How to deal with house patterns and "chicken wings" ?

[Vilin13]

Hello

I was wondering what to do regarding the house patterns, which give me a lot of trouble when they start to change. On fresh pattern my game is solid but as soon as it breaks down I have much trouble staying consistent. I like to play outside of the lane and hook (as much as I can) the ball inside the pocket. On fresh pattern I can connect some strikes together or at least get to spares. On drier conditions though my ball goes instead to pocket, towards the 7 pin and after that I get nervous, don't hook and my ball ends up in a gutter. Then I start to throw straight balls that usually leave too much splits. How to deal with that ?

Also, that I don't create a seperate topic, how do I avoid chicken winging ? When I throw the ball all seems ok to me, but when I looked at my video I saw my throw is completely off (in later stages of the game, in the beginning I can control quite ok for a beginner). I can also provide a video if people will not laugh too much . If I would just make these two problems go away, I think I could raise my score for at least 10 to 15 points per round.

Thanks for the answers in advance

[Good Times Good Times]

Any way to post a vid?  A lot of members may be able to give some decent general advice if we can see a few shots...

[St. Croix]

Keep your bowling elbow flush against your side in your stance. As you take your first step, extend your bowling arm forward toward the line that you are playing. Imagine that you are putting your ball on a table directly in front of you. Concentrate on keeping your bowling elbow "behind the ball."

Chicken winging could also be caused by a grip that does not properly fit. Your local pro shop can help you with the grip.

[charlest]

I'm of the opinion that, for a large proportion of the time, chicken-winging is a result of bad timing: the relationship of push-away (in old fashioned terms) to foot work.

[Vilin13]

Here is a video of me trying to hit a spare (don't mind my reaction ). This was taken at my 2nd time bowling.

This one was next day, when I tried a different "style" which clearly doesn't work well (I have the video on public so all can see) :

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200433905543077

As stated in another thread, I don't have my own ball yet, I'm getting it on thursday

[bigz]

You really need to get some coaching to get the fundamentals down..

[Vilin13]

I will - I already have scheduled a beginners course.

[bigz]

That's good..the more you can learn the better.
Keep using videos to track your progress..

[dmonroe814]

I totally agree on the need for coaching and video.  As you swing your ball, you are swinging it around your body, causing you to muscle the ball instead of letting it swing naturally.  Foot work is the key.  Draw a straight line in your garage or put a strip of tape on the floor and try to walk on that line while you are making a bowling approach.  This will give you the mental picture of what you have to do to become more consistent.

[Impending Doom]

Well, first things first. Let's see how the new ball fits before you start asking all sorts of questions. With a house ball (even a ball that isn't properly fitted), all sorts of bad habits will creep in. Learn the basics first, and everything will come after that. Learn to walk before you learn to run.

[Vilin13]

Many thanks to all for the answer. I realize I have a lot of work in front of me and every bit of information helps. It's funny how in video you see your mistakes, as I was not seeing myself it seems I walk right, but video reveals many things. In thursday I will get my first ball and see how it will be.

However I will of course take at least 10 individual lessons for basics and then show my progress .

[Vilin13]

little update, git one hour of coaching and new ball (amf hype). My avg was today 120 with chances of more but got too nervous. Alsp my left wrist is a bit sprained from non bowling accident but im right handed yay.

[bmblackmon]

Hey It almost looks like you are trying to hard to curve the ball and putting your hand over the ball at the end of your release.  It's more about leverage than brute force your arm should function more like a pendulum releasing the ball off your middle and index fingers twords the end to impart a curve at the end of the release rotate your hand 1/4 the way and follow through as if you were going to give a handshake.  Your local pro shop will likely have someone with the ability to give you better instruction.  but remember to be patient with yourself it takes time to get the repetition and timing down.

- And when in doubt blame it on dry lanes.