QuestionHello Gary,
My son is 13 years old and has been bowling for 4 years. We recently bought him a 13lb brunswick slingshot with finger tip grip. He has been using a 13lb house ball and we wanted to give him something to work with better. My question for you is what is the normal time frame of adjustment for a bowler to go from conventional to finger tip at his age? Looking forward to your response.
Thank you,
Mr. Branco
Answer
www.TrueBowlerAdjustme
Dan, it is awesome your son has been bowling for four years. There are so many things that can get their attention these days! As a parent of a bowler, you know it's hard to guide them to try new things. It's feast or famine. Personally, I always lean forward so we can increase a bowler's skills instead of taking the long road to success. I say that because, our sport is one of repetition. As a coach, we were trained, it takes the body 1500 times to learn a new muscle movement, or to make any "change" seem more natural.
Basically, the sooner you get started on any new course, the better for all concerned. However, if your son only bowls once a week, it will take a lot, lot, longer without coaching guidance. I coach a Pre-bowling clinic every Friday for $5 a bowler. This gives youth bowlers an opportunity to receive coaching for 2 hours. This session is prior to their Saturday morning league bowling.
The slingshot is a great ball. It should be smooth and easy to read. However, it depends on your son's "release." If he spins the ball one time down the lane, "whoa" the slingshot may snap back hard, or if he rolls it, he may see the ball hook, but not as much as he would like. I challenge you to see if he can find that middle ground in his release that will allow your son to "see" the type of response he likes to see from the ball traveling down lane.
Paying attention to "how" you release the ball as a bowler, young or old is the key to success. Many bowlers go out on the lanes and just toss the ball. With a reactive ball like the slingshot, you have to focus on "how" you release the ball. I love the way the slingshot just smooth curves to the backend. Sometimes, how the ball is drilled, it won't match up to the bowler, or the oil pattern. But again, this depends on "how" the bowler is releasing the ball and "if" they are inconsistent.
In my new bowling book, "True Bowler Adjustments" I feature three releases that every bowler should know how to do. I tell you about one release in particular that often will defeat at least 85% of oil conditions. Parents buy my book to bone up on things their children may need to know as their skills improve. This way, you are not lost to what coaches are trying to teach a bowler.
In summary Mr. Branco, release is the key, practice brings it all together. Naturally the more you practice and bowl. The more results you can see through repetition. Since this is a matter of feel and response of the ball, you have to monitor the release. A certified coach can be your biggest leap forward. Just one lesson, and poof, we are back on track with our fingertip change. KUDOS to you Mr. B for supporting your son. I hope in a way I have helped.
Often I get questions like this, and in the back of my mind I am thinking...does the bowler throw a back up ball, loft it in the air, spin it, spin it backwards...etc. etc. Regardless, it is "consistency" that can make all the difference in the world and a certified coach can bring it all together.
- Coach Gary
Las Vegas, NV.
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (It's a great book!)
