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Technique Q&A [1-20] [21-40]
[41-60] [61-80] [81-100] [101-120] [121-140] [141-160] [161-180] [181-200] [201-220] [221-240] [241-260] [281-300] [301-320] [321-340] [341-360] Jacob November 26, 2005 Butler KY Dear Mr. Williams, Hi, I was just wondering what I am doing wrong; I throw the ball with a hook and hit the pocket most of the time but evenwhen I do my pin carry is incredibly weak, what am I doing wrong? Thanks Mr. Williams for your time. Hi Jacob, Since I have never seen you bowl, it is hard to say what you are doing wrong. But hitting the pocket is the thing I try to do the most. You might want to ask a local instructor for help. Good Luck! Chris November 22, 2005 Minot North Dakota Okay, I was just wondering why when I throw a perfect pocket shot, I almost always leave the 10-pin (which I can convert real well now) or the 7 pin. Do I need to throw the ball harder or add a little more "umph" on the ball to make the 7 or the 10 pin carry? Because my team wants me to get a strike and it tends to get a little nerve racking when you see the 7 or the 10 pin after the dust settles!!!. Hi Chris, When we figure out how to get rid of the corner pins, bowling will be an easier game. Unfortunately taps are a part of the game. Keep hitting the pocket. Dave October 8, 2005 Lansing IL Hi Walter Ray, i'm a righty, sometimes i see my ball rotating around my finger grips, top leftside of the ball. i think i use this delivery when i need distance. my ring finger is catching up to my other one in size and i'm now getting comfortable with a thumb hole that dosen't warrant shoving and screwing to get into the ball(this has alot to do with the rotation i,m getting i would think)?it comes natural and it's absoulutely devistating and pin crushing. what i wanted to ask you is what do you think about this type of spinner? what are it's good points, and what are it's bad points? i would like to see you set the title record this year, you should try going the dead eye route! the results may surprise you. Yesterday I asked you about the rotation on my ball. Well today I had the chance to bowl on a pba pattern at one alley and a city tournament at another, and when I slowed my speed down and did everything I felt I needed to do with my delivery I really began to get the right ball reaction and really blow the pins away on the more oily lanes. I know you told me in the past I need to go more straight sometimes and when I slow my speed down it's more straight and the more I start turning the ball I start getting the spin so i'll keep working on what's best. More speed between the 1st arrow and the gutter or what ever I just don't want to tell you I know what I'm doing because in this game that can be a sign of disaster. I started bowling at another house with synthetic surface and a tight shot and had been struggling throwing it hard but now I know to slow it down. I've been doing good in the abt's but now I think I'm ready to do better.I need to find time for regionals I know I can cash. You should be able to win some titles this year,don't be afraid to try new things that work. good luck,see you at some pro-ams dave. Hi Dave, There is no one way to bowl. What worked yesterday may not come close to working today. A lot of guys have good physical games, the thing that mokes some guys get to the next level is their mental game. Learning to adjust is key! Sounds like you are on the right track. You are willing to work on your game and are getting out and experiencing as many different conditions and situations as you can. Keep working at it and bowl in as many different places as you can, to have a chance to experience various conditions! Keep it up! There are many regional tournaments in the southern region and they are a great way of testing yourself if you are really serious about bowling. Simon September 24, 2005 New York NY Hi Walter Ray. I been bowling for 2 years and I want to learn how to throw the hook ball? Can you please give me some tip of how to throw it? I heard the releasing part is the hardest to learn. I am a bowler that throws a curve ball. Also I want to know where I should adjust if the ball I throw is missing and going to the right hand side of the pins? btw I am a right hand bowler. Thanks and good luck with your games and tournaments. Hi Simon, You should go see a local pro for lessons if you want to learn how to 'hook' the ball, but it sounds like you are headed in the right direction if you curve it. Whatever direction your misses are, that is the direction you would normally move your feet and target. Normally you would move your feet more than your target. Jeff September 22, 2005 Fredericksburg VA I have found out that I am a full roller in bowling. I want to stop throwing the ball this way. HELP !! please how can I changed this from happening ? Hi Jeff, You need to see a good bowling coach and then you need to work hard to get comfortable with your change. But a simple way of thinking about getting a good release is to imagine that you are tossing a football underhanded and getting a good spiral. A bowling ball weighs a lot more than a football and is much more difficult to release that way, but that is a good way to think about a good bowling release. Mike October 17, 2005 Cross Plains WI I'm having some problems with ball control. On some shots i'm getting the ball off my hand cleanly and its hitting my target and into the 1-3 pocket. Other shots it feels like i got it off my hand cleanly but there isn't as much hook on the ball even though the rotation appears to be the same. Could it be that i'm not getting my fingers into the shot or is my speed to high? Or am I not turning my hand fully so that its parallel to the ground like i've seen some bowlers who have an open hand on their follow through? Any tips would be helpful. Thanks Walter Ray I hope you have a succesful 05-06 season. Hi Mike, Having a consistent release is fundamental to great bowling. I just bowled a tournament where the ball was not always going the way I thought it should. I obviously wasn't having a consistent release. That usually comes with practice. Sometimes when you are trying something new or what isn't your 'A' game your release may not be as consistent as it should be which is kind of what my problem was. Practice is the order of the day. Rob October 13, 2005 MI Hello, Walter Ray and Paige I've been bowling a couple years now, and getting very serious lately. I am an exceptinally strong guy, and have discovered ways to rev the ball up massively. I have also established a solid,hard and straight spare game. I have found that a key to striking (aside from nailing the mark) seems to be reving the ball hard with a lot of speed and letting the friction take it back to the 1-3. In other words--forcing strikes. I know that may sound obvious, but for a long time I couldn't quite grasp it and tried many different toned-down or slower styles--bowling as many as 30 games a week. Is this strike-focing the "main key" of bowling? Is this what most try to do? If so, then I may have a unique advantage, as I can throw nearly twice as hard as the strongest bowlers I know. 16 lbs feels like a feather to me. I never need to move as far as over-hooking goes, but should I move anyways? Can you throw TOO hard on dry lanes? I'm sure greater tournament experience (I've won only two small ones so far)will help anwer this. But your comments would be greatly appreciated. Hi Rob, Strength is an advantage in most sports and will help a lot in bowling. But in bowling, accuracy is perhaps more important than "brute" strength. I don't know if forcing strikes is the term I would use, but I like to give 100% effort on my shots. At times throwing the ball too hard could be a disadvantage. Moving on the lanes is something all top bowlers need to do at one time or another. Since the lanes are all different and always changing, unless you throw the ball perfectly straight you will need to move sometime. Being able to play all parts of the lane will help in tournament play. Knowing when to move and how much is what makes great players great. That comes with experience so keep bowling. Tom September 14, 2005 Allentown PA Hi Walter Ray and Paige: First of all, I just want to say that I have been a big fan of yours for quite some time. I saw you bowl in person in Rochester, NY in 1997, at the pro-am event there, and that was quite a big thrill for me. I was wondering, what exactly do you do to create the end-over-end roll that you get on your ball? What are your hand/finger positions in your stance? And do these positions change at the point of release, or are they the same? Thanks, Tom Hi Tom, Most everybody changes their hand positions during their armswing and little bit at the point of release. The crankers really change their wrist position at the point of release, while somebody like me keeps it in a similar position during the release. When I throw the ball harder and straighter my hand is more behind the ball and I don't come around it that much at the point of release, so I don't get a lot of side rotation. Don September 5, 2005 Lima OH Hello Walter Ray, I'm curious to know what your spare shooting stratagies are. I know you throw hard and straight at most or all. Do you use the 3,6,9 system or the 2,4,6 or neither? I see righthanded pros shoot the 7 pin across the third arrow on the left all the time, is this standard or does it change much depending on lane conditions? Does your 10 pin target change any? Thanks Don Hi Don, I have my own method for shooting spares. I like to shoot my right side spares from the same starting spot on the left side of the lane and adjusting my target depending on the spare. Likewise I shoot my left side spares from the same starting spot on the right side of the lane and adjust my target accordingly. I will adjust my target for 10 pins depending on the approaches, but I like to target around the 21st board. RJ August 24, 2005 Sanford FL hello, I just bought my first bowling ball today and the pro shop owner kept telling me to slow down my throws as throwing the ball hard does not mean you will knock more pins down. He kept saying to throw the ball softly and let the ball do the work. I am a straight shooter with my left hand and I start from the extreme left side and aim at the middle. I have found that when I throw hard i do knock more pins down so why should I slow down? I enjoy throwing the ball fast, straight and hard. Is that a problem? I got a Track Freak Out Ball. The shop owner said that this would be the best ball for me but since I am a straight shooter I think I may have made a bad choice going reactive and probably should have gone plastic. I did tell him that I wanted to learn how to hook the ball though. Where can I get some of your bowling games on DVD? I did a google search and found that you are described as a straight and hard shooter who is very successful. I would like to try copying some of your techniques. thanks, rj Hi RJ, It depends on how good you want to get. If you want to be the best that you can be, then you will want to learn how to hook the ball. I hook the ball. Maybe not as much as some of the younger kids, but I don't always throw the ball hard and even when I do, I still hook the ball. But if you don't care about being 'great' and are having fun doing what you're doing, then keep doing it. I don't think that there are any legal copies of any bowling games on DVD unless you are looking for an instruction video. Jacob August 19, 2005 Broken Arrow OK Hi Walter Ray i didnt start to bowl really tell two years ago when i went a high school league in Oklahoma. know im averaging about 180 somthing. And my high game of 254. i have problems at times getting leverge in the ball so i can get more revs on the ball. And i dont get a lot a power into the pocket, i end up light in the pocket a lot. how can i get more revs and get better power into the pocket? Hi Jacob, It takes time to learn certain techniques such as getting more revs in your delivery. If you really are concerned about your delivery, then you might want to see a pro to help you with your release. There are many times that I would like to get more revs on my ball, but I have also found that my style works pretty well most of the time. Keep working on it and have fun. Ron August 13, 2005 Manhattan KS Hi Walter Ray, After largely failing miserably at trying to throw the big cranker hook, I've been trying to revert to more of a down-and-in style. It's kind of a no-brainer as I'm about 50 pins better at the down-and-in style, better form, better carry, etc. I was wondering if you might give me some good, advanced tips on making the straighter shot work for me. Whenever I watch a PBA telecast, I really try to analyze everything. I know particularly when watching you and Norm Duke, it seems like you guys are particularly paying attention to three things: 1. That the ball skids, rolls and hooks in the correct fashion. 2. That the speed is not excessively fast or excessively slow. (I have a tendency to throw everything at least 20 m.p.h. or faster.) 3. That high flush is definitely better than light or a half-hit. (I know my half-hits seem to often really leave bad splits where I get good results from a high flush and have a very good wall shot on a light hit-although of course, there is the danger that you might miss the head pin entirely.) Are these the types of things you are keeping in mind to make the straight shot carry? What else if I might ask? Thanks. Ron Hi Ron, Perceptions aren't always correct. I first off try to figure out what part of the lane will give me the most mistake area. That is usually done before the game is bowled which includes what ball to use. I then try to execute great shots by hitting my target. If things aren't going well during a match or block of games, I may change my line, bowling ball, or the way I deliver the ball. My main objective is to hit the pocket. If I can hit the pocket flush that is even better. I can't throw the ball harder than 20 mph, but I would at times if I could. Ron August 13, 2005 Manhattan KS Hi Walter Ray, I read a reply of yours about thumbless bowling and Mike Miller. I know I tried the thumbless bowling. It seemed really hard. However, I saw something in a forum about some people who will only insert their thumb up to the first joint, similar to the fingertip grip for fingers. It was said that this was sort of a cross between traditional bowling and thumbless. Is this worth trying? Besides the obvious thing about trying to hold onto the ball and not unceremoniously dropping it on your foot, would you recommend this? The idea was supposed to be that if your thumb was only partially in the ball, then your thumb release would be much faster and cleaner (aiding in hooking the ball a lot if necessary), but that you would still have more control than going "all the way" to thumbless. Are there pros who only insert their thumb partway? (It's sometimes difficult on TV to see something like that which isn't so noticeable.) Or somewhere in-between? For example, if you have to play way inside and really need to get a lot of hook, do you insert your thumb only partially in the ball? Thanks. Ron Hi Ron, I am sure that there are some professional bowlers who use a semi-thumb grip, but I don't know who they are. If I play an inside line I will slow my speed down a bit and try to get more side rotation on the ball so that I can get some angle into the pocket. If you had a lot of trouble throwing the ball without your thumb I wouldn't recommend trying the semi-thumb grip. What ever you learn how to do takes a lot of practice. Morry July 12, 2005 East Moline IL Just started using a plastic ball for spares.Previously used a two finger release to kill the ball for my spares, which was very hard to control. Having alignment problems with the plastic ball when I shoot the corner pins. Do I take a more direct line to shoot the corner pins.>????? Do you walk straight like you do for a strike ball and deliver to the target,or walk toward my target>????? Is the release like your strike delivery, or is it better to stay back of the ball, and try to roll it>???? Looking forward to seeing you on T.V soon. Thank you Hi Morry, The idea of using a plastic ball for spares is that you can go straighter easier. I actually don't walk straight on my shots. I tend to drift left on the left side of the lane and I have less drift when I play on the right side of lane. I actually try to use a straighter release when I shoot at my spares so that in case the lanes hook a lot I don't have to worry about that. Randy July 6, 2005 Catskill NY Id like to ask you about haveing a free arm swing and proper timeing. After struggling with my game for quite awhile I knew lessons would be a good idea. I took a few lessons from our local pba pro and he changed my swing to a push away to where the ball is used to swing the arm back and forward with virtually no muscle power to propel the ball just its own weight. It worked wonders for me and a friend who also took lessons. The shots are more consistant with better roll & speed. But the problem im haveing sometimes is I lose the ball to the right at the release. Also with timeing do you have any tips or tricks to co-ordinate the push away with the first step ( 4 step approch) and getting it all to come together at the release ? I throw second arrow down and in hook. Also ,do you think you may be bowling in the Wild Turkey East regional in Rome NY in August ? We are hopeing to see you bowl. Thank you for your time to answer my question. Randy Hi Randy, Good timing is something that comes with good practice which coaching can help. I now use a 5 step approach which means that I don't push the ball away until my 2nd step. When I do bowl regional tournaments, I usually bowl in Florida where I don't have to travel very often. Every once in a while I will bowl a regional somewhere else. Ron July 6, 2005 Manhattan KS Hello Walter Ray, I had another question that I really wish you would answer. I have all kinds of problem with my release. I'm trying to hook the ball at least a fair amount, but I've heard so many things about the release. About finger lift, cupping the wrist, turning the wrist, etc. At the end of the day, I think I'm just pretty confused about what to do. So sometimes I hook the ball OK and make a good shot. Other times, it doesn't hook at all and maybe doesn't even hit the headpin. Othertimes, I seem to kind of get around the ball and it bounces onto the lane. I seem to have a habit (perhaps it's just kind of my natural hand position) to have my hand in sort of an open position-with my thumb at approx. 1 o'clock. Which seems to mean that I have to rotate my hand at the end all the way around to more like 9 to 10 o'clock. And often I'm late. Or it seems to be more of a spinner that doesn't get good carry. As far as you're concerned, do you keep your thumb at the ten o'clock position all the way through the release? Start with more of an open hand position? What are you thinking as far as putting action on the ball when you make a shot? I guess I just don't understand exactly what I should be trying to do and it seems like if you ask 100 different people, you get 100 different answers. Thanks a ton. Ron Hi Ron, It sounds like you really need to see a coach. I don't know how you bowl and what a player thinks they are doing usually isn't what they are doing. Lately I start with my thumb at around the 10 or 11 o'clock position and during the release my thumb goes to the 7 or 8 o'clock position while really lifting with my fingers when I am trying to hook the ball. Ron July 6, 2005 Manhattan KS Hi Walter Ray, I'm a really big fan of yours and am so pleased that you are closing in on Earl Anthony's alltime record for titles-which one time seemed set so high that no one would ever surpass it. I have two questions about technique: 1. Since you tend more towards being a down-and-in player than a real cranker, I'm always just amazed by the tremendous carry that you seem to get on your strike ball. Is it all about accuracy or is it about getting the ball to roll a certain way? (I remember the first time I ever saw you on TV was at the 1986 AC Delco as I recall. I remember you hitting the pocket, but being left with a couple of really nasty splits. Whatever you did, it sure seems to have worked in the 19 years since:)) 2. You are known as a very accurate spare shooter. It's sometimes difficult to observe technique on TV, but it seems that you really don't loft the ball way out on the lane or throw the ball a lot harder on your spare shot. Your spare shot for simple spares seems to be really smooth, effortless and perfectly straight. I would appreciate any tips you might have for making spares. Keep up the good work and great luck on reaching 42! Ron Stelter Hi Ron, Carry seems to be a combination of speed, angle of entry and bit of luck. Being a pinch left or right of where you leave a 10 pin will often give you a strike. For me it is a matter of hitting the pocket as often as possible so that I have a better chance of getting a strike. For my spares I use a plastic ball and try to throw it very straight. My release for my spare shot is where my fingers try to come straight up on the ball. I do normally throw the ball a bit harder for my spares, but not as hard as some of the other pros. No Name It is obvious that you are the best at what you do. I don't think that I have ever seen another bowler throw the ball like you. I have a question about your style of bowling. What would you say are the top 3 things about your style that sets you apart from the other bowlers in being successful? Hi, I would say that my release and follow through are my strong points. I try to accelerate through the shot on most of my releases. It isn't really about my 'style', but trying to play different shots when they are needed has helped me over the years. Joe June 20, 2005 St. Cloud MN Also, right before you throw the ball, what are you thinking? Do you think different things on different days? Or is it pretty much the same thing every time? Thanks for reading my question. PS. And Walter Ray, that hat you have on is you. : ) Looken good. Thanks again, A fan Always, Joe Hi Joe, I am usually thinking about hitting me target when I getting ready to bowl. Sometimes I might think about throwing the ball harder or softer. Tim May 25, 2005 Springfield MA When I first started to bowl as a child, it was 100% candlepin. In doing so, I adopted the three step approach common in this variety. From the first time I picked up a 10-pin ball (back during the national promotion with Mary Lou Retton) I kept the three step approach and worked my way up to a 190 average. Over time I tried changing to a 4 or 5 step approach, but despite coaching I had balance and timing issues no matter how much I practiced. Because of extremely limited foot flexibility, my approach compensated for the lack of available ankle bend with hip movement and height. Around 1995 I had to give up the game due to these foot problems. Now, I am looking to get back into bowling, and was wondering if any bowlers on tour that you know of use a similar approach. If so, have they any had success with such a technique? Hi Tim, Most of the pros use a variation of the 4 step approach where they will carry the ball in the first step or two if they use a 5 or 6 step approach. Every player is a bit different and some have very unique approaches. Probably the most unique on tour at this moment is Jason Hurd whose second to the last step doesn't pass his other foot. Many years ago Mike Durbin won a tournament using a 3 step approach. When the players have to play a deep inside line they will sometimes stand in front of the ball returns and are therefore required to take either less steps or shorter steps. Basically when I have to do that I start me swing early, but I don't generate as much speed as I do when I use my normal 5 steps. Technique Q&A [1-20] [21-40] [41-60] [61-80] [81-100] [101-120] [121-140] [141-160] [161-180] [181-200] [201-220] [221-240] [241-260] [281-300] [301-320] [321-340] [341-360] | ||