Slide leg pain.

Question
Hi, I bowled in a league from the time that I was 10 years old until I left for the Navy at 18, I'm now 31 and just trying to get back into league bowling. As a teen, I carried a 190+ average for my last two seasons, so I was very confident and considered myself a good bowler. Fast forward until now, I've bowled 15 games over the last month and every time I go out, sometime between late in the first or early in the second game I get a severe pain radiating from my upper slide leg. I feels like a "charlie horse" that just won't go away (until several hours after I've stopped bowling). It seems to be located in the upper thigh, around the front/outside portion, kind of just below the hip. When I was a youth, I never had these pains, I was 40lbs lighter then, so I know that I could afford to lose some weight, but I'm not sure that's the only thing that's causing my pain. After taking 13 years off from bowling, I know my mechanics are rusty, but I can't even get in a decent practice session without pain. Can you watch the two videos on the links and please tell me why I'm in so much pain and what I need to do to correct it? Both approaches felt normal to me, it wasn't until after I saw the second one that I looked like I was leaning way too far forward at release, this approach feels like it did when I was younger though卐xcept it was pain-free back then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfz__DdGUOM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRwxUjmOBmM

Thanks!

Terry

Answer
Terry,
Give yourself some room on the approach, back up. The weight has created additional momentum for you to manage as you slide. You're bent over at the foul line, that's your body trying to absorb some of the momentum you create as you move to the line to slide and deliver the ball.

I'd suspect the pain is from you trying to stop your slide. As always, I'd recommend you see a doctor too. Pain relief should not be experimented with, talk to a medical PROFESSIONAL.

Try to keep the back straighter, more leverage will benefit you.

Thanks for the question. Don't overdo it. Pain is your body's way of telling you to stop. You may want to see a local coach to help with this (or other issues).