Expert: Chip Aki - 4/24/2005

Question
Hello again Chip.  you have helped me fine tune my game and I can say thank you very much for getting me back on track but I have one more problem I hope you can help me with.  I want to reduce the speed of my ball.  Right now I am throwing it about 18 miles per hour without even trying.  I even try to slow my feet but for some reason the ball comes out at 17.50 to 18.25  I really would like to have it down between 15.50 to 16.50  I know there isnt a simple answer to this one so if you can just give me some pointers on how I can fix this I would very much appreciated it.  Thank you agian for your help

Answer
Some of us just have natural speed, and it can be a real challenge to slow that down.
In order to slow the ball speed down, you will have to try and get your swing to be the same speed from start to finish.  Accelerating your hand through the ball increases revs, but also ball speed.  Try to soften your hand at the bottom of the swing.  You really wont lose revs, it will just feel like it because you are not whipping your hand through the ball.
Also, start the ball a bit lower than normal in your stance.  You will have to slow the pace of your steps down a bit too.

Good luck,
Chip

These are the things I think about when I want to soften up my 18-19 MPH ball speed