QuestionDoes your book talk about staying down while approaching the line? If so what tips do you recommend for staying down and not popping upstairs the line?
Answer
www.TrueBowlerAdjustme
Hello James, staying down at the line can be achieved by follow the suggested tips in my new bowling book. I talk about the feet, the trail leg, the trail leg knee and your slide leg knee. Lastly, I talk about your balance arm, hand and thumb.
These are exceptionally different body part subjects that will challenge bowlers on a mental, then physical level to adjust. Creating "new" muscle memory is very tough.
I battle this on a daily basis, during every lesson I teach. Does not matter if the bowler is right handed, left handed, a backup bowler or two handed style bowler.
The unique aspect of staying down at the line encompasses stabilizing your knees, hips, waist, shoulders and head. Often any excessive movement of either of these body parts will cause you to "catch" your balance again, or "pop up," or "fall off," from posting your shot at the foul line.
When you post your shot, at the foul line. You want to stop, or slide to a stop, and watch your ball travel down the lane. During this posting period as your ball travels, you want to take note as to where the ball crosses dots, or arrows, or where it moves down lane heading back to the pins.
Unfortunately when you "pop up" at the line you may temporarily loose your sense of "feel" for the ball at delivery, or vision to follow the ball, or both! Why? You are trying to catch your balance?
It is as if your brain has to shut off momentarily to get your balance, then quickly return to your regularly scheduled program of bowling....after which, you try to focus on what is happening on the lanes after you have released your bowling ball, but it is tough!
For bowlers, staying down at the line, is a sense of lowering your "center of gravity." Basically, if I can get your hips to stay lower, your knees will bend and you will win the fight of forcing your feet to do the right thing.
For your feet to do the right thing, you have to plan in your head to post your shot at the foul line! For most bowlers all they have to do is start moving slowly on the approach with a good tempo or cadence.
Does not matter if you are going to plant your slide foot at delivery, or if you will be sliding to the foul line. Every bowler has to initially train their mind and body to respond to stopping at the foul line. Most bowlers assume it is just going to happen. So in effect it is the last thing they will work on.
You will see it everyday in bowling centers all around the world. A top level bowler who scores well is working on landing at the foul line with good balance. Over and over again they deliver shot after shot. Their scores are low, but that is not what they care about during their practice.
They are there to stick that landing or slide at the foul line and not pop up or fall off their shot so they can deliver the ball cleanly and repeat their shot. This will require them to lower their hips, reduce any excessive lean forward at the waist, eliminate exaggerated twisting of the shoulders, overly dropping the chin and head, as well as keeping the trail leg foot on the floor if possible. Unknown to most bowlers they may even be afraid of the foul line. This is evident in the excessive turning of the toes parallel to the foul line so they don't cross the foul line.
In summary James, popping up at the foul line is often a situation where obviously the bowler's balance is off. However, knowing what is causing it is what you have to investigate.
Ask yourself...Am I planning to post my shot,...or am I just running up to the line and hoping for the best? Do I even have a tempo or cadence?
Can I get lower to the line by bending my knees a little? Is my chin or head down too much? Am I not using my balance arm? Am I literally running too fast to the line? Do I twist my slide foot to the line to keep from fouling? Am I leaning too far forward at the waist?
To all readers, in my new bowling book, I speak on every part of the body from head to toe. Also, how to make adjustments to those body parts to score better. I am sure there is not another guide or reference manual that goes that in depth or I would have bought it myself! Looking back now, I realize my book was fun to create, however it was a lot of work! :-)
Thanks James, I know this is a lot to explore however, somewhere within is the answer to your situation. When you find it, I know you will be singing "Whoop, there it is!!!!" -Coach
-Coach Gary Oatis
Las Vegas, NV.
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (It's A Great Bowling Book!)
