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Author Topic: Problem Drifting Badly  (Read 675 times)

Rileybowler

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Problem Drifting Badly
« on: August 13, 2009, 05:22:04 AM »
Somehow I have developed a very bad drifting problem. Can someone please give me some advice on how to correct it and generally what causes drifting. How have those of you who had this problem corrected it. I don't have any way to provide video but any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance
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Carl
Bless the LORD o my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name
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Carl
Bless the LORD o my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name

 

Joe Jr

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Re: Problem Drifting Badly
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2009, 01:30:54 PM »
Nothing wrong with drifting as long as you do it the same everytime. But if you want to fix it for me it had to do with where I was starting on the approach compared to what I was hitting at the arrows. I kept my target the same and just kept slowly inching my starting position closer to my target until I was walking almost straight at it.
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My Vid
Just another hack with too much equipment.
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Monster Pike

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Re: Problem Drifting Badly
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2009, 04:08:41 PM »
For me, I think the key is to look at where I want my feet to end up & just after my 2nd or 3rd step, I look at my target.  Some bowlers, right handed ones, start by drifting left on purpose to make sure they don't drift right. Kind of like standing right on purpose so they have to go left to get where they want.  I sort of combined those 2 & it's helped me a lot.  Practice a few games to see what works for you.  Not every solution works for every bowler. The key is repeating the same steps every time until you have to adjust for oil movement.  So even if you drift, ending up at the same spot every time & you're hitting your same target, you should be okay. But if you keep ending in different spots, then that's the problem.

Here's a good article from Ron Clifton's bowl4fun.com site called "High plains Drifter" on this subject.  There's a link at the end of that article for part 2 of it.

Edited on 8/13/2009 4:09 PM
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AngloBowler

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Re: Problem Drifting Badly
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2009, 05:16:24 AM »
It does depend a little on how much and which direction you drift. If you're a right-hander, I would suggest that drifting right is something you want to avoid (it will stop you going very deep on the approach if you need to) other than that, as suggested previously, as long as you're consistent it's ok.

I assume that if you're posting here, that it's not. What I usually do is mark the board I want to finish on at the line with black electrical tape and bowl a few to see how far away I am, then I'll get someone to watch my feet during each step and see where they're going, marking each one with tape. From there I can work out which step is the biggest problem and then move the tape to where I want my foot to be. I'll then run through the approach a few times so I can get used to it. If your drift is really inconsistent, then there may be a balance problem in there that would nee looking at too.
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Reporting from England
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hammermark

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Re: Problem Drifting Badly
« Reply #4 on: August 15, 2009, 10:42:10 PM »
If you know you are drifting and want to stop it, I would say the best thing to do is during practice and if you can, lie something on the approach and before you look on the target look down and make sure that you make an effort not to step over onto the object you put on the approach,re-focus on your target on the lane and make the shot.  The tendency now may be to drift the other way so as to not step on the object or sit something on the other side and concentrate on walking straight up the approach so as to not step on either object.  As the one reviewer states, drifting is is ok in some instances.  I drift slightly left to open the lane and my shoulders to throw back at my target on the 10th board or so.  In fact my first step is slightly left of where I establish myself on the approach so that I get the ball back to the right when I deliver the shot.  But if you create a "tunnel" for your feet on the approach and practice staying in there, you should cure the drifting issue if you dont want to do it,  Good luck to you

HM
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