Form

[Jermarace Miller]

Well I went to practice on my form cause I am applying to Pikeville University bowling team. Well I was wondering if anyone else had any opinions about my form. I feel that I do not "stay" in it long enough. I mean that when I release the ball I quickly get out of my form.

heres the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHdLgK1tL2U

[Viking_Bowler@hotmail.com]

u have a very good form actually the only problem i see on your follow thru its not really a follw thru... come up off the ball more get more lift it will give u a much cleaner ball i know im only 16... but 14 300's dont lie

[Walkin Kamikaze]

u have a very good form actually the only problem i see on your follow thru its not really a follw thru... come up off the ball more get more lift it will give u a much cleaner ball i know im only 16... but 14 300's dont lie

wow nice stats viking.. but yes i believe if you had a little more follow through it would be nicer and if you tried to stay in longer it might look cleaner to the college guys.. If you just throw it and then watch instead of still in ur stance it might make you look a little bit un-caring..

[BubbaRay]

The first shot in the video is actually very good form. The rest seem that you fall off to the right which is an indication of a fast approach. I feel that if you just take a short first step and just a tad deeper knee bend at the release point , it will give you better form at the release and you will be able to hold that position for a few seconds. It will give you a more consistant release and a cleaner delivery. Other wise you look good

[Jermarace Miller]

Yeah I have notice that I lean to the right and I could more knee bend but the reason I do that is to relieve some stress of my knee. I wonder if I could like "pop up" when I release it.

[BubbaRay]

Pulling up at the line when releasing the ball will only cause you to either let the ball go right of your target or pull the ball left of target. I understabd where you are comming from with the relieving the stress from the knee as I have a knee problem myself. Just about an inch more bend should help with holding your position at the line.

[Jermarace Miller]

ok thanks.

[Rowdy]

The only change I'd make would be to keep the trailing foot on the floor. That would solve the balance issue you have at release and give you a stable base to throw a more accurate shot off of. And it's easier on the knee,which is always a good thing. You might want to think about using a knee brace,I use one,I know Bubba does,WRW does and some others. It'll feel a little funny for a game or two,then you'll forget you have it on.

[bluerrpilot]

You will need to open your hips more if you want to stay behind the ball longer and stop the flying elbow.

[Jermarace Miller]

You will need to open your hips more if you want to stay behind the ball longer and stop the flying elbow.
If you mean my left elbow, that keeps my form "stable" cant really explain it more than that.
The only change I'd make would be to keep the trailing foot on the floor. That would solve the balance issue you have at release and give you a stable base to throw a more accurate shot off of. And it's easier on the knee,which is always a good thing. You might want to think about using a knee brace,I use one,I know Bubba does,WRW does and some others. It'll feel a little funny for a game or two,then you'll forget you have it on.

You mean like cross it behind my plant leg? yeah I have a brace but I need to get a better one.

[Rowdy]

You mean like cross it behind my plant leg?

Exactly. The stable base at release will make you more accurate and it will have the additional benefit of adding a little more backend to the shot.

[bluerrpilot]

If you mean my left elbow, that keeps my form "stable" cant really explain it more than that.

.

No, I mean your right arm. It kinda goes with what Rowdy is saying. You have a very straight arm swing until you "pull" on it through your release. When you pull your arm through it forces you off balance and you end up short stroking and cutting off the swing which leads to your right elbow flying outward and you coming around the ball.

If you get your hips to pivot and open up more and your trailing leg to come around and stay low, then your arm can fall into that "slot" You will remain more balanced at the foul line and your armswing will flow better

[Rowdy]

No, I mean your right arm. It kinda goes with what Rowdy is saying. You have a very straight arm swing until you "pull" on it through your release. When you pull your arm through it forces you off balance and you end up short stroking and cutting off the swing which leads to your right elbow flying outward and you coming around the ball.

If you get your hips to pivot and open up more and your trailing leg to come around and stay low, then your arm can fall into that "slot" You will remain more balanced at the foul line and your armswing will flow better

Exactly. You can only stretch so far. By letting the trailing foot wave around in the air it allows your arm to get farther away from the intended line you want to throw the ball on. And gets you off balance. With the trailing foot on the floor it's really hard to throw the ball off line to the outside.

Let me put it this way,I feel that having the trailing foot on the deck is so important that I have Tinkerbell watching to make sure it doesn't happen when I bowl. I have a bad habit of getting lazy and bending too far over at the waist and letting the foot get up off the deck sometimes. Which kills the backend on the shot. So she watches to make sure I plant that foot down hard on the floor.

[Jermarace Miller]

Ok

-I need to keep my trailing leg behind me to increase my balance and stop the "Flying Elbow"
-Take shorter first steps
-Increase my Knee bend by 1in

On me pulling the ball would a relax swing be sufficient? Could I keep the cuffed wrist while having a relaxed wrist? or is that going to make me jerk the ball even more?

[Rowdy]

Ok

-I need to keep my trailing leg behind me to increase my balance and stop the "Flying Elbow"
-Take shorter first steps
-Increase my Knee bend by 1in

On me pulling the ball would a relax swing be sufficient? Could I keep the cuffed wrist while having a relaxed wrist? or is that going to make me jerk the ball even more?

Being in balance will stop you from pulling the ball. It's that old,"Every action has an opposite and equal reaction" thing. When you fall to the right the body throws left to try and stay in balance. Tilting your head to the right can cause the same thing,too. And more people do that than you think.

[bluerrpilot]

Ok

-I need to keep my trailing leg behind me to increase my balance and stop the "Flying Elbow"

On me pulling the ball would a relax swing be sufficient? Could I keep the cuffed wrist while having a relaxed wrist? or is that going to make me jerk the ball even more?


The trailing leg and left arm are vital to your balance. Pivoting your body out of the way and opening up your hips will allow the ball to "fall into the slot" (assuming your swing is relaxed and free flowing) Pivoting your hips to a more open position will bring your trailing leg behind you and keep you in balance. The flying elbow is caused by your arm coming around your body instead of falling in a straight line.

See how everything is connected

[Jermarace Miller]

Well I went bowling yesterday and tried the tips that were given to me. Well these are the things I found out. I also had people watching me and they gave me their opinions.

-I tried putting my trailing leg behind my plant leg and it actually put me off balance. Spectators were saying that when I was doing this I was actually leaning to the right and missing my mark to the right about 3-4 boards. Also since I was doing this my backswing and speed were considerably lower than usual and my release was how you say...unique. I did this for about 4 straight games and I started to feel that the left side of my lower back started to hurt but not my knee. I bowled another game or two with my old style but with changes. I kept my trailing leg behind me and not behind my plant leg, I pivioted my waist, aligned my ball over my trailing leg. I held my ball an extra second in my swing and I kept a up right position and I have to say that it felt more comfortable than the last four games and the scores proved it.

-I pivioted my hips when a coach saw me and said that it would feel more natural when you would bowl and he was right.

[Rowdy]

Well I went bowling yesterday and tried the tips that were given to me. Well these are the things I found out. I also had people watching me and they gave me their opinions.

-I tried putting my trailing leg behind my plant leg and it actually put me off balance. Spectators were saying that when I was doing this I was actually leaning to the right and missing my mark to the right about 3-4 boards. Also since I was doing this my backswing and speed were considerably lower than usual and my release was how you say...unique. I did this for about 4 straight games and I started to feel that the left side of my lower back started to hurt but not my knee.

1. Define "behind". Directly behind or back and out to the left?
2. I can't figure out why your trailing leg would affect your backswing. The backswing is long past done when the trailing leg goes into action. Sounds more like a closed shoulder issue.
3. The back started to hurt from stretching muscles that you aren't using. Take your time,you'll get over it with practice. Stretch the back out before you start bowling. And on that subject,four games is no where near enough to say weather any change will hurt or help your game. I played with a hand position change for over 100 games before I got it down cold. And that was just practice games. I'd like to tell you that there is some magic thing you can do to change your game. There isn't. It takes a lot of hard work to make a swing change.

[Jermarace Miller]

1. Define "behind". Directly behind or back and out to the left?
2. I can't figure out why your trailing leg would affect your backswing. The backswing is long past done when the trailing leg goes into action. Sounds more like a closed shoulder issue.
3. The back started to hurt from stretching muscles that you aren't using. Take your time,you'll get over it with practice. Stretch the back out before you start bowling. And on that subject,four games is no where near enough to say weather any change will hurt or help your game. I played with a hand position change for over 100 games before I got it down cold. And that was just practice games. I'd like to tell you that there is some magic thing you can do to change your game. There isn't. It takes a lot of hard work to make a swing change.

1. Kinda back and a little out to the left but not fully to the left like 5-6 boards to the left starting from my plant foot.

2. Its kinda a hard to say what I was feeling.

3. Well it cant be that since I work out that part of my back 3 times a week. No I am not saying that 4 games proved to be a sound practice, I am saying that in thoes 4 games its gave my 1 maybe even 2% insight to what the from would look like if I keep practicing. I know I need to bowl a hell of a lot more games to see a slight improvement and I know that with practice the form would come to me naturally. I never meant what I said to be taken how you did. I just wanted to tell you what others and my self were feeling. I am not challenging your judgment nor anyone elses I am glad that people are replying to this and giving me their opinions and help just incase some of you are offended (I said something like this to a coach and he got mad.).

I really cant make a huge adjustment of my form since tournaments are about to start to come around (city, state, junior gold tryouts) and I really dont want to start to change that directly (if you can understand what I mean). I really wanted to "hone" it not "sharpen" it if you understand what I am saying.

[Rowdy]

1. Kinda back and a little out to the left but not fully to the left like 5-6 boards to the left starting from my plant foot.

No where near far enough to the left. That would still be an out of balance position.

[Jermarace Miller]

I know that I wont get right away and it will take time but my body feels "balanced" in this out of balance position. I will continue to try the new position.