QuestionWhat is the best way for a right handed, left eye dominant bowler to consistently hit their target?
Answer
True Bowler Adjustment
Wow Charles, I run into this all the time, oh my goodness!!! People have no idea how frustrating this can be to a coach. You work on everything! Then something inside you says, "hey, so and so has not hit their "targets" but once in about 10 to 15 attempts!!! What gives? Sure enough, as I published in my latest version of True Bowler Adjustments, I do the eye dominance test and bam! Opposite eye dominance is killing our game.
The "best way" is an individual thing! USBC is teaching everyone "I believe" to now center their head over their delivery shoulder at release! Old school coaches will often teach compensation by noticing how many boards the bowler is missing their target by. Then have them "look" left or to the right of where they want to deliver the ball to by 3 or 4 boards! Grass roots coaches will have the bowler align their forearm to a particular pin or arrow on the lane(2nd arrow) and then physically show the bowler what it should look like in their set up! Lastly, other top level coaches will assign a bowler a "personal number." This number is used to indicate how much you drift. It is added or subtracted from the base number of an average of 6 to 8 boards to where you release the ball and it crosses the foul line or your laydown point to your target on the lane. (you would be surprised at how accurate this is when done correctly!) When targeting some bowlers walk a tight rope line, others take a step left to get out of the way of the swing and continue on. While other bowlers take the first step to the right delaying the ball, only to drift more to the right to deliver there shot.
It's a lot to consider Charles! What I want you to do is: "Try what you see presented, what the heck! To coin a phrase from Allen Iverson... "Its practice, we're talking about practice! And dammit, practice is what it takes to find what really works for you in bowling! Don't be fooled you'll need an eye to watch you, or you'll have to be the eyes if you are helping someone else and be honest with them!
Personally, it has been the individual who selected their way of compensating! I just provided them options! It has to be something the bowler can "train themselves" to do! It can be very challenging mentally to remember this when your ball starts going brooklyn after four in a row! Is it the ball and the lane, or is it the bowler not setting up properly because they have become comfortable and forgotten "eye dominance" in their set up?
Often I will tap under my eye to remind a player that is going brooklyn in practice, to think about their set up. Number One-know where you standing, Two-position the ball and compensate for dry/wet or eye dominance, Three look at your targets, Four-Roll over your targets and throw a good shot!
Charles, when hard pressed to choose one technique above all others at the beginner, established, or advanced level, I would have to choose aligning the ball down lane "to your targets" by moving the forearm away from the body, while keeping the elbow into the body. My theory is: If we can create that "muscle movement" then the body will begin to accept it. Just as it did prior to making the change. Often when an opposite eye dominant player is "watching" the shot they have a tendency to "aim" too much trying to see exactly where they are delivering the ball and they forget to release it correctly because the eyes will try to take over completely! You have to have that balance of feel and sight and jell everything together! It takes "Practice." Charles, I am talking about, "Practice!" (smile)
-Gary
Las Vegas, NV
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (it's a great book!)
