Appreciate ya!

Thank you. So glad I got paired right next to you twice in a row. Great bowling at both tourneys.

Yes, that will certainly have an effect. I used a friend's ball that was too much reverse and the ball would come off too quickly. If you have the ability to, change pitches on an old ball just until you get the right feel, then adjust any other balls accordingly.

Certainly. I have arthritis in my wrist and index finger. The finger was causing most of the pain, so I worked with my PSO to try different grips. Ultimately I wanted the ball more in my palm and away from my index finger. A combination of the Sarge Easter grip and Nanu Nanu (spread the bridge a little wider), as well as a slightly offset thumb with a strong left pitch turned out to do the trick. No more pain. Now I just have to figure out how to fix my arthritis in my toe and my chronic inflammation in my knees and ankles. Dietary changes gonna need to come.

Thanks. I added what ball I was throwing just for you.

Thanks

Thanks. My next thing is delaying my pushaway slightly so that I am done sliding right before release. We will see how that goes. Always tweaking to improve. Thanks for watching.

I like your progress many would be happy to achieve such good results. How old are you? I’m 63 i’m fighting that problem for years. My hero on knew bend is Parker Bohn III. Nobody is/was so great at the line like him, right?

​@@willysteiner Thank you. I am 49. About to be senior tour eligible. Parker is a great one for balance at the line

Thanks for the comment and praise. I tore my patellar tendon just over a year ago, and I also have chronic inflammation, so the knee brace is largely preventative now. When I forget to wear it, my knees flare up and hurt pretty bad. I just played pickleball for the first time, and forgot my brace. My knees were mad. I really should wear one on both, but in bowling, there is more pressure in the slide leg. As for the slide thing, you are 100% correct. It becomes an issue when the approaches are tacky like in the FireLake regional a few weeks ago. When the foot sticks a little, it turns and I can fall out of balance. I worked on planting about 2 years ago, but my speed dropped significantly as did my accuracy. I am hoping this deeper knee bend will help me reduce the slide over time. It's gonna take some work to break my muscle memory and build new. Thanks again.

@@baldbrothersbowling That's tough. I really don't like planting either. It never really worked for me. I'm sure you've already tried a bunch of different heel/sole combos to try and get you to stop sliding a little earlier. The only other thing that could help with it is changing your timing to start your swing a little later, but I'm not sure that's worth it either since you already throw it pretty good

@@grillmaster95 Yeah, I am going to experiment with starting later. My timing is good as far as when I start my downswing and my slide step, but because I slide so long, I am still sliding while I release it. I have tried different soles (and even using street shoes), which because I slide so long, the only way to accomplish this is to slow way down, and my ball speed drops way too much. But, that said, I am going work on my timing to start the push away a little later and see what I can produce from that. If I can get close to planting, I can change slide soles. I just don't want to do that until I change my timing a little or I will either face plant or destroy my knee. :)

I have been working with a coach, and one key he has given me is my off arm. I focus on getting it higher, almost pointing to the sky type of feeling. It does a couple of things, it allows me to have more shoulder tilt, and that allows me to be closer to the floor and get behind the ball a little more. The more I work on it the better I finish and balance at the end of the shot.

Yes, and having torn a tendon in my left knee and needing a knee brace also is a mental block from bending too much. Getting old isn't super fun. 😂 Thanks for watching.

Appreciate the kind words.

100%

Is this James? I think you were right next to us.

@@baldbrothersbowling yup that's me! Pretty sure y'all were a few pairs away since I only followed onto Boog's pair once or twice, but definitely not far away. You bowling the Edmond stop next month?

@@ShimWreckerEnterprises yep, I will be there. I just subbed to your channel. You did great this weekend.

@@baldbrothersbowling many thanks! See ya down there

Appreciate the feedback. It's a new music program I am experimenting with. I will take note of it. Thank you.

I've got to second that, I felt like they put up lanes at Electronic Daisy Festival in Vegas

Thanks for watching. Sometimes it's hard to throw in commentary during, but I can start maybe adding text like I did with the moves. Thanks for the feedback.

Thank you for asking that question. I can certainly answer that. For me, there are a couple of things at play. First, I have been bowling for 45 years, and the Yo-Yo is a somewhat newer teaching style to increase revs. Because I have decades of a more "traditional" release, I have muscle memory built into my swing that is hard to break. Second, I also have arthritis in my wrist which limits my flexibility (also why I have to tape up my wrist as I do otherwise I experience a lot of pain). All this said, I have been working on having more yo-yo (and I coach younger bowlers who don't have the muscle memory that I do to use this). It's not pronounced because of the items I said above, but there is a little there. I did a video recently about increasing revs using 1 tip: focusing on getting your knuckles in towards your calf right at release, and another that talks about going from cupped to uncupped back to cupped (which is another way of saying yo-yo). I can't do it quite as much as I'd like, but the little bit that I can has increased my rev rate from about 330 to 386 (in that video). So I am achieving a very slight yo-yo, it's just very slight and hard to see compared to the big rev guys. If I could get more of it, I certainly would. I am working on getting a little more each time I practice, but I have to break 4-1/2 decades of muscle memory, so it's a slow process. Thank you for watching and for the comment!

@@baldbrothersbowling Thank you so much for that reply. Im in almost the exact situation you are. been bowling for 30 years, came back and this yo yo thing has taken over. Ive spent the last 2 months doing nothing but 0 step and 1 step drills to try and learn this thing. Man, its so tough bc like you said, I have decades of muscle memory that just doesnt want to let go. This last weekend I actually had a break through and am super excited to keep the momentum. This has easily been the hardest thing Ive ever tried to learn in bowling. Again, super appreciate the detailed response.

If you are dropping it sooner than you like, it is likely one of two things. 1.) it might still be too loose. I know you watched part 1 about the right fit, so you might be almost there, but might need to add another piece of tape or two. Just make sure that if you follow part 1 after adding it, it's not too tight. But it should be fairly snug. 2.) You might just be releasing your thumb too quickly. It is a challenge to get that timing down. I would start with no-step or 1-step drills first to get the feel of exactly when you should be releasing the thumb and lifting the fingers. At first, intentionally holding it longer may feel like you are lofting it a little bit because the difference between what you currently doing (dropping it) and what you need to do is extremely slight and quick. But do that no-step over an over until you feel that you are coming out at the right time, and then bring the steps back in. If you are still dropping it too soon on a no-step drill, I'd add a little tape to the thumb hole. Give that a try and let me know how that works.

That is awesome!

I do that. That's how I'm learning to drill my own balls as well. Lol

I just purchased a new membership to Epidemic Sound for music. Cost is reasonable and they have a lot to choose from. I started with some electric funk. I was channeling my inner "Fletch." Excited to check out the other genres.

It's really not that much thought and the exact opposite of overthinking. The thought is literally just thinking about getting the knuckles in towards the calf at the release, and that's it. The issue I find when coaching is that people try to do too much at once, and this video is about stripping out all other thought, and only thinking about the 1 thing right at release. It's actually a super simple technique that works pretty well. What you listed above is 1. Cup the wrist, 2. Stay under the ball slightly inside, 3. Firm grip with the fingers, and 4. Use your legs. All of that is correct and will work for some, but 4 things for people to think about is too much for a lot of people. They have to pick 1 thing and get that down, which is why this video focuses on that release point. I certainly appreciate the comment, though.

Thanks for the comments. On the location of the holes, usually the pro shop will draw a center line, and the thumb is centered on the line, and the line splits the fingers. However, I think it depends on thumb flexibility. If you look at the palm of your hand, your thumb is not directly below those two fingers. With a traditional layout, the base of your palm will be off the ball. I don't like this, and I have arthritis and needed to figure out how to get it more in my palm. My pro shop draws the center line, but then offsets my thumb hole. Additionally, because my thumb is not flexible, I have a lot of left pitch. This all puts the ball more in my palm. This isn't normal, but I think way more people should try it. I hope this all makes sense.

We have several videos, and more to come. Appreciate you watching.

Don't think I have seen anyone use an external thumb grip. I have seen some use a glove with a thumb. As long as you can get a consistent release and the grip doesn't come flying off, I suppose that would be okay. I also find that I prefer the feel of tape, so prefer a larger thumb hole, and then insert tape to get right fit and feel.

Yeah, the motion is different. I used to throw SPI, and they were great out of box, but didn't last. Motiv is very smooth, and last, but not the best motion. I have been throwing more B7 and so far, I am digging them. I threw a lot of c300 in the 90s, and loved them back then.

Thank you. This really means a lot.

I assume there is no thumb in the glove. If not, the fit lesson is the same. The only change is that if it is a brace and has a firm backing to hold your wrist, you won't be able to uncup at the release. You will stay in a cupped or neutral position the whole way. With these, it is important to not roll your hand over. These gloves help get revs for those with a weaker wrist who need a little help, but will limit your ability to get a ton of revs, which is okay. Usually players who require these braces I suggest trying to keep your hand at about 45 degrees, not behind or beside the ball. You still want to use a flat thumb to hold the ball, and relax the thumb and strengthen the fingers right at release to get the ball to roll off the hand. If your hand is positioned at 45 degrees or so, it should have correct ball roll. You can increase revs a little even with a brace by going from behind the ball and rotating to 45, but don't roll it over. Watch Shannon Okeefe videos. She uses a brace and does this better than anyone. Note that if you use a brace for support, you MIGHT NOT be using the thumb to pull back and cup the wrist. I would suggest trying that to see if it eliminates the need for the brace, but if you need the brace, then follow above. I hope this helps.

Question is 45 degrees is about 11oclock when your thumb exit

​@@williemorrison5006about. If 12 o'clock is forward and 9 is 90 degrees, 10:30 would be 45. So anywhere from 10 to 11 o'clock is good.

I understand. It is hard when age causes our game to decline. The thumb fit lesson where you use the thumb to pull back and cup the wrist is intended to make the ball feel lighter and might help a little. I have arthritis in my wrist, and it really helps me. Give that a try and let me know if it helps at all. Stick with it.

Thank you. That means a lot. Appreciate you watching.

In the first part of the video, you need to make sure the fit is right and that you are hinging where the thumb meets the hand, not at the middle knuckle. If you do this and the fit is right, and you can pick up the ball with the thumb only like I show early, then the ball only comes off the thumb when you relax it. This is why I can swing the ball with just my thumb in the ball. So when you pull it back, you are pressing in with the thumb, and the ball won't release. You will get that cup and be able to swing your arm with the ball staying in your hand. As you start the down swing and start to rotate your thumb, that is when you will relax the thumb to let the ball start to come off your hand at the right time, and at the same time, lift with your fingers. I hope that makes sense.

Appreciate the feedback. I would agree non-football equipment CAN lead to spinning, but the football specifically doesn't. Spinning is usually a product of rolling the wrist all the way around, and if you do that with a football, it will wobble badly. To get the spiral, you have to collapse the wrist by starting to turn the thumb, then lifting back with the fingers. It is old school, but this video is mainly for beginners who need a little work on that motion. The kids we coach who spin the ball cannot throw an underhand spiral with a football. As we work thru that, getting the spiral actually leads to them fixing their spinning issue. I have used the football myself to practice for many years, and it has helped my release to establish the muscle memory as well. I do appreciate your thoughts on this, though. We love all feedback. Thank you for watching.

@@baldbrothersbowling I edited my comments to include that it’s a great video for beginners or intermediate, so yeah, I agree with you 100% outstanding boys keep it up!

@@JSBowling2011 Appreciate that!!!!

You betcha

Sounds good. The pinky won't have much tension as some even tuck it, but I can talk about pros and cons of fixing it, and tension on index finger. Thanks for the idea.

Thank you.

I am. It's actually what we call the Nanu Nanu Sarge. I have arthritis in my index finger and the standard grip was painful. Too much weight on that finger. My PSO and I did a lot of experimentation and found that separating the middle finger and ring shifts a little weight away from index towards the ring. The Sarge plus shifting my thumb left with a lot of left pitch also shifts the weight into my palm more. All of this has alleviated the arthritis pain.

In all honesty, everything from the setup to the top of the backswing only matters for each individual person to eventually get to the right spot at release. It's going to be different for many people. Where your hand is positioned just before, during, and just after release is what is important. No step practice can help get the feel here. What is getting stuck? The thumb, fingers, or both? If just the thumb, did you watch part 1? Just wondering if you might be squeezing the ball a little.

@@baldbrothersbowling yeah the first time I tried it out was in league that’s proably half of the issue 😂😂😂 I think it was partially fatigue and trying to get use to pulling back with my thumb. Should I pull back the entire time after the push away or at the apex of my swing?

@@juwanbrown7784 the timing is tricky. You want to go cupped, to uncupped, back to cupped. The exact timing of when you go from cupped to uncupped about when your hand is near your ankle, so you are keeping pulling back past the apex a little. You have to practice and feel exactly when you stop pulling back and pointing that thumb. I have another video coming out using a football that might help you practice the timing. Should drop probably tomorrow.

@@baldbrothersbowling awesome I’m looking forward to it!!

Thank you.

Hard to explain without showing. Ideally, starting at the top of the backswing your wrist would be copied and cocked a little left. As you go forward in your swing, point the thumb is essentially uncupping. If the wrist is cocked, the thumb will start to point about 45 degrees or so. As soon as the wrist uncups and the ball starts to come off the thumb, imaging starting to cup the wrist again, lifting the fingers thru the ball. They won't be pointed towards the pins directly. It might look like that on mine as I am not throwing it straight up the lane. Because I am throwing it from left to right I am less than 45 degrees from the line of the lane, but 45 from the direction of my line I am playing. I hope that makes sense.