Author Topic: What part of your approach do you work on first? (Read 1371 times)

kalannar · « **on:** January 13, 2004, 05:14:42 PM »

Hello to all the bowling gurus out there.

As of late I have been throwing the ball very inconsistently. When I can get everything in sink I can shoot very well at the house I bowl at. But most of the time I have one or two things that are just out of wack. When I finally realize what I am doing wrong and correct it, I seem to develope some other problem. So out of all the different parts of your approach, Stance, Pushaway, Armswing, Approach, Release, Follow thru, and Targeting. Which one is the most important to practice first to get consistent. I have a wandering problem (like a wandering itch) that just won't seem to go away.

Example, Monday night practicing on fresh league shot. I shoot a 244 with 2 bad balls the last game after working on targeting the the middle of the lane with slower speed. Tuesday night league, shoot 519 and couldn't get a consistent looking ball to save my life. I know I have a tendency to muscle the ball at release because I moved up to the first set of dots with the ball about mid thigh high and a low back swing and still throw the ball about 16.5 mph at the break point. If I hold the ball waist high stand at the very back of the approach and a have a normal shoulder high back swing my speed is anywhere from 17-19 mph depending on what line I am playing.

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Kalannar
--------------------
That which does not kill us strengthens us.

So do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Jeffrevs · « **Reply #1 on:** January 14, 2004, 08:20:29 AM »

with what I've just learned (see "i'm a new man" post) .....I focus on 3 things...

pushaway, pushaway, pushaway..........

if the ball isn't moving, I'm not relaxed, my swing /arm isn't relaxed, my hand isn't relaxed and all else is shot.........

good pushaway allows a free swing and everything follows ! Proved it last night...from second to third game.....163-212...figured out what I was doing...lazy pushaway, had muscle in my swing....

but.....that's me...SO FAR, that is MY focus..........
--------------------
JEFF
Hello, I just lowered my track !

kalannar · « **Reply #2 on:** January 14, 2004, 08:57:27 AM »

Thanks everyone,

So it looks like the early consensus is to start with the pushaway first. I know my pushaway can get me into trouble already by not being straight out.

I am guessing that the second and third things to work on after that would be a loose armswing and then my release? I guess I will work on my pushaway for the next month and then move on to the next thing once I feel comfortable that I am repeating my pushaway every time.

Slightly off topic here, but I have noticed that I bowl better when I am bowling with my 3 year old daughter. I don't know if it is the distraction of constantly watching for her to make sure she is not right behind me on my backswing or running off (daddy and daughter night out while mom is at her pool league). One more thing, did you know that a 3 year old with a 6 lb ball and a handicap ramp set up in the middle of the lane can throw a swing shot from 20 at the line to 5 at 40' and might clip the head pin on the way by! :')

Kalannar
--------------------
That which does not kill us strengthens us.

So do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

mumzie · « **Reply #3 on:** January 14, 2004, 11:38:06 AM »

Pushaway. If it ain't right, nothin's right.

Burak Natal · « **Reply #4 on:** January 14, 2004, 04:31:38 PM »

quote:
While I agree with most that the pushaway is the most important thing, it really all starts with your set-up. If you don't start right, you won't push it away right, and it's all downhill from there.

I was going to add the same..
I agree with all, it is pushaway.. But in my humble opinion, prozone should not be forgotten..

Just my 2 cents..
Burak

kalannar · « **Reply #5 on:** January 14, 2004, 07:25:47 PM »

Ragnar and others,

You are correct that it all starts with your setup or stance. I don't have any problems with that part. I used to be in martial arts so I am pretty stable and line up the same way every time. I have four different starting positions depending on how oily the lanes are and for throwing spares. I do have to agree with the others on needing to work on my pushaway the most other than release and swing.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I will start my new practice sessions on Monday night. I will try to give updates to see if this works without trying to adjust everything else at the same time. For me that is what I usually try to do is figure out everything that I am doing wrong and try to correct it all at once. Bad thing to do if you have other things on your mind also.

Thanks again for the advice.
Kalannar
--------------------
That which does not kill us strengthens us.

So do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

seadrive · « **Reply #6 on:** January 15, 2004, 09:53:52 AM »

"sink"? That would be "sync", as in "synchronized".

It's not the pushaway by itself that's important; it's getting the movement of your foot to coincide with the movement of the ball that's important.

Speaking for myself, I had a terrible problem with early timing. My pushaway arm was almost completely extended before I even put my right foot (right-handed, 4-step approach) into motion, so the ball was getting to the line before my sliding step. No leverage, torso falling forward at the line.

My coach made me focus on starting my foot before my pushaway. They actually start together now, but consciously, I have to think of it as my foot starting first.

Major improvement. I still suck, but my timing isn't the problem.

--------------------
seadrive
Cogito ergo bowl

Burak Natal · « **Reply #7 on:** January 15, 2004, 10:29:01 AM »

seadrive, yes you are definitely right. That is why also other posters state "pushaway is the most important part".
In my humble opinion, pushaway stands for two things:
First; In order to have free armswing, one should NOT muscle the ball. Using the gravity with the natural swing of the arm leads to free , less controlled, therefore much repeatable delivery. In other words, ball will guide you, rather than you guide the ball with muscles. Proper way to do is a good start to allow the gravity do the job. This is pushaway..
Second; Proper synchronization is a must for a proper timing. Without a good timing, ball will not benefit the force of gravity, and eventually your muscles will take part in the swing. This also tells us that proper "pushaway" includes starting synchronization with your bowling arm and the first step (in 4step approach). I do not want to go in to details of ball positions in each step, but pushaway is the crucial part in general timing, just as in your experience. This is called prozone timing which is a natural effect of proper pushaway.

Regards,
Burak

Edited on 1/15/2004 11:27 AM

Edited on 1/15/2004 11:29 AM

star · « **Reply #8 on:** January 15, 2004, 12:08:26 PM »

Having the same problems and I think my prob is in the pushaway.

Also not stable enough in the address position so when I pushaway I start to wander on the approach.

I have widened my stance from my right heel touching my left to about a 1 inch gap and then getting the feeling of stability at the line by making sure my freearm is out to the side and pushing down slightly.

Tried it yesterday and after a couple of shots everything felt good. My pushaway seemed straighter and more consistant because maybe I was so stable in my stance, but it was definatly better.

Goes to show that the most important aspect of this game is stability, at all times during your shot.
--------------------
Happy go lucky bowler from the UK

.
Did someone say tough luck

Jeffrevs · « **Reply #9 on:** January 15, 2004, 02:11:52 PM »

quote:

Speaking for myself, I had a terrible problem with early timing. My pushaway arm was almost completely extended before I even put my right foot (right-handed, 4-step approach) into motion, so the ball was getting to the line before my sliding step. No leverage, torso falling forward at the line.

And I have the opposite, even though I'm just a week into this new approach, I won't push enough, add some muscle and be late and throw it wide! Every time I throw it wide, I know I didn't push off enough..........

and yes, I also still suck, but it helps !

--------------------
JEFF
Hello, I just lowered my track !

Nollster · « **Reply #10 on:** January 15, 2004, 02:51:36 PM »

My coach was working on my approach by having me take a very small first step (RH 5 stepper) and dropping the ball into the backswing. This has led to much better timing at the line and a lot less stress on my arm/shoulder. I'm also getting more consistent release from the relaxed condition!!

Author Topic: What part of your approach do you work on first? (Read 1371 times)

kalannar

What part of your approach do you work on first?

Jeffrevs

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?

kalannar

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?

mumzie

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?

Burak Natal

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?

kalannar

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?

seadrive

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?

Burak Natal

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?

star

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?

Jeffrevs

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?

Nollster

Re: What part of your approach do you work on first?