This Post is a continuation from my Blog Posts on 12/20/21 and 1/3/22. Please go back to review if you need to.

    As previously mentioned and I'm sure you know by now, that there are many problems we may face during our bowling sessions. Here are a few more to be aware of:

9. Over Turning the bowling hand--
​    This can also be called "Topping the Ball". If you don't finish with a 10:00 or 11:00 thumb position on the release and you end up turning the ball with the thumb finishing at the 8:00 or 7:00 position (turning the hand too much to the left for a right handed bowler or too much to the right for a left handed bowler-4:00 or 5:00 position). This can also happen if you turn the entire arm instead of just the wrist. Over turning will cause a LOW AXIS TILT which leads to a loss of ball power at the pins, and a poor ball delivery onto the lane.

10. Trailing Foot too much to the Side--
    This can also be called "Side Wheeling". Many right handed bowlers have their right leg extended out to the left side as a way to help with balancing the body after the ball is released (opposite for Lefty's). But if you do it excessively, it can cause a loss of balance because the body is turned too much and not able to face the target more squarely. It also causes the ball come to come around behind the body and the elbow ends up being too far away from the bowlers' side resulting in an over turn of the fingers (#9 above). If you feel that your body is not facing the target squarely, then have the trailing foot more in back of you instead of out to the side and place the non bowling arm out to the side to help with your balance.

11. Opposite of Side Wheeling--
    Instead of the arm and elbow being close to the body on the back swing (which is the proper positioning), some bowlers tend to bend their elbow and swing the ball in an arc away from the body. In doing this, the ball will cross inwardly and after the release will cause the ball to finish to the left of the headpin instead of coming into the desired pocket area. When arcing, sometimes the arc may be done closer to the body and and other times may be further away from the body, causing inconsistency! This can also cause a bowler to "Top" the ball and causing a loss of pin action (#9 above).

12. Elbow Out to the Side--
    If you find you are getting more splits than usual, having the elbow out to the side could be the culprit. This was happening to me when I was a beginner and I just couldn't' figure out what I was doing wrong. I decided to take a lesson with the pro shop guy and he could see right away what was happening. What helped me was to think of that area of my arm that is in front of my elbow to always be facing the pins as my arm was coming up after releasing the ball. When I did this, I never turned my arm out to the side again. I realized that the reason I was doing this was because I was trying to hook the ball with my entire arm, instead of just using my wrist, hand, and fingers to achieve the proper hook.This can also happen if you are trying to get the bowling arm around the body which is why I recommend holding the ball out slightly to the side instead of directly in front of the body at the stance. 

    It's important to practice good timing, footwork, and keeping the arm, hand, and ball close to the body with a good pendulum swing during your practice sessions. Remember, Consistency is the key!!


    Join me back here again next week when I'll be discussing "What are the different types of bowling styles", a continuation from Blog Posts dated 1/10/22, 1/24/22, and 1/31/22.

    Good Luck and High Scoring!!

Here are a few things I learned over the years that I want to mention to help you learn the game and improve more quickly:

1. For more ACCURACY or when there's not much oil on the lanes:
  **Have a better follow through by looking another 6-12" past your normal target. This will make you reach out more.
   **Use a slightly weaker release-lessen the lift and turning motion.
   **Start a little father back on the lane which will increase your walking speed and thereby cutting down on the amount of hook which increases accuracy.

2. To help read the lane better, always start in your normal spot when the lease practice session begins. I always start in the center of the lane (20th board). Then adjust left or right from there, but only a board or two at most to start.

3. Determine at what point the ball breaks (starts to hook). If you slow down, the breakpoint will begin sooner. Each lane is slightly different so pay attention to each and make a mental note so you stand on the correct dot or board on each lane, and not visa versa. I've been on pairs of lanes that have varied by 5 or more boards. 
    When I was a beginner, I used to write on a piece of paper where to stand on each of the lanes which I kept in my pocket. I would check it when I needed a reminder to let me know what dot or board to begin on and which target to use for each lane in case I forgot. When the lanes changed and I made adjustments and make a note on the paper. There's a lot of things to remember when you first start out and by writing it down, it was one less thing for me to have to worry about.

4. As the golfer makes the mistake of looking up too soon, remember to keep your eyes on the ball until it goes over your intended target to make sure it is in fact doing that!  There's plenty of time after it passes the target to look up at the pins.

5. Learn to bowl each frame SEPARATELY! Try to focus on good execution and follow through and do NOT think about the prior frame if you missed converting a spare. You should only do that immediately after you did it to figure out what you did wrong and what adjustment you need to make. Then leave it in the past since you cannot do that frame over again, there's no sense in dwelling about it. Remember, if you are worried about the past frame/s you won't be able to focus on the task at hand!

6. I found over the years that when shooting for strikes, it's best to aim from the foul line to the arrows and when going for spares, it's better to aim from the arrows to the pins (spotting farther down the lane helps with accuracy as mentioned above).


    If you have extra time this week, go practicing and just have a fun time out bowling with the family, then you can show off how much you are improving! I am proud of you for sticking with me and I know how committed you are to get to that next level!

​Check out my ebook that's now available on Amazon/Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZSMB99G/ref=sr_1_2?crid=P3PQWHFB1WYS&keywords=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores&qid=1652035291&sprefix=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-2​
 

​Join me here again next week when I'll be discussing " What are the most common problems that can affect your bowling"-Part 3

​Good Luck and High Scoring!!
​    

    Several years ago I read an interesting article in the US Bowler Magazine. The USBC Equipment and Specifications & Certification Team (ESCT) did an interesting study for a few years on why you sometimes get strikes when the ball is perfectly in the pocket and other times you get robbed. It basically involves pin carry, and bowling ball motion.

      Since good pin carry comes down to angles, it's important for you to have a close eye on the ball! During the study, the ESCT used special studio lights and a high speed camera to discover where the bowling balls' precise entry angle and location was on the lane to acquire the most strikes. Write this down in your notebook because it really works! Are you ready?????

    They said that strikes will occur most often when "the bowling ball enters the pocket on board 17 1/2 from the highest possible angle for the ball being used"!  This below image I got from the article shows that the bowling ball is exiting the pin deck between the 8 and 9 pins slot which causes the greatest pin deflection. When the  3 pin hits into the 6 pin and the 6 pin into the 10 pin, you will get the perfect strike!

    If your ball hits the pocket more to the right side of the headpin, it will keep deflecting to the right and exit the pin deck through the 9 pin slot as shown in the next photo. As you can see, the 3 pin is taking out the 10 pin instead of the 6 pin taking it out which is the correct way. (For lefty's, if you hit the pocket more on the left side of the headpin, the 2 pin will be taking out the 7 pin instead of the 4 pin taking it out. When this happens, you end up getting robbed and even though you hit the pocket, the strike may NOT carry. 

    Ball motion consists of three phases--Skid, Hook, and Roll. and NOT skid, roll, and hook as previously thought. In order for the strike to carry, the ball MUST be in its' "ROLL" phase as it enters the pocket.

​    If your ball appears to be moving left as it goes through the pins on a high pocket hit for example, then it is still in the "HOOK" phase. When that happens, you may leave a solid 9 pin or 4 pin spare or even a 4-9 or 7-10 split! If this happens, you need to CHANGE your ANGLE. If the ball appears to be deflecting to the right as it goes through the pins, then the ball was in the "Roll" phase too early leaving you with a 10 pin spare, 5-7 split, or a 2-4-5-8 bucket to have to deal with! If this happens, you'll need to adjust by moving to an area with more oil on the lane.

    Train yourself to watch the ball carefully and follow its' path as it's going through the pins. Check to see if the ball is entering the pocket at board 17 1/2 and in the hooking phase. It's just a matter of having a "Keen Eye" and being more observant as the article points out.


Join me here next week when I'll be giving you some more"Good Tips" that will help you in improving your game.

​Good Luck and High Scoring!

This is a continuation of my blog Post from June 20,2022: 

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!! Have fun and be safe!!
    
​    Consistency is a vital part of your bowling game and the more consistent you are, the better bowler you are going to become. One of the greatest bowlers I ever met was "Earl Anthony. If you ever watched him, he was like a machine who kept doing the same thing over and over again. I was fortunate to get his autograph back in my earlier years of bowling. Here are more things you should try to do the same way each time you bowl and let them become part of your Routine:

4. Keeping the shoulders Square to the target. Try not to turn your body to the right or left at the stance, face the pins squarely. It's ok to be turned slightly toward your target, but NOT excessively.

​5. Keep your POSTURE the same each time. Most bowlers bend from the waist. When you do this, your torso can get ahead of the body which can cause you to lose your balance, throw off your swing, and cause a loss of leverage and power. To compensate, you'd need to use a more muscled swing instead of letting the weight of the ball bring your arm down naturally. It is better to bend from the knee and keep the body in a more upright position. This makes you release the ball out and onto the lane smoothly (like landing a plane) rather than into the lane which will cause a loss of power on the ball.

6. Do Not place the ball directly out in front of you because you will need to loop it out to the side to allow for body clearance. You may do it a little wider one time and not so much the next time which can be inconsistent. It's better to keep your arm swing consistent by moving the arm with the ball slightly out to the side at the stance so the ball is already in that position. 

​7. Remember to LOFT the ball out to approximately the same spot each time on the lane. You can improve this at your practice sessions by getting some painters tape in Home Depot or Lowes (the blue kind which doesn't leave a sticky residue behind when you remove it like other tapes can). I put it on the lane where I want to loft the ball out to and try to consistently hit that mark. Or you can put a towel on the lane instead. Ask ahead at the desk if it's ok to do this and step in the gutter because the lane oil is slippery!!

8. Timing in bowling is extremely important. You need to get the arm work and foot just right work so everything feels comfortable and in sync. It takes time to master but once you do it, then you'll be able to focus on other things. If the arm swing is faster than the feet, you will miss your target to the left. Holding the ball up a little higher can help correct this. The opposite is also true. 


    Remember, the name of the game is "Consistency". The less you do, the less mistakes you will make! Achieving muscle memory takes time and lots of repetition of doing things the same way. Once you start improving, then you can try changing some things with your speed and changing wrist positions. Take your time and be patient with yourself.

Join me again next week when I'll be discussing "The Secret to the Perfect Strike".

​Good Luck and High Scoring!