BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: earlyrolling on June 22, 2017, 04:36:49 AM
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Any tips (footwork, eye focus, etc.) on how to go about keeping the ball in front of you when bowling on patterns that demand that?
Thanks.
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Keep your arm swing straight and controlled. People throw the ball all over when they let the swing get sloppy.
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The ball or the pocket?
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I stand behind it!
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One thing I see all of the pros do is extend your balance arm far out AND point your thumb DOWN. Also, their second step is a "cross-over in front of their lead foot. Thia keeps your head and shoulders in line with your approach.
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I finally, after 27 Nationals visits, was able to grasp this concept in Singles event this year. My 140-170 games immediately went 210-220. Also, watching Shannon Pluhowsky highlight from Nats showed me the same concept... Another arrow in the proverbial quiver to go from being a house hack to a better bowler.... Syracuse, I'll be more prepared for you...
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Clarification from strikeking12 please.
2nd step in a 4 step, or in a 5 step.
Regards,
Luckylefty
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5, because if it was a 4 step, you'd be walking into your swing.
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5, because if it was a 4 step, you'd be walking into your swing.
So is the 3rd step to land directly in front of where you took the 2nd step?
Or should the 3rd step land in front but to the side of the 2nd step?
Seems like one might drift if the latter.
I also see some pros walk in a diagonal (right to left) so that there starting position on the approach is right of where they end up sliding. Havent tried that - has anyone here tried?
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That non bowling arm lead is NOT built for everyone.
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It's not a crossover step it's a centering step
The closer your steps and the ball stays to the players true center of gravity the stronger their leverage stays
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And throw away the chewing gum.
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Keeping the ball in front of you depends a lot on your particular physical game , so on its face, it is a difficult question to answer unless one can see how you throw. I am an old-school, speed- dominant player. For me, my "A" game naturally allows me to keep the ball (or my angles) in front of me. For strokers like myself, keeping the shoulders and hips square to my target line is key.
As for the crossover step, I must confess that I never believed that such a step is a good thing for maintaining good balance and staying within the body's center of gravity. Over the 50+ years I have been bowling and giving lessons, I found that the crossover step works best if it follows the direction of the pushaway trajectory. For bowlers who tend to push (or drop) the ball more in the direction of the center of their torso, the crossover step is indeed, a good way to stay within the body's center of gravity. On the other hand, if you classify yourself as a "stroker" and push the ball out in the direction of your bowling shoulder, then the crossover step is not the best way to maintain your center of gravity. Instead, it is usually better to allow your foot to
follow in the same direction of the ball, which means no crossover step. You can try it for yourself. You will immediately feel more balance than if you did a crossover step.
Another important point regarding the crossover step. It is often implied that the crossover step is necessary in order to clear the hip on the backswing. However, unless one has extremely wide hips and /or they have VERY late ball timing, taking the pushaway step (for strokers) straight ahead will not cause the ball to "bump the hip". If a bowler falls into the latter category (which is rare), I advise dropping the bowling shoulder a little lower in the stance as a better way to "clear the hip".
On the other hand, many power players WILL benefit by using a crossover step . This allows them to more easily get the ball into an inside-out trajectory, which allows them to more readily project the ball from left to right (for a righthander). Even with them though, , if their pushaway motion is directed in-line with their bowling shoulder, their body has a little extra work to do to maintain good balance and staying within their center of gravity if they deply a crossover. Crossover steps really do the opposite. They narrow the body's lateral center of gravity, making it harder to maintain good balance in most instances, particularly for older-school strokers. If you watch many of the elite old school strokers (like Jim Stefanich, Mike Durbin, John Handegard, etc. ) you will notice that
they did not use a crossover step. In my view, this resulted in better balance and shot consistency. It kept their bowling shoulder in-line from start to finish, which is critical for bowlers who, by virtue of their style, rely much more on accuracy than power. The more that a stroker's shoulder moves (in any plane) enroute to the foul line, the less consistency they will have at the release point. Power bowlers in general, can get away with more shoulder movement because their ability to create area often affords them recovery on missed shots. Not so with strokers.
So what's the point here? Simply to be cautious and realize that what might work for one particular style, is not always the best technique for another style of bowler. This includes the crossover step.
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No matter the era or the style, there has not ever been a call for the swing shoulder to ever be higher than it's opposing shoulder, thus the swing shoulder being lower should be a given.
If the bowler utilizes the proper swing sequence-known as timing, the hips are not an issue with the shoulder and upper body alignment being at the proper angle, the bowling ball will swing freely under the shoulder
If the upper body alignment is correct, it is NOT, as I stated a crossover step but a centering step with the step going forward or slightly towards the center...if it is exaggerated then it appears to be a crossover.
The pushaway or swing path should NEVER go away from the center of the bowlers true gravity, thus minimizing leverage and increasing muscle and tension in the shoulder and swing
The basics of the approach & timing has not changed merely modified due to the equipment and the conditions...you use the body alignment to properly release the bowling ball into the lane to create the desired motion with the hand rotating more from the inside than simply behind, during urethane and plastic eras.
Bowlers need to do what best suits their body types and personalities...not what the latest fad is