Wow, what a timely video! I have a 5 step approach and have late timing issues. It's been very bad lately. Yesterday at the end of my practice session I decided to go to 4 step. I synced up my first step to my push away and let the arm swing freely in both directions. After a few shots I began posting up on all my shots with better speed and rev rate. I intend to add your drills today.
Geez are we related? I too have a 5 step approach, and lately my game has gone to hell after many years of relative success. My timing has been very late, just like you. A coach looked at my delivery and said that I needed to push off later, so instead of pushing off with my first step (left foot) he had me push off on the second step. The timing feels very strange to me and I'm just in the process of working through it. Still not back where I was 1 or 2 years ago, but starting to make some progress finally. Good luck to me, and to me too. We need it, lol
This video is exceptional! The level of detail and instruction provided was very easy to understand. Any content you can provide dealing with nerves would be great. I choke whenever I have the front 9 or more. That 300 has been elusive for me.
I've been bowling for 19 years & still I watch videos on bowling from this channel. There are still rooms for improvement in the game I can learn from watching your videos. Love your content. Keep it up
This is excellent content. I (as many do) struggle with freeing my swing and will take any tip to help me out. Thanks so much for putting this info together!
The "timing" (hehe) of this video is too perfect. My friends and I kept talking about our swings and we need all the help we can get. (We're not available to get coaching lessons due to work but we love bowling and want to improve. This helps a lot.)
This is great!!! .. I am definitely going to practice THIS! .. this is SOOO important! .. I should be able to practice these drills at home with my new kettle bells too .. nice!
I've had timimg issues the last 6 months and struggled to find the kink in my swing. I remember doing the second drill many years ago in college but forgot all about it. At least I now know it is the ball position on the second step. Great video! 😁 PS Tonight I had league. I've been struggling, getting tired, and frustrated, averaging in the low 190s. I changed when the ball is dropped on my second step and shot 696. No issues being tied, pulling shots, and anything else that has been frustrating!
Practicing this at home. Hope it will fix my timing and pulling issues from over the past few months.. League tomorrow to see if I'll have at least a minor improvement.
been working on this lately too - my thing has been making sure I don't squeeze the ball too hard too early. If I can prevent my fingers from trying to grip the ball during my first couple of steps, esp the 2nd pushaway step, then I can more often than not have a relaxed, more consistent swing.
this is wonderful, I have really been working my swing, and the other thing is I am working to trust the swing when it seems free and higher. The nice thing is it it is the same each time so I can focus on apply force on the ball at the proper time at the same time each time
@insidebowling How do you let the ball swing the arm if you have a high back swing? I never understood that? When I let the ball swing ball barely goes past my back lol.
Great video! Getting advice from past bowling champions is a great way to educate and grow this sport. There are a lot of moving parts to consider to elevate one's game. Armswing is definitely one of them. Hips, shoulder, elbow, and hand positions would be things to consider for future videos. Thanks for this educational platform. I wish they had this stuff 41 years ago when I started bowling.
These drills and video have been incredibly helpful for me. I was super tight and couldn't really figure out how to use my balance arm until I started using these drills. Thanks!
I can't help but notice, everytime he swings, he keeps his right foot quite straight. He always closes his shoulder on the front swing. The swing isn't completely effortless, after all. Closing the shoulder is all that is really needed during the rocking motion. Closing your shoulder while keeping your elbow positioned where you want it is so important. Plus bonus points if you already know exactly how you are stepping up to the lane
Letting the ball fall with gravity sounds easy but it's more about overcoming the mental aspect of throwing the ball vrs. letting the ball do the work !!
Mike Machuga still has that skill set and knowledge as a great bowler who could dominate on the PBA50 tour, if he is participating. Thanks for a refreshening.
There's no mention of his crossover step, which makes a straight swing possible, and his normal backswing is higher than his waist-level push away, which means he must be muscling the ball up to that height and not letting it just naturally swing by its own weight.
The reason the backswing is higher is because of the lateral tilt of his torso. He is upright at the push away. He is not upright at the height of the backswing. Do this - hold your arm out in front of you while standing upright... now while standing upright, extend that same arm behind you at the same height... then tilt your body forward including the extended arm behind you. Your arm will be higher. No muscling necessary.
@@draymondrob4818 Of course, you're right as far as what you said, but watching him at 1:41, it still looks to me like he goes beyond that. He bends forward only a little bit, which should raise his backswing only to parallel to the floor. Compare this to 3:00, where his free swing does stop parallel, and the effort-added swing goes higher. The rocking drill at 4:40 shows the same thing. It's only slightly higher - no big deal. Thanks.
Make your own YT channel and explain how the great pros make all those horrible mistakes and yet still are way better than amateurs. Your expert analysis would be interesting.
Dang, this has to be the FIRST time I've kinda disagreed with the content of this channel. Not every bowler can "drop" or "fall" into the swing like that and produce optimal angles to the rack. Bowling at a high level these days requires athleticism AND balance. Which means you need to know how your anatomy creates a swing. Being "balanced" and "keeping the shoulders square" and "having a smooth swing" and "keeping your slide foot straight" was fantastic in 1977 when the most aggressive ball out there was urethane stuff and leaving the 5 pin was just as common as leaving corners. Not so much nowadays. Nowadays it is ALL about being athletic, optimizing angles, and knowing how to produce that with little effort. Ok so I used to let my ball "fall" into the swing just like this. Kept the ball out in front of me and tried to be as "smooth" as possible. The result? An RPM rate of...about 175 lol. And that was WITH me being as fast as I could with my wrist. As slow as I could with my feet. Needless to say I was super DUPER speed dominant. And news flash, unless you're Liz Johnson and have bowled for 40+ years at a super high level and know EXACTLY what you need to do to score big as a speed dominant bowler, speed dominant bowlers can't even produce a 205+ average on a house shot these days, too much oil out there. So last year I tried something different. Tried holding my ball at my hip, going WAY above the bar on the push away. A little faster with my feet. The result? RPMs in the low 300s with next to no effort. Decent axis tilt too, about 30 to 45 degrees. Was STILL speed dominant tho (speed was in the 18mph range). Threw it like Sam Cooley if anyone's familiar with him. Then THIS year I applied that to my two handed game. Which I've been dabbling with over the last decade and decided to take the plunge in this year. And now my RPMs are in the high 400s and ball speed still around 15Mph. And I SPRINT to the foul line after that second step. Combination of Simo and Kyle Troup to give anyone an idea. And guess what? Some of my best shots actually happen when I fall out of the shot and lose my "balance at the line." Why? Cuz I'm more athletic that way. Generates more power. This is just how the sport is evolving. Sorry not sorry. I like this channel and Machuga is one of the best pros of the 00s and early 10s. But the "golden" arm swing isn't achieved just by copying him. It's achieved by knowing how your anatomy creates a powerful and athletic swing that uses the least amount of effort.
let me preface this comment with saying machuga is obviously a great bowler. hes on another level that almost none of us will ever be on. Now after saying that, if you say something like golden arm swing in 2023, its not machuga. theres a reason he and many other top tier bowlers arent relevant on the tour anymore. reserve the term "golden bowling arm swing" for the modern day players that are dominating the tour AKA power players. show bowlers how to get on the inside of the ball, release it at their ankle, bend and snap the wrist and elbow at release, or just make it simple and tell them to throw it two handed. tell me where im wrong if i am, this isnt a hostile post. lets be honest here though.. this arm swing was golden 20 years ago
