win a ball from Bowling.com
« previous next »
Pages: [1]

Author Topic: INCREASING BALL SPEED  (Read 1725 times)

BXTECH

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 259
INCREASING BALL SPEED
« on: December 18, 2007, 09:33:41 PM »
i am a stroker bowling around 14-15 mph. I have been trying to increase my ball speed so i can better clear the heads by increasing my backswing , but the consequence of this is me producing a weak release. I stand at the first set of dots beforee the foul line and have a 5 step approach. I push away on the ball at the second step and hold the ball about waist high. Any advice would be helpful thanks.
--------------------
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting back up everytime we do."  
Logged

 

Big Columbia

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 559
Re: INCREASING BALL SPEED
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2007, 05:39:50 AM »
Try holding the ball higher in your stance....
Logged

MI 2 AZ

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8160
Re: INCREASING BALL SPEED
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2007, 11:54:41 PM »
Are you sure you are starting your pushaway on the second step?  Have you verified that by slow-motion replay?  I thought I did, but on slow-motion I was actually starting about 2-1/2 step.  By trying to start my pushaway sooner, I can create more ballspeed.


--------------------

I am the Sgt Schultz of bowling.
"I know nothing! I see nothing! NOTHING!"
_________________________________________

New to BR? - Please check this:  BR FAQ
Logged
_________________________________________
Six decades of league bowling and still learning.

ABC/USBC Lifetime Member since Aug 1995.

Atochabsh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1467
Re: INCREASING BALL SPEED
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2007, 12:48:27 AM »
I would say that you need to hold the ball a bit higher...it doesn't take much.   Because we don't know how you start the ball now. Make sure you do not uncurl your hand position on the pushaway.  And let the ball go up as high as gravity wants to take it.  That should be more then enough.  And if you are a 14 to 15 on the auto scorer in many houses, then you have plenty of speed.  

As for clearing the heads.  If that's a problem then you need to learn how to loft the ball or target further down the lane.  Keep in mind that neither of these two ideas include increasing speed.  Changing speed is a very sophisticated change and one not mastered by many....except Earl Anthony who was a master at ball speed.  

YOU might also be using a too aggresive ball for the burnt head condition.  You could also have a drill pattern more suited for clearing the heads.  

So there's a lot of options out there for you.

Erin
Logged

dizzyfugu

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7610
Re: INCREASING BALL SPEED
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2007, 01:27:50 AM »
I also have trouble with ball effectiveness when the heads break away. I play 14-15mph, too, and everything is fine as long I have some head oil. Once this is gone, I have BIG trouble - most of the time the balls will break too early and finish weak.
I come from lots of loft (due to a bent upper body, which made my thumb stick to the ball too long), and with the better release and leverage, these reaction "problems" have deepened.
Currently, I am also testing various solutions:
- weaker balls -> seems I need drastic steps down
- trying more side roll for extra skid -> works, but lacks consistency
- add speed -> appears to have most potential, but difficult to realize!

Background for this trouble is also that I changed my pushaway, holding the ball at waist level and moving it for- and downward - before I used to lift it from this position, what resulted in late timing and other weird things.

I hope I find some more speed (for 16+mph) in a little more forward push during the downward swing phase of the pendulum. I found it very difficlut to stay in sync with my footwork when I try to hold the ball higher in the pushaway, and when I push the ball forward too much. Muscle is not the solution, at least for me. Tough task, and I keep experimenting...
--------------------
DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany

Confused by bowling?
Check out BR.com's vault of wisdom: the unofficial FAQ section
Logged
DizzyFugu ~ Reporting from Germany

Fluff E Bunnie

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5617
Re: INCREASING BALL SPEED
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2007, 06:48:18 AM »
quote:
And if you are a 14 to 15 on the auto scorer in many houses, then you have plenty of speed.


I heard that since these things measure at the end of the lane you are actually throwing it a couple MPH faster...  Is that true?
--------------------
Go Bucs?
Logged

shelley

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9655
Re: INCREASING BALL SPEED
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2007, 07:22:57 AM »
Yes, Fluff, it is true.  Speed off the hand is not the same as speed at the pin deck, and if you're getting 14-15mph at the pins it's probably closer to 17mph off the hand.

If you're standing at the dots closest to the foul line, you can move back on the approach.  Most people tend to end up at the same spot relative to the foul line (for small differences in where they start), and moving back on the approach makes you take longer steps to get there.  That should help build your speed.

SH
Logged

justdale

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1879
Re: INCREASING BALL SPEED
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2007, 08:00:23 AM »
Moving back on the approach is one of the easist ways to do what your looking for, but, with that in mind, don't make too big of a move back, cause then your arm will always be trying to catch up with your body resulting in a late arm swing
--------------------
Dale Williams
Columbia 300 Utah Amateur Staff
Logged
Pages: [1]
« previous next »