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General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: witesoxwoz22 on January 16, 2009, 12:38:13 PM

Title: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: witesoxwoz22 on January 16, 2009, 12:38:13 PM: What suggestions are out there to stay balanced at the line? As a righty, I keep falling to the right after release, and I feel this is a brick wall for me to duplicate shots, and improve overall. I've been given the suggestion of bringing my slide step in to counteract your center of gravity at release, but it seems to make things worse.
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- woz

Edited on 1/16/2009 9:41 PM
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: Jay on January 16, 2009, 09:45:34 PM: How is your timing? I know for me, balance just isn't going to happen when the timing is too far off. I suffer from early timing and the forces that occur between your foot sliding and the ball going by you at the same time is often too much to handle. It is indeed important to slide under your center of gravity, with some people it's exaggerated but as long as your last step is basically in front of your previous one you should be good in my opinion. Also, try getting your trail leg down as much as possible if you don't already.
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: sdbowler on January 16, 2009, 09:58:01 PM: The keys to me were good timing one, trail leg down, now some say off to the side and some say back behind you, and left arm usually will be out to offset the weight a little.
I would recomend have someone watch you for awhile to tell you what you are doing or to video yourself. While you are bowling you think you are doing one thing when you could be doing something completely different. Having another set of eyes watching you really helps. If you can do the video that is a great tool since the video can't lie to you. You can really learn a lot from having yourself on video. I really learned a lot from having our team events taped at nationals when I was going. Good luck.
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Kyle
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: echidapus on January 16, 2009, 10:46:53 PM: grab a dumbbell, stand on one leg like you would on your release and swing the weight. it can help you develop some core strength and knee stability and greater balance
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High game 300
High series 804
High triplicate 774
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Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: Atochabsh on January 17, 2009, 02:19:03 AM: slow your footwork down ....way down. Lag with it. Until you get to the point where you can keep your balance. Your head has to start recognizing the feeling of balance at the line before you can start to get a more natural pace. This is not stuff you do in league. You work on this in practice on the lanes, with no score. Your first step is not huge (4 step approach), your second to last step is your power step and sets you up for balance. You should already be thinking of and be balanced at this point. The second to the last step. And if you are used to falling off the shot, you will need to really really fight for that balance at the end. Everything has to go on the back burner, while you fight and find balance. Once you do this and recognize the feeling of balance at the line, then you can go at a more natural pace. But don't be surprised if that pace is slower then you used to use. Too many bowlers are in a sprint to the foul line in hopes of gathering momentum. But you do not get momentum from fast feet but rather by a free gravity fed arm swing.

You can also start using the one step drill. This is really really tough. Watch a video of Tony Reyes on youtube doing the one step drill. But this will take you standing up at the foul line swinging the ball and attempting to stay balanced and keep the ball on the lane. Don't worry about the ball. Tony is a master of this drill. Everyone can learn from it.

Erin
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: AngloBowler on January 17, 2009, 02:59:58 AM: It's really difficult to say what the cause is for you, without seeing you bowl, however, there are a number of possible issues.

When you deliver the ball are your knees bent or straight? The straighter your legs the harder it is to stay balanced at the line

What are you doing with your non-bowling (left) arm? If you're not putting the left arm out effectively, then it can adversely affect your balance.

What are you doing with your right leg when you reach the line? Where is it laterally relative to your slide foot, where is it relative to your body? The positioning of your right leg determines to some extent how much you can bend your front leg.

How fast is your approach? The faster your approach to the line, the harder it is to stay balanced once you get there.

If all of these are fine, it might be something as simple as leg strength. If your slide leg isn't strong enough then you'll have problems staying balanced on it at the end of your shot
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Reporting from England
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: Big Jake on January 17, 2009, 09:21:58 AM: Thanks Atochabsh, that was exactly what I needed to hear too.
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Join a PBA Experience league, it will make you or break you...you can count on it!
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: witesoxwoz22 on January 17, 2009, 09:52:28 AM: So from looking at the responses, I should try to slow down on the approach, lower my center of gravity by lowering my trail leg. Should more knee bend be added on the slide foot as well on release? My weak lower body is probably not helping either.
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- woz

Edited on 1/17/2009 10:56 AM
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: CPA on January 17, 2009, 11:12:13 AM: Falling off the shot is normally caused by a timing problem. Without seeing you bowl I cannot recommend a solution.
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USBC Silver Level Coach
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: sirguy on January 17, 2009, 12:07:57 PM: Best advice for you is to Video tape your approach. One quick thing you can do without a camera is to walk to the foul line to the point where you usually finish. Then turn you back to the pins and walk 4 or 5 steps depending on your delivery. Use a natural stride and see where you finish.Try it a few times simulating your delivery. I see a lot of bowlers with bizarre deliveries because they stand to close or to far back from the foul line. Once you get the proper distance down you may find your balance improves because you are in better sync with your feet.
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: BowlingWolf on January 17, 2009, 12:17:20 PM: quote:
slow your footwork down ....way down. Lag with it. Until you get to the point where you can keep your balance. Your head has to start recognizing the feeling of balance at the line before you can start to get a more natural pace. This is not stuff you do in league. You work on this in practice on the lanes, with no score. Your first step is not huge (4 step approach), your second to last step is your power step and sets you up for balance. You should already be thinking of and be balanced at this point. The second to the last step. And if you are used to falling off the shot, you will need to really really fight for that balance at the end. Everything has to go on the back burner, while you fight and find balance. Once you do this and recognize the feeling of balance at the line, then you can go at a more natural pace. But don't be surprised if that pace is slower then you used to use. Too many bowlers are in a sprint to the foul line in hopes of gathering momentum. But you do not get momentum from fast feet but rather by a free gravity fed arm swing.

You can also start using the one step drill. This is really really tough. Watch a video of Tony Reyes on youtube doing the one step drill. But this will take you standing up at the foul line swinging the ball and attempting to stay balanced and keep the ball on the lane. Don't worry about the ball. Tony is a master of this drill. Everyone can learn from it.

Erin

+1
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Regards,
BowlingWolf
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: Stan on January 17, 2009, 12:23:56 PM: Go to Ron's site under Tips.

He has many articles about corecting your game.

http://www.bowl4fun.com/magiccarpet/magiccarpet.htm
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: Jay on January 17, 2009, 05:57:29 PM: In Ron's tip 25, when he's trying to get you to be balanced on one leg, is he implying that you should be able to have the trail leg in the air in your approach? I ask because I can do the drill, but most of the time I need to put the trail leg down in order not to fall off.
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: Jay on January 19, 2009, 07:11:30 PM: ttt
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: Spider Man on January 19, 2009, 07:31:09 PM: I used to see a guy carry a ball in his off-hand. Having a ball in each hand kept him balanced physically at least.
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Linger Longerâ„¢

SUNY to FUNY
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: scotts33 on January 19, 2009, 10:27:13 PM: Trail leg!
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Scott
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: dizzyfugu on January 20, 2009, 01:56:53 AM: Slowing the footwork is never wrong. Make sure that you actually slide at the foul line, a tad before you release the ball, and keep your upper body upright (square shoulders). If you bend forward, either through an open shoulder or from the wasit (due to an unbent knee!), you shift your body's CG away from the cventerline and yiou simply cannot hold the balance once you stop moving forward - your sliding foot has to compensate for everything, and that causes lost of consistency trouble.

Ideally, you can "place" the sliding foot just under your body's CG in the monet you let the ball go - which is, with good timing, just before the ball passes your ankle. In this position the upper body's CG is just above the standing sliding foot, and the rest of the movement is balanced through the trailing leg as well as the stretched arm.

Timing is everything, and a good body posture, keep the body tension up until the ball actually moves across your target on the lane.
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Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: ValentinoBowling on January 20, 2009, 01:58:57 AM: Rolf Gauger's little trick was to squeeze your buns during release/follow-through to help arch your back

-Kevin
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www.ValentinoBowling.com
makers of Snake Oil, Remedy RX & Resurrection
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: BrianCRX90 on January 20, 2009, 03:57:12 PM: I've been debating myself whether it is better to keep my balance foot in the air or try to keep it on the ground. I usually can keep my posture still at line and not fall off to the right when I release it when I keep it in the air but something about having the trail foot on the ground feels better. Does keeping the the body more upright help to keep it on the ground better?
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: trash heap on January 20, 2009, 04:19:02 PM: quote:
Rolf Gauger's little trick was to squeeze your buns during release/follow-through to help arch your back

Great. Now when I see someone with good balance at the line, I am going to be asking myself: "I wonder if he is squeezing his buns?"
There are some visuals NOT needed in life and this is one of them.

Thanks.

Edited on 1/20/2009 9:14 PM
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: Jay on January 20, 2009, 04:34:03 PM: quote:
Does keeping the the body more upright help to keep it on the ground better?

I do believe so. I do know if it's on or close to the ground and you're leaning forward, it will be more behind you than away(i.e ala Norm Duke rather than PBIII).
Title: Re: How to stay balanced at the line?
Post by: witesoxwoz22 on January 20, 2009, 05:57:44 PM: Practiced over the weekend with the tips I picked up on the thread. I slowed my steps considerably in addition to moving my slide step in just a tad. I noticed my balance improved with this. Every time I felt I was rushing my feet, I fell off to the right. When I slowed down, balance was easy to obtain. What I also noticed about my self is that right after I release the ball (could possible be just before I release also) I have a feeling that I what to become upright as soon as I let go of the ball. This also seems to effect my balance.
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- woz