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Technique
Technique Q&A  [1-20]  [21-40]   [41-60]  [61-80]  [101-120]  [121-140]   [141-160]   [161-180]  [181-200]  [201-220]  [221-240]  [241-260]  [261-280]  [281-300]  [301-320]
  [321-340]  [341-360]




Robert February 10, 2003
New York
NY

Dear Mr. Walter Ray William Jr.,
I was referred to you by some member using pba.org forum. First and foremost, I just want to say that I've been a fan of yours a very long time and I've enjoyed bowling for more then 7 years and hoping to improve. One thing I've noticed in your game that I can never figured out is how do you pick up your spare using straight ball so perfect. I've tested and tested but never have confident enough to constantly do what you've done. I defintely use my plastic ball to pick up spares on my right side(I'm a righty), but don't know how to pick up on my left. Do you have a chart of where to stand, target to aim, and other guidance with your spare games? Any website or any information on how I can learn to spare like yourself will sure to help my game tremendously. Thank you in advance for your time. Sincerely,
Robert M Chan - only a 180 average bowler(for now hopefully)

Hi Robert,
Throwing the ball straight at spares makes it much simpler. You may need to practice a couple of games where you don't even try to hit the head pin, but work on your spares. Confidence will come with practice so a little (or a lot) practice will help. When you practice these spares, note where you stand for each spare and what board you are looking at.



Shamus January 30, 2003
Northglenn
CO

Walter Ray, I notice that when I watch you on the lanes that you throw your spare ball at the "bucket" or 2,4,5,8 and if any spare seems to give you problems it seems to be this one ? Why don't you throw your strike ball at this spare and hook into it ? I noticed that you missed a few of these or similar combinations like it at the U.S. Open ?
Thanks, Shamus # 1 Diehard

Hi Shamus,
We bowl on completely different lane conditions on tour as opposed to league. On the tour conditions there is very little room for error and with lane conditions a bit more demanding...hooking the ball at spares isn't really the best way to make spares. The bucket (2-4-5-8) and other 2 pin combination spares are not always easy to make. If I throw my spare ball at them and make a decent shot I usually make the spare. If I hooked at it I could chop it, miss it right or even left. So I choose to usually use the straight shot. I think if you saw how everybody did on those spares, mine wouldn't look so bad.




Joe January 21, 2003
Marysville
WA

Walter Ray,
I was watching you during qualifying in Tacoma earlier in the month and noticed that toward the end of a block of games you lofted the ball out on the lane more than you usually do, presumably to delay hook as the lanes dry out. Is this an adjustment you normally like to make (as opposed to moving your feet and target line to the left)? You weren't striking that game like you normally do and was just wondering if the move was one you seldom pull out of the bag. Keep up what's been a great year for you so far and I look forward to the PBA coming back to the Seattle area next year. It was nice chatting with you and Paige.
Joe

Hi Joe,
When I start to play more inside I tend to loft the ball. It is kind of a natural thing for me. It isn't on purpose. Thanks.




Willie January 17, 2003
Denver
CO

Say Walter Ray,
On your grip, what are your measurements?

I have been telling other bowlers about the idea of a relaxed grip as compared to a radical muscle grip.

A relaxed grip is one that uses the natural angles of the thumb and hand to hold on the ball through the swing and release. Where as the muscle grip is the setup where the pitches on the thumb are not depending on the natural angles on the hand and thumb.

Bowlers will go to the unnatural or radical pitchs using alot of reverse pitch to get out of the ball quicker. What they lose with that setup is the sutle adjustments that are easy to do with a relaxed grip.

A relaxed grip is one which uses the natural angle of the thumb to the fingers to grip the ball. As pro shop drillers measure a persons hand to determine a proper grip, how flexible the thumb is and the span of the thumb to the fingers tells a "ball drilling artist" a roundabout size of the grip to drill. Maybe so much forward pitch in the thumb- 3/8", and so much pitch under the palm- 1/8".

I wish more bowlers would be smart in their choice of proper grip for a bowling ball?

Walter, don't you rely on these sutle changes in grip muscles and pressure in your release to outdistance the competition? Maybe an example of one of them that you are good at doing?
Willie

Hi Willie,
I was fortunate in my ball drilling is that the first person who drilled my first ball when I was 17 (when I started bowling a lot) and I haven't changed my specs that much over the years. I am not a ball driller and don't know that much about what pitches are best for bowlers. I say that I am fortunate because if you say my bowling hand it doesn't look that abused. I also don't know about grip pressure as I don't know what the ball feels like in other bowler's hand. I would say that from what I hear I might use more pressure than the average bowler, but that is a guess.

You should be able to find my grip specs somewhere on the site.



Tim January 7, 2003
Bristol
TN

hi walter ray. i have a couple of questions. first i noticed on the telecast last week where the oiling machine looked like it stopped about 6" from the foul line. was that part of the pattern? 2nd i noticed that when you where lining up on the approach it looked like your feet were angled to the left and your shouldlers were not square. was that to help project the ball out to the right?
thanks
good luck rest of the year
tim

Hi Tim,
The oiling machines don't usually oil the first couple of inches of the lane, but that isn't usually a problem. I don't think that I ever have my feet pointing to the left, they are usually pointed towards the pins or a bit to the right. My shoulders are more likely to be a bit open so that I am aiming a bit right, but if I am going very straight my shoulders should be perpendicular to the line I am playing. Thanks.




Mitch January 27, 2003
Lansing
MI

Hey Walter,
I'm 15 and I've been bowling for about 6 years. I currently hold a 180 average on my high school bowling team, a 20 pin increase from last year. I'm having a great year so far but I have a problem in my approach that I cant seem to fix. When I take my last step I always step about 5 boards right which causes me to loose my balance and jump into the lane to the right of me. I've been getting a lot of complaints about this and i've been trying to fix this. I think it has something to do with the weight of my ball making me move to the right on my approach. Can you give me any pointers to try and fix this bad habit?
Thanks,
Mitch

Hi Mitch,
I am not sure what would be causing this problem. At 15, the weight of the ball shouldn't be a problem, but maybe you should drop to a lower weight.

You might want to ask a local coach to see if they can see what you are doing. One thing you might want to try is to pose when you release the ball. Hold that finish until the ball hits the pins. That should help you from falling off to the right. Good luck.



Patrick January 27, 2003
Greenville
NC

Walter Ray...
If lane conditions permit, I generally play a very deep line to the pocket. I put a lot of revolutions on the ball, but do not have a particularly fast ball speed. Part of this stems from a slight bend in my elbow during the backswing, something several coaches have tried to help me correct with no real success. In any case, even on a toasty condition I can generally move far enough left to compensate- on the left lane. However, on the right lane, the ball return is constantly in my way- especially troublesome when shooting 10 pins. (Again, not a problem on the left lanes.) It appears from my standpoint watching on TV that most of the time, the ball returns are positioned farther back on the approach- or I could be imagining that.

In any case, the advice I've gotten has essentially either been to increase my ball speed (not easy for a little guy like me, with no real backswing!) or to decrease the revs on the ball. I have had limited success with the latter option by breaking my wrist back at the point of release, but I tend to have terrible carry with this technique, even if I seem to be hitting the pocket fairly flush. Is this a common problem at all, or am I the only one who has trouble with the ball return situation...and do you have any suggestions for combating the right lanes, since the ball returns obviously aren't moving? Thanks, and congrats on your excellent season- I definitely smell POY.
Patrick

Hi Patrick,
The ball returns you see on tour are not modified. It would be nice if the people who designed ball returns would consult with professionals, because the pros would like them off of the lane. The problem is that then there is less room in the settee. You are probably right that the ball returns will not change much, so it might be better to deal with what is there. Some lanes have 'long' ball returns which come up at the foul line! I would work on throwing the ball as straight as possible. You can use a plastic ball to help go straighter, but you might need to figure out a way to throw it straighter. Good luck and keep working on it.




Tonny December 31, 2002
Herlev
DK

Dear Walter Ray And Paige
I have been studying your technique, and it have help'd me alot.
I am ammazed about the precicion in your straight shots.

Now :o) what i can't figure out is, where on the lane do you focus your eyes, is it somwhere along the "arrowline"? or somwhere else? it seems to me that you are focusing directly at the pins, and i am sure i am wrong about that.
Thank you for some very entertaining tv apperences.
Tonny J Petersen (sorry about my english, i am a dane fan)

Hi Tonny,
I target at the 'arrows' which are about 15 feet past the foul line. On some occasions I will actually target a few feet in front of the arrows, but I never target past the arrows.




Randy December 25, 2002
Johnstown
PA

Hi, Walter Ray. I was just wondering where your favorite place to play on the lane is. Is it playing straight up the 1 board, and if not, how comfortable are you with playing there? I saw you play pretty close to that spot a few years ago in Erie in match play. Of course, you made the show(just one of many). You lost to Robert Smith, I think. Anyway, it was pretty impressive, to say the least. I've seen you bowl in Pittsburgh (Funfest TPC,"98"), Harrisburg(ABC West), Akron(Stonehedge), and, of course, Erie. When will the tour be back in Erie? I only live about 3 hours south of Erie, so it's well worth the drive. My wife and I have also met you, shook your hand, and had pictures taken with you. You're a really cool guy. Great bowling this year! Good luck in 2003! Can you say PBA player of the year title number six? I can!

Sincerely,
Randy(Big fan)

Hi Randy,
I do enjoy playing an outside line, but it doesn't make sense to play a part of the lane that doesn't give you any kind of room unless there is no room any where on the lane. I actually also like to play an inside line even though I don't play it as well as a lot of the other top players, but I get my share of strikes from there.

I don't know when we will be getting back to Erie. It isn't on the schedule this year and I do know that the PBA is more interested in going to bigger cities. So Pittsburgh or Cleveland is a more likely place for future tournaments to be held at but you never know.




Chuck December 20, 2002
Riverview
MI

Walter Ray,
I am a big fan of yours and enjoyed watching you win at Taylor Lanes where I bowl 4 times a week. What do you look at when your bowling. Do you look at the arrows, or the dots before the arrows. I used to basically throw by feeling and then I switched to the arrows and now I am using the dots. I am having trouble though now with it going over my mark the 7 board and then by the arrows its sliding out to the 4/5 board area and I am having troulbe getting it back into the pocket.

Thanks
Chuck

Hi Chuck,
I normally look at the arrows, but sometimes I will move that up a couple of feet. It may be that you aren't playing the proper place on the lanes. Most house conditions are more suited to playing closer to the 2nd arrow or left if you throw a bigger hook. You might want to watch some of the better players in your league or other leagues and see how they are playing the lanes. Being lined up properly is a big part of being a good bowler.




Rick December 14, 2002
Wauseon
OH

Hi Walter Ray,
I just want to thank you for your reply, I was very excited to hear from you. I told chuck and pat that you emailed me back. I am a fan of yours for a long time and I enjoy watching you on tv. I went ahead a bought the fuel ball from Chuck. Chuck has been working with me though. as I told you before I have a natural hook, that Chuck said he wish he had. I am having trouble in Chucks lanes hooking to hard. we have been trying to straightening it out without a hook. if possible what is the best way to throw the ball without that much hook. Chuck has been working with me a lot. see in las vegas I had a 201 ave. but here I have a 170. You have bowled on these lanes before how would stand and approach the shot at Chucks.

I am the Delta High School coach that Chucks is sponsoring, we haven't! won much this year but we are getting better. Funny I can work with kids to get them to work for them but I cannot figure what i'm doing wrong lol. Thank you god bless
Rick Bricker

Hi Rick,
Necessity is a great way to learn things. One thing to try is to use a ball which hooks a lot on lanes which hook a lot. That might help you in 'learning' how to throw a straighter ball as you try and keep the ball on line. More speed is definitely one way of throwing the ball straighter. Average also has a lot to do with the way the lanes are oiled and how to play them. Not all lanes are going to be as easy as you may have found in Las Vegas and some may be even easier. The other thing to do is get a ball which doesn't hook very much such as a urethane or plastic ball if you have that much trouble with your hook.

I have heard that one of the things about making a great coach is realizing how to be patient with your students. By realizing how difficult it is to be taught can help a teacher to teach better.

Best wishes to you and tell Chuck and Pat hi.



Brad December 16, 2002
St. George
UT

Hey Walter,
I have been leisure bowling for about 6 years (maybe 3 or 4 times a month), but now have been bowling league for 2 years once a week. My average is 187 now but have thrown one 300 and 2 299 games. So obviously my problem is being consistant. I live in a town where we dont have a pro shop nor do we have any coaches to work with. I know that practice makes perfect and i practice at least 40 games a week. So my question to you is what foundational things can I do to help myself get to the next level?

Thanks,
Brad

P.S. That fan that took a picture at the empire state open during your delivery was B.S!!!!

Hi Brad,
It sounds like you are on the right steps to becoming a better bowler. I would find the best bowlers in your area to bowl against as that will help you become better. You might also take video of yourself to see if you can see any major flaws in your game. It is possible to become a top bowler by doing it all on your own, but it doesn't hurt to have help. Good luck.




Jason December 15, 2002
South Portland
ME

Walter Ray -- first of all congrats on your year so far. My technique question is this: Given that your "A" game is to go straighter than most on tour, what physical/mental adjustments do you make when you have to move way in (left of 20) and swing it out? I'm looking for clues as to what to think/do when I have to play fifth arrow or thereabouts. Thanks!

Hi Jason,
When I first went on tour I actually hooked the ball a fair amount, so that is how I learned how to bowl. When I hook the ball, I slow down, drift left and get a bit more side roll on the ball. Playing an inside line is something that takes practice. The more you play inside, the more comfortable you will be playing it. It might even be a good idea to get used to starting in front of the ball return. Good luck.




Tim December 14, 2002
Chatham
IL

Walter Ray:
Can you give a bit of advice regarding leverage. I have worked long and hard on perfecting my game as it comes to my approach and delivery. I currently bowl in 4 leagues and carry an average ranging from 210 - 220. The problem that continues to crop up is that I tend to want to lean over when I either tire or tense up with the result being a lack of proper leverage at the point of release. When this happens I usually lose my ball to the far right of the 1-3 pocket. I have studied your game and you bend quite a bit but are always in the proper position upon release. Do you have any tips for me in regard to this problem?

Thank you for your valuable time and the best of luck to you on the tour.
Tim Scott

Hi Tim,
I don't know that leaning over is such a bad thing. But you definitely want to be in a good solid position at the line when you let go. I would concentrate on keeping your body 'down' and having a good follow through. Good luck.




Jeremy December 11, 2002
Albion
IL

I have been having trouble the last few months getting my thumb out before my fingers. I have tried differn't pitches and if I go any more than what I have. I simply can't keep the ball in my hands without gripping it. I know im not gripping it now because I can concentrate on gripping it and feel the difference in the feeling. I have tried differnt sizes on my thumb and that hasn't helped. If I concentrate on pulling it out I can get out first but I actually have to pull it out or I get out at the same time and kill most of the hook. I newas wondering about the possible solutions.

Hi Jeremy,
You might want to find a good coach in your area. It sounds like you might want to try and 'cup' the ball a bit. I am not a ball driller so I don't have any advice on what ways to drill your grip to help you. I hope you find someone who can help you. There are sure to be local people in your area that you can use as resources.




Randy December 11, 2002
Hopkins
SC

I read under technique questions on your site about your release as being categorized as end-over-end. You say it's not but what are the different types of releases you use and how do you do them?

Hi Randy,
Compared to the other pros that put so much rotation on the ball I do have more of an end-over-end roll. Mainly I change my ball speed and try to get more side rotation when throwing the ball slower and more up the back when throwing harder. Depending on the lane conditions and what I am looking for, I will make different adjustments to get a look that I feel will work. If you ever get a chance to watch a tournament live you will see a lot more variation on how I release the ball (in a normal tournament).




Jay November 27, 2002
Lake Elmo
MN

Walter Ray,
Do you have any specific drill that you perform for timing? I sometimes have issues with timing and was wondering if there is anything I can do to improve it. Continued success this year.
Jay Hi Jay,
I don't have any specific drills that I do for bowling. Since I am not a certified coach you might have better luck asking a local pro who is qualified in that area to give you some hands on help. It depends on whether your timing is early or late. Most of the time it is encouraged to have your backswing at its peak when you are starting your slide step. Good luck.




Alex November 25, 2002
Cedar Falls
IA

Walter Ray:
I am fairly new to league bowling, and I have found that certain balls ( not neccessarily mine) work better on the house conditions. they oil the lanes fairly heavily, and until yesterday my ball just wouldn't hook. I started to spread my pinky finger out on the ball, whereas I used to tuck it under the ball. Is there a solid solution to my little problem. My timing is good, I have a kinda high backswing, but not that high, I am lost. Can You Help?
Alex H.

Hi Alex,
Some balls do hook more than others. Sometimes this is good and sometimes it isn't. Normally pros tuck their pinky to get more rotation on the ball. I find it uncomfortable to do this. A high backswing might mean that you have a bit of speed and more speed normally means less hook. Keep working on it. You might want to ask a local pro for some lessons and if a new ball would help.




Terrance November 21, 2002
Fayettville

I am a tall guy like you and have tried to find a style of delivery that comfortably fits my height. I've watched your approach and delivery on TV and have tried to copy it. To my surprise it works. I can clearly see and hit my mark and my follow through is smoother. Even more surprising, my pin count has gone up because the ball seems to be setting up at just the right moment.

My question is, do you have a video (instructional or otherwise) on the market that I can purchase to help me work out the kinks in my technique.
Terry

Hi Terry,
I appreciate you using me as a model. I don't have a video out yet. Hopefully one of these days I'll will get to that.




Kenneth November 20, 2002
Kennedale
TX

I am a 17 year old that just started bowling about 3 months ago. I throw a backup ball. I have a 155 average and I was wandering are there any pros that throw a backup ball and why do some of the websites I have visited say it is a weakness.
Thank You

Hi Kenneth,
I don't know of any male pros who throw a back up ball, but I do know that there are some very good bowlers who do use that release. One reason that many teachers might consider it a weakness to throw a backup ball is because women, who are weaker than men, are much more likely to throw a backup ball. It normally takes a lot more wrist strength to throw a hook. Does that mean that you could never become good enough to be a pro, probably not. But the odds are against you of being very successful. Some pros are able to throw backup balls, but they normally only resort to that if they are shooting a certain spare or split or if the lane conditions might be much 'easier' for the opposite hand.


Technique Q&A  [1-20]  [21-40]   [41-60]  [61-80]  [101-120]  [121-140]   [141-160]   [161-180]  [181-200]  [201-220]  [221-240]  [241-260]  [261-280]  [281-300]  [301-320]
  [321-340]  [341-360]





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