. The league I bowl at every other Saturday is at Westgate Bowling in the same city. I have read through your response about 10 times to fully digest and understand your suggestions, and I am left with a few questions.

Your slides have helped me to realize and understand things that I do wrong. Now that I have an understanding of them, I can work to make improvements. Do you have any recommendations or drills to practice a proper stance, or keeping a straighter arm swing, developing more lateral spinal tilt?, or better timing? I tried Joe Slowinski's foul line drill last night for a couple hours. I definitely got a feel for the "modern release." I woke up a few muscle groups that I definitely didn't use while bowling before. While comparing the lateral spinal tilt line to my foul line drills, I saw that I leaned more forward than at an angle towards the right giving my ball a path under my head.

I tried a few one step drills, and noticed I struggled to slide again, due to my heels. Is the easiest way to try to fix this habit to learn how to walk and put more pressure on the toes/balls of the feet?

Should I disregard these sorts of drills completely until I get my stance / swing / timing / slide down?

I feel like I need to accept the fact that my balls are going to be much straighter with no reaction until I get the mechanics and fundamentals down.

I agree with your remark. Knowledge can be dangerous. Just because I understand the modern release doesn't mean it's going to fix my game if my timing, stance, or swing are off. More hook isn't going to fix my problems, nor will adding balls to my bag. The USBC Bowling Academy videos on Youtube do a good job at making one think that a good release fixes more issues than it really will. It also makes it seem like any bowler despite their skill level can use most of their content to be better. Unfortunately I watched all of the videos and had this issue, thinking that knowing what I need to do to be a better bowler will automatically improve my game.

My Storm Optimus has its out of the box surface. With making attempts at better approaches and swings, my ball is much, much straighter than it is when I revert to old habits(making horrible attempts to put hook on the ball rather than it happening naturally). Playing straighter leads to lower scores than using those old habits. Would modifying my balls surface to add a little reaction to compensate for lack of hook from my release be helpful, or would that not help matters? This is in regards to getting better scores during my bowling league, and not during practice. I don't want to let the team down!

Thanks again Jim.
Last edited by tb10031 on April 9th, 2015, 5:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
JMerrell
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Re: New to fingertip bowling / modern bowling. Need help!!!

Post by JMerrell »

Hi Todd and welcome to the site.

Several items in your post stand out:
1) I want to make sure that my time spent bowling is efficient and effective in regards to improving my game. Your practice plan needs to match your current skill level.
2) However, I have lost 25-30 pounds since I was fitted for my new ball. Need to have that grip re-checked, tape won’t fix the loss of weight issue.
3) I essentially do not have a slide and my timing is way off or so it seems to me. More on this later.
4) Occasionally I end up throwing a gutter ball and I cannot figure out why. Explained below.
5) I may need more help than this can offer. All the help you need is here, but this is a step by step process.
6) I also want to be able to beat my girlfriend consistently. This will be a long term goal, not a short term goal.

Side view analysis:
1) At address the ball is held too far from your body, as you begin your motion the ball is brought back closer to your body and then over-extended from the body in S4.
2) The over-extension causes the ball too still be out in front of the body in S5 at the completion of the second step. At the completion of the second step the position of the ball & arm should be closer to the green lines shown in S5.
3) The problem of the over-extension earlier results in the ball not being reaching the top of the swing in S6.
4) In S7 you can see that the swing is still going up as you enter the slide.
5) In S8 you don’t slide as your heel goes down first…should be toe then heel.
6) I slides S9 through S11 you can that as the ball is released your hand goes over the top and the follow thru is on the other side of your head. If you throw the foam football like this it will go into the wall at your left.
7) In S12 you seem to always fall off to your right.

Back view analysis:
1) Ball position should be further left at address.
2) First step is straight ahead, prefer a balance beam type step to help clear the right side for the back swing.
3) Slide B6 reveals several issues…..not enough lateral spine tilt right (yellow line), right foot stuck behind your body it needs to go further left (green line), right arm and ball position way outside your head at release.
4) In B7, I have traced your swing path after release with the happy faces, we are looking for a straight back and through swing….no loop.

Gutter ball:
1) From the top down your swing works away from your body and typically you pull your arm across your body in an effort to get the ball on line and also make it hook.
2) In GB1 through GB4 on the way down your swing works away from your body as usual, however your follow through is not across your body but straight down the lane. Therefore the ball goes in the direction of the down swing…. The gutter.

Plan for improvement:
1) Let’s start by moving the ball back closer to the body at address and eliminate the move seen in S2.
2) After reaching the end of the first step the right arm needs to unfold (unhinge) and allow the ball to arc downward not outward.
3) Doing this should position the swing and ball closer to slide S5, which will in turn improve the timing relationship of your feet and ball.
4) To develop a slide you must spend some time in practice working on getting the toe down first then the heel.
5) During practice also spend some time at the line increasing your upper body lateral tilt, we need to get that head over the ball.

Caution:
I see that you have been visiting other areas of the site for help.
Knowledge is a great thing, a little knowledge a dangerous thing.

Slides BB1 through BB6 reflect how you need to always play the lane.
If your ball doesn’t hook (feel as though the lanes are slick) you are too far left.

Honesty is always the best policy…you're at the beginner level.
Forget the modern release (far too many are obsessed with this) and focus on the fundamentals
of stance, start and balance at the line.

Is that Spectrum Lanes in Michigan?
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-JMerrell
"Simplify the Motion.....Maximize the Results"
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kajmk
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Re: New to fingertip bowling / modern bowling. Need help!!!

Post by kajmk »

I was just getting set to respond, to give you a few items.

It started
Hi Todd.
"The Master of the house is far away ..." with apologies to Ian Anderson
The Master of course is Jim.
I looked at your videos via tablet.




I thought Jim's schedule was keeping him away.
Lucky for you, Jim responded, you won't have to put up with my attempts to help.
I will sit back and read Jim's analysis.

Congratulations on your weight loss.
Welcome to the forum.
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
contribute in some way to that happiness
and to that freedom for all.

John
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