Expert: Russ King - 12/23/2007

Question
QUESTION: I'm a 15 year old from wood dale IL. Ever since i joined my high schools bowling team my scores have plummeted. My coach says my "axis rotation" is wrong. My ball rotates at almost a straight angle at the very left end of the ball. it makes my ball have almost no hook and i am not sure how to correct this. i hope you can understand my wording.

ANSWER:  WHEN A COACH TELLS YOU YOUR STYLE IS WRONG, THEY ARE WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A COACH SHOULD >NEVER< TELL SOMEONE THERE STYLE IS WRONG!

 A GOOD COACH SHOULD IMPROVE,ADAPT THINGS INTO YOUR STYLE NEVER CHANGING THE BASE OF YOUR STYLE. EVERYBODY BOWLS DIFFERENT. JUST LOOK AT THE PBA ON TV.

IF SOMEBODY (AND THEY DID)TOLD MARK ROTH TO BE A STROKER, DO YOU THINK HE WOULD HAVE DONE AS WELL BOWLING LIKE SOMEBODY ELSE? OR SOMEBODY TELL EARL ANTHONY TO REV UP & BECOME A CRANKER WHAT HE WOULD HAVE BECOME?

YOU SHOULD GO OUT ON THE LANES ALONE IN A PRACTICE SESSION & JUST BOWL (WITHOUT THINKING).JUST THROW THE BALL. THIS IS HOW YOUR BODY WANTS TO BOWL/THROW. THIS IS YOUR NATURAL PERSONAL STYLE.THEN YOU TWEAK NOT CHANGE IT.TRY THINGS/EXPERIMENT WITH THINGS THAT WILL >EASILY< ADAPT INTO YOUR STYLE.

YOU CAN ADAPT THE BALLS WEIGHTS/PIN PLACEMENT TO CREATE DIFFERENT REACTIONS.

THERE ARE STROKERS WITH LITTLE REVS,HOOK,SPEED & LIFT.BUT THEY ARE VERY VERY ACCURATE.

THERE ARE CRANKERS THAT HAVE LOTS OF HOOK,REVS,SPEED & LIFT. BUT, CREATE AREA.

THERE ARE TWEENERS THAT HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF THINGS LIKE MEDIUM SPEED WITH LOTS OR MINIMUM HOOK WITH LOTS OF OR MINIMUM LIFT CREATING REVS. THIS IS THE BIGGEST CATEGORY WITH THE MOST BOWLERS FITTING INTO IT.
       >>>>>>>>> BE AN INDIVIDUAL !! <<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 MANY AXIS ROTATIONS CAN BE TWEAKED BY BALL WEIGHTS, HAND POSITIONS & SINCE YOUR 15, LEARNING TYPES OF LIFT WILL CREATE YOUR IMPROVED PERSONAL STYLE.

YOUR AVERAGE IS FALLING FROM UNNATURAL THINGS THAT COACH IS MAKING YOU DO. IT JUST WONT FIT INTO YOUR STYLE.PERIOD! TELL THE COACH IF HE WILL TRY TO IMPROVE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE INSTEAD OF CHANGING YOUR STYLE INTO SOMEBODY ELSES STYLE SO YOU CAN STOP FIGHTING THINGS & FLUIDLY ADAPT THINGS.

I NEVER AGREED WITH MASS COACHING TELLING THE WHOLE CLASS TO DO THE SAME THINGS.OUT OF 100, MAYBE 5 WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT.I LIKE TO BREAK DOWN THE CLASSES INTO GROUPS. STROKERS,CRANKERS & TWEENERS.YOU HAVE TO COACH EACH CATEGORY VERY DIFFERENTLY.THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS IN EVERY CATEGORY ALSO(UNIQUE)INDIVIDUALS.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE A FINGERTIP GRIP.TELL ME IN GREAT DETAIL HOW YOUR STYLE IS & I WILL TRY TO HELP YOU . THE MORE INFO I GET, THE BETTER I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR PERSONAL STYLE & IMPROVE IT NOT CHANGE IT!

ONCE YOU GET YOUR PERSONAL STYLE DOWN PAT, THEN YOU CAN TWEAK THINGS TO ADAPT TO LANE CONDITIONS. THIS WAY YOU NEVER LOOSE YOUR NATURAL STYLE & CAN ALWAYS REVERT BACK EASILY.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok, i will try to explain it if i can. I went from a 3 step to a four step approach which i thought it would help. i was overroating the ball, i had the ball resting on the left side of my hand instead of the right. right now i am throwing a 4 step approach and when i release the ball it goes down in an almost straight path and barely breaks. i am throwing a black widow, just got a hammer no mercy pin 3-4"  with a weight hole

ANSWER:  WHAT WERE THE REASONS YOU WENT TO 4 STEPS?OVER ROTATING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH 3 OR 4 STEPS.FOR RIGHT NOW, YOU MAY LIKE THE WEIGHT IN THE CENTER OF YOUR PALM FOR CONTROL.DO YOU THROW FAST?CAN YOU TELL ME HOW THE WIDOW WAS DRILLED? IS IT SHINY OR DULL?

BY THE WAY, A 4 STEP APPROACH IS BETTER FOR TIMING FOR ABOUT 85% OF PEOPLE GOING FROM 3 TO 4 STEPS.FROM 4 TO 5 ABOUT 55% - 75% ARE BETTER.
I HAVE TRIED 7 STEPS DOWN TO 4 DEPENDING ON HOW I AM THROWING THE BALL(CRANKING FAST SPEED TO STROKER SLOW SPEED).

 TELL ME ABOUT YOUR OVERROTATING

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well i'm pretty sure that's what i am doing. moving my wrist up and over the ball when i release so alot less of the ball is on the lane so alot less friction so alot less hook. I went from a 3 to 4 step because i noticed i somehow got into a 3 and wanted to try the 4 it does help my timing. i throw about 12-15 mph

Answer
YOUR IN LIKE A STROKER/TWEENER TYPE OF STYLE. THIS STYLE WILL NOT GET A LOT OF REVS & HOOK. YOUR MORE LIKELY TO RELY ON ACCURACY.A STROKER DOES NOT HAVE A LOT OF AXIS ROTATION.

WHEN YOU SPIN THE BALL IT ACTS LIKE A TOP. A TOP SPINS A LOT & GOES NO WHERE DUE TO NO/LITTLE FRICTION.TO TO GET THE FRICTION YOU NEED, YOU NEED TO STOP THAT FLOPPY WRIST.CRANKERS WILL DRIVE THEIR WRIST THROUGH THE BALL. STROKERS TEND TO LOCK THEIR WRIST INTO POSITION IN THEIR STANCE & KEEP IT IN THAT POSITION ALL THE WAY THOUGH THE SHOT.YOU MAY ALSO HAVE YOUR ARM AWAY FROM YOUR BODY.

KEEP YOUR ARM IN TIGHT TO YOUR SIDE AT ALL TIMES.THE WAY YOU SET THE BALL INTO YOUR HAND IN A CERTAIN WRIST POSITION, IS THE EXACT POSITION AT THE RELEASE POINT. THIS ELIMINATES MOST OF THE FEEL TO CIRCLE THE BALL AT THE RELEASE.

 I THINK ALL YOU NEED IS TO TIGHTEN/SQUARE UP TO YOUR TARGET TO GET LEVERAGE. AND LEVERAGE MEANS LIFT & CARRY.

TRY TO POINT YOUR POINTING FINGER OUT TO YOUR TARGET AT YOUR RELEASE. YOUR FINGER SHOULD POINT DIRECTLY TO YOUR TARGET AS YOUR HAND PASSES YOUR EYES & GOES UP TO YOUR FOLLOWTHRU.

AS YOU GET UP ON THE APPROACH, SQUARE UP/POINT ALL YOUR BODY PARTS(SHOULDERS,HIPS,TOES & EYES)DIRECTLY TO YOUR TARGET.WALK LIKE YOUR WALKING DOWN THE SIDE WALK.NATURAL!I THINK YOUR WALKING INDIRECTLY TO YOUR TARGET MAKING UP THE DIFFERENCE WITH YOUR ARMSWING MAKING YOUR ARMSWING OUT OF WHACK.

YOU NEED TO DEVELOP YOUR BASICS FOR YOUR STYLE.PRETEND TO TIE A STRING TO YOUR TARGET & PULL THAT STRING AT YOUR FEET. THEN WALK UP INTO THAT STRING LINE. THIS WILL POINT YOU TO YOUR TARGET.NOW, WALK TO YOUR TARGET.EXTEND THROUGH THE TARGET WITH YOUR FOLLOWTHRU.

THIS WILL NOT CHANGE YOUR STYLE BUT DEVELOP & PERFECT YOUR BASICS.

AS YOU TIGHTEN UP YOUR STANCE & WALK TO YOUR TARGET, YOU SHOULD EXPERIENCE MORE LIFT/DRIVE & HOOK.

TRY THIS & GET BACK WITH ME ON HOW IT WENT.THEN WE CAN GO ANOTHER STEP IN DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM.

 TRY THIS IN A PRACTICE SESSION ALONE WITH NO COACH.