Bowling is a complex sport, and as such it’s often difficult to determine what you need to correct or improve when things don’t seem to be going right with your stroke. Typically, though, we’ve found that one of the most common reasons bowlers are missing their target is that they’re throwing the ball too hard.
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i have a question sometimes when i may miss my spot and throw it to slow i find that my ball will take off and hit high or go down the middle but it will come back with a bunh of oil rings around it and when i hit my spot it doesnt really have much oil on the ball. do any of you have an idea as to why that is?
+Kwu Northstar Because when you miss inside of target typically if you are bowling league on the house shot there will be more oil in the center of the lane therefore the ball will encounter more oil rather than if you got it to the right it will encounter friction where there is generally less oil to be found allowing it to hook
So if there is more oil why would it take off wouldn’t it wash out instead or just not hook at all if only a little? Just curious I’ve always wondered about that.
+Kwu Northstar
It depends on the ball and what surface you have. If you have a ball that is an “aggressive” ball with no surface on it, the ball will pick up oil. When the oil is burnt up, you get the hook spot. If you were to use a polished ball, the ball would skid and or maybe not even come close to the head pin. Hoped this helped ya😊
If you miss inside towards a heavier volume of oil, the ball is going to pick up and start hooking later in order to delay hook. This causes fewer rings because the ball comes off its original track later. If you miss out, it sees friction early and starts to turn over to begin hooking, thus more rings. This is relative to the type of ball too and to a degree the pattern you’re bowling on. Aggressive asymmetrical equipment will naturally want to start up earlier where weaker balls will just kind of skid for a while. I’d recommend reading about symmetric vs. asymmetric equipment and “flare”. I think that’s mostly what you’re asking.
thanks for tips I will use next time
thank you
Ball speed adjustment for higher speed bowlers is going to create inconsistencies more than 2:1 movements to the outer part of the lane if there is no out of bounds. Example: FastBowler makes 1-2 foot approach adjustment and lowers starting ball position. This is outside of comfort zone. Errors will be high/low hits with bad leaves (righty: 3-6-9-10 / greek church / washout). 2:1 moves within FastBowler’s game will reduce area/carry so errors (righty) will be high 4s, 1/2 10s and occasional 2s. To me, all marks is better than 8 strikes and 3 opens.
That said, If FastBowler learns the slower game and can bring the faster game, that is the best choice. I guess lastly, this is almost Pro stuff; almost all league shots will have enough back end to flip most bowling balls.
Skip Tracer everything you said depends on the bowler lmao
I disagree with this. I am a 18 mph bowler, but since i learned how to change my ball speed (hand height at stance, moving 1 step closer to foulline) i now have the ability to change between 14 and 20 mph anytime i want, and it doesn’t change my consistency because i do not change the rest of my movement.
Ofcourse this is not for every bowler, and it takes practice (like everything).
A good bowler should be able to adjust depending on what happens on the lanes. When you create a “comfort zone” you will never be able to compete on harder lane conditions (sport pattern, reverse blocks etc.) Eventually there is no correct speed to a perfect strike, it depends on the energy you get on the pins
Probably throws 11mph
what speed detection device is shown in this video? Where do I purchase one? Our house does not have a speed monitor.
A year late but..
Their using C.A.T.S (Computer Aided Tracking System), If You look there’s a series of electronic eyes & reflectors mounted along the sides of the lane. It’s not a system a person could just buy and setup when they went bowling.
Why do you move your starting spot forward, when trying to slow down your speed..?
it forces you to take smaller slower steps rather than bigger faster steps.
You take down the speed of the total movement, thus creating less speed (stating you do not use muscles to throw the ball) I actually prefer lowering my ball at stance, because when i do that, my backswing will be lower, so therefore also less speed and it’s easier to control. Because taking smaller steps is harder to master then just place the ball lower and let gravity do his thing
Exiactly
Um… why not just move to the right until your ball hits the pocket?
@Bryan Stortenbecker you are not serious about this right? Changing your ball speed is so much easier to do than changing your angle into the pocket by moving your feet.
I would rather move my aiming point on lanes than moving feet. Moving feet would definatly be my last option to go to.
Also what people already stated, when you are bowling on a pattern with little or no friction on outside, or on a “hill” lane the ball will not return to the pocket (with same speed)
Also it will not give you the angle you look for to carry for that strike
I disagree with this approach depending on the person. I am not a pro and don’t have a degree so that will discredit me in some minds. However, IMO Speed is one of the more advanced changes a bowler can make. When giving advice to someone who bowls once a week, it’s hard for them to make large changes and be consistent not only in the execution of the change but even remembering to do it. My unsolicited advice is to get things like approach, natural ball swing, balance, accuracy, and release up to at least Good before moving foward or back too far. Even moving left or right “a foot” will throw off non-experienced bowlers and feel too awkward for them. I find walking speed/distance one of the harder changes for inexperienced bowlers to make.
It depends on the bowler/ball honestly and not the pattern. Now i will get people who disagree, but hear me out. If your a bowler who can lower and raise your revs easily then you can move right or left and get the same result. Im one of those bowlers, i practice throwing from each dot on the approach until i can throw a strike consistently. But also the ball, i can throw my M Tribal and M F-force at any point and consistently throw a strike but my rotogrip i cant throw from right 2 dots because of how agressively the ball hooks
The point they were trying to make as well is not only for house shots but for heavy volumes of oil as well as light. If you bowl on something like shark it doesn’t matter if you move right the ball wont hook. So being able to have a range of speeds to go to is the only way to get better. There are also some patterns where the right side of the lanes don’t hook like shark. so the move to the ball to hook would actually be left.
he was already far right
are those speed in mph?
Yup
The speeds displayed are in miles per hour (mph). As Coach Rod mentioned the ones in the International Training and Research Center (ITRC) are measured in the front of the lane while most bowling centers with any speed display information is typically measured further down lane.As a rule, regardless of what’s being used to measure your speed, look for consistency from shot to shot. As Coach Kim said, a three mile per hour difference can make a lot of change in how the ball gets into the skid, hook, and roll phases.Thanks for continuing with the Bowling Academy.
USBC Bowling Academy I also have a question, I’m throwing a 15 lbs no rules pearl for my main and my spare ball is a storm special agent. On my first shot I can consistently throw 15-16 mph up to 19-20 mph, but if I need to slow the ball down any slower than 15 (which I do, a lot), I can’t throw consistently. I’ve tried a variety of different things to help my slow my ball down when I need it to and nothing seems to work. All of my shots are inconsistent if they’re below 15 mph. I don’t have a very high backswing as is so I can’t make the backswing any shorter. My dad says it’s about muscle memory but the problem I’m having is that if I slow my ball down under 15 mph, all of my shots feel the exact same regardless of whether or not I threw it 14 mph or 10 mph, they even look the same going down the lane. It makes it really hard to throw consistent speeds below 15 mph. Should I move up to a 16 lbs ball as my main to switch to whenever I need to slow my ball speed down? Any help would be appreciated. Also, the speed works with the special agent because the special agent hooks later on the lane and if I throw it 17 mph or more it looks just like a plastic ball which is perfect for picking up a 7-pin since I’m a lefty
No wonder he does get hook. His axis tilt is very high
KALO
I can agree with this, I’ve had nights where I throw good pocket shots and pins just shoot past the 7 pin or 9 pin and don’t touch them. Slowing down 2 mph and moving left usually fixes that.
Roll it as straight as you can and as hard as you can, and you’ll get ’em all every time.
Work on your release first- it needs more help than ball speed.
What a good ball for the oil 42 feet what the best ball i play in the fresh
Whenever i “charge” up my throw meaning i swing my arm back and bring it back my arm and hand become shaky and i cant keep throwing efficiently for a longer time. Could it be because the ball i’m using is too heavy? 3 weeks ago i went bowling and boy oh boy did it go well. Haven’t bowled that well for a long time but last week i bowled exactly the same but it didn’t go nearly as well even though i tried to throw the same way. I’m thinking it’s the ball weight thats messing me up.
Smiling Man what pound ball do you bowl with ?
@Zach I’m using a 12lb ball not because i want to but because my fingers can only fit into balls from 12 and up. I’ve decided to buy my own bowling ball very soon and i might have to go with 11 i think.
Smiling Man Okay, I was about to tell you to buy your own ball. If you’re looking to curve the ball as seen in this video, you’re gonna need at least a 14 pound ball. I Bought my own ball the other day and the professionals said their is no way you can curve the ball on an elite level unless you have at least a 14-16 pound ball. I had the same problem with fitting my fingers into the holes, but my new ball for sure fixed my problem. Good luck !(: I used to bowl with a 10 pound ball but now I have to get used to the 14 pounder.
Hello and thanks for the question.
Moving down in weight may not be a bad idea. But you could be “muscling” the ball to achieve ball speed and this will result in difficulty repeating shots.
These videos will help train you to achieve more and less ball speed utilizing your legs. The second is a great reference on matching up that every bowler should watch.
https://www.usbcbowlingacademy.com/video/ball-release-and-speed-control-005604/ <https://www.usbcbowlingacademy.com/video/ball-release-and-speed-control-005604/>
https://www.usbcbowlingacademy.com/video/bowling-release-ratio-006859/ <https://www.usbcbowlingacademy.com/video/bowling-release-ratio-006859/>
Thanks for watching!
I bowl in a scratch league. 10 minutes of practice, I have usually 3-5 strikes. Bowling starts with a sports or hard oil pattern which we never see my three man team barley break 100. Bowling with guys middle of the weak and I shoot just say 500 series . & high game of 244 and 233 more than once. Would be like baseball cutting the handle off the bat. Makes no sense!
I need help.with laying the ball down I loft the ball to much what can I do ?
Hello and thanks for the question.
Generally this is caused by gripping the bowling ball tightly while releasing it.
Check out these videos and articles to learn more about a good fit.
https://www.nationalbowlingacademy.com/video/bowling-ball-fit-grip-pressure-017152/ <https://www.nationalbowlingacademy.com/video/bowling-ball-fit-grip-pressure-017152/>
https://www.nationalbowlingacademy.com/post/proper-bowling-ball-fit/ <https://www.nationalbowlingacademy.com/post/proper-bowling-ball-fit/>
https://www.nationalbowlingacademy.com/post/grip-pressure-modern-release/ <https://www.nationalbowlingacademy.com/post/grip-pressure-modern-release/>
Thanks for watching!
now this helped me a lot
Now if only I can remember when I’m bowling!