Some individuals naturally tend to bend their arm during the bowling swing. One prominent example is Don Carter, a respected bowler and trailblazer in the PBA. Many bowlers have a unique aspect to their technique; the crucial factor is consistently replicating their shots.
The 'flat spot' is the place on the downswing where you first load the swing (cupped wrist, bent arm) and then unload at release (broken wrist, straight arm). It looks like a flat spot because the ball doesn't swing down like a pendulum, but its path goes straight towards the release point. It would be a cool vid!
I know someone explained it for the 1 handed version so I’ll expand and give you the 2-handed version aswell cause they are seperate. For 2-handers, the point at which they get their elbow extended is the start. The span of time at which the swing and the movement of the ball is completely the same is the flat spot, it then ends when the wrist unloads at the bottom of the swing.
It's always a two-edge sword loading up at the top of the swing. At one instance, it feels you have better chance to hit the ball at the bottom. In another instance, it feels you have to rush at the bottom due to a shortened arm swing. My guess is that missing the ball at the bottom has transitioned you to loading the release at the top, especially when keeping your rev rate consistent is imperative. Not loading at the top opens up timing a lot, but requires you to not pull down at the downswing. That longer 'flat spot' happens from going neutral at the top and then loading on the downswing. Not pulling down on the downswing allows you to be able manipulate your release however you'd like. Comparing your swing from 2021 to your swing now, you had more hang time at the top in 2021. I've been messing around with this in my game with keeping a more neutral position at the top and then having time to load up on the downswing. Lots of recording progress and analyzing my game. Took some days to get used to it, but it feels great and I have a more consistent release! Timing-wise, you referenced EJ Tackett and AJ Johnson in your video, who have 'late' timing referring to Mark Baker's timing of a above parallel backswing when the slide foot is flat. Yours is the same as theirs. I really appreciate your determination for fixing your swing. We're rooting for you!!
I've tried and I've tried and i cannot figure out how to cup the wrist and get under it anywhere else but at the apex of the swing coming down. Seems like most pros start bending their elbow and loading the wrist around 45 degrees.
Watching your older clips in this video, your hand seems to more “under” the ball on your pushaway. The current swing seems to get more behind the ball earlier which I feel creates a smaller swing arc maybe? Hand more under it at pushaway seems to create longer swing arc…I could be wayyyyy off base tho. Hard to tell without side shot
What do you mean exactly by a "long swing"? I could imagine it means a higher backswing but I'm not sure as the height* of your backswing didn't change much
He's referring to his swing plane. So think about it like this. If you were to picture a swing, which one of these is more ideal, one shaped more like a "U" or one more shaped like a "V"? Of course you would want the "U" because the window to get the ball off your hand at the right time is longer. The "V" shaped arm swing gives you just an instant at the bottom of the swing to release the ball properly. So a longer swing really means a rounder, less steep swing which is mandatory to be consistent.
I understand what you mean by long swing but is a long swing always a high swing? My swing is pretty low it gets to my head but if I’m trying to become the best bowler I could be does height=length or can I have a shorter swing but still get that length
I believe he's referring to a longer/straighter arm swing, i.e. longer radius of the swing. That gives the ball the highest momentum at the bottom of the swing.
What my eye is seeing has more to do with shoulder rotation and arm extension. If you only think of arm length from the shoulder on, you might miss this. I know you have a great analytical eye and will get it figured out, but when you bend your elbow the most, it seems to be because you aren't allowing your shoulder to open up appropriately. That being said, it doesn't look like what it feels like, and it doesn't feel like what it looks like, and there will always be way too many people (me included) who will offer up useless observations. When I think of length.. I am not a tall guy, I want the longest lever arm possible to generate down lane speed. If I square my shoulders too early and pull through on the wrong plane, my lever is only from my shoulder and my arm is too short to do any good. On the other hand, if I think of my lever arm starting in the middle of my spine and extending through my hand, and I allow my shoulder to open and pass under my chin instead of rotating my shoulder around in the wrong plane, I have a much longer lever arm and then only need a slight bit of flex at the bottom on release to get revs. It also makes my laydown at the line much more consistent and accurate. But.. you do you. You are much better than me even with your B game.
I was going through a point where I couldn't score a few months ago. 95% on spares and a high series of 625. What was happening was my elbow would flare way too much. it was the first thing about you that I noticed when I started watching. I've been tempted to comment you should try to straighten your arm at the top of the swing but you're better than me so I just kept quiet. Hope you can fix things and keep winning. Hope to see you on more TV shows soon.
Mikey, I have been watching your last few tournaments. I agree it is your swing as well as your timing. You have late timing, and when you bowled in grand rapids mi on the 45-foot pattern, that is when I noticed it the most. Your hesitation at the top of the swing is causing that timing. The next time you practice at Signature lanes in elkhart in, and get with Ralph at Ralphs Pro Shop and ask him to take a look and evaluate your timing and swing. Other than that, I can see that your strongest playing deep inside.
Your elbow has always been bent. That was something that you'd eventually have to fix if you want to become a serious contender. No top one handed bowler has a bent elbow at the top.
Love the honesty. You drift alot.
Some individuals naturally tend to bend their arm during the bowling swing.
One prominent example is Don Carter, a respected bowler and trailblazer in the PBA.
Many bowlers have a unique aspect to their technique; the crucial factor is consistently replicating their shots.
That makes complete sense to me Mike!🤙🏿🤙🏿
Great video!
Great vid
I understand the long swing part, but the "flat spot" has me confused. Can we get a video explaining that?
The 'flat spot' is the place on the downswing where you first load the swing (cupped wrist, bent arm) and then unload at release (broken wrist, straight arm). It looks like a flat spot because the ball doesn't swing down like a pendulum, but its path goes straight towards the release point. It would be a cool vid!
@@theusaspiras thanks for the clarification. This makes perfect sense now.
I know someone explained it for the 1 handed version so I’ll expand and give you the 2-handed version aswell cause they are seperate. For 2-handers, the point at which they get their elbow extended is the start. The span of time at which the swing and the movement of the ball is completely the same is the flat spot, it then ends when the wrist unloads at the bottom of the swing.
It's always a two-edge sword loading up at the top of the swing. At one instance, it feels you have better chance to hit the ball at the bottom. In another instance, it feels you have to rush at the bottom due to a shortened arm swing. My guess is that missing the ball at the bottom has transitioned you to loading the release at the top, especially when keeping your rev rate consistent is imperative. Not loading at the top opens up timing a lot, but requires you to not pull down at the downswing. That longer 'flat spot' happens from going neutral at the top and then loading on the downswing. Not pulling down on the downswing allows you to be able manipulate your release however you'd like. Comparing your swing from 2021 to your swing now, you had more hang time at the top in 2021.
I've been messing around with this in my game with keeping a more neutral position at the top and then having time to load up on the downswing. Lots of recording progress and analyzing my game. Took some days to get used to it, but it feels great and I have a more consistent release!
Timing-wise, you referenced EJ Tackett and AJ Johnson in your video, who have 'late' timing referring to Mark Baker's timing of a above parallel backswing when the slide foot is flat. Yours is the same as theirs.
I really appreciate your determination for fixing your swing. We're rooting for you!!
I've tried and I've tried and i cannot figure out how to cup the wrist and get under it anywhere else but at the apex of the swing coming down. Seems like most pros start bending their elbow and loading the wrist around 45 degrees.
Do you coach bc I need one and you sound like you know what your talking about?
So, do we get a video showing how you are going to change your swing? 😁😁
i have the same issue right now. idk where my bent elbow comes from. im also trying to fix it.
Can you do a video on how you yo yo it
hey michael just got a question, what is a flat spot your talking about?
When’s the new break 700 episode coming out Mikey?
Watching your older clips in this video, your hand seems to more “under” the ball on your pushaway. The current swing seems to get more behind the ball earlier which I feel creates a smaller swing arc maybe? Hand more under it at pushaway seems to create longer swing arc…I could be wayyyyy off base tho. Hard to tell without side shot
What do you mean exactly by a "long swing"? I could imagine it means a higher backswing but I'm not sure as the height* of your backswing didn't change much
He's referring to his swing plane. So think about it like this. If you were to picture a swing, which one of these is more ideal, one shaped more like a "U" or one more shaped like a "V"? Of course you would want the "U" because the window to get the ball off your hand at the right time is longer. The "V" shaped arm swing gives you just an instant at the bottom of the swing to release the ball properly. So a longer swing really means a rounder, less steep swing which is mandatory to be consistent.
I understand what you mean by long swing but is a long swing always a high swing? My swing is pretty low it gets to my head but if I’m trying to become the best bowler I could be does height=length or can I have a shorter swing but still get that length
I believe he's referring to a longer/straighter arm swing, i.e. longer radius of the swing. That gives the ball the highest momentum at the bottom of the swing.
What my eye is seeing has more to do with shoulder rotation and arm extension. If you only think of arm length from the shoulder on, you might miss this. I know you have a great analytical eye and will get it figured out, but when you bend your elbow the most, it seems to be because you aren't allowing your shoulder to open up appropriately. That being said, it doesn't look like what it feels like, and it doesn't feel like what it looks like, and there will always be way too many people (me included) who will offer up useless observations. When I think of length.. I am not a tall guy, I want the longest lever arm possible to generate down lane speed. If I square my shoulders too early and pull through on the wrong plane, my lever is only from my shoulder and my arm is too short to do any good. On the other hand, if I think of my lever arm starting in the middle of my spine and extending through my hand, and I allow my shoulder to open and pass under my chin instead of rotating my shoulder around in the wrong plane, I have a much longer lever arm and then only need a slight bit of flex at the bottom on release to get revs. It also makes my laydown at the line much more consistent and accurate. But.. you do you. You are much better than me even with your B game.
I don’t know, I think it might be your haircut!
Your "long" swing looks significantly less tense. The bent elbow "short" swing has appeared tense and really difficult to repeat.
I was going through a point where I couldn't score a few months ago. 95% on spares and a high series of 625. What was happening was my elbow would flare way too much. it was the first thing about you that I noticed when I started watching. I've been tempted to comment you should try to straighten your arm at the top of the swing but you're better than me so I just kept quiet. Hope you can fix things and keep winning. Hope to see you on more TV shows soon.
Mikey, I have been watching your last few tournaments. I agree it is your swing as well as your timing. You have late timing, and when you bowled in grand rapids mi on the 45-foot pattern, that is when I noticed it the most. Your hesitation at the top of the swing is causing that timing. The next time you practice at Signature lanes in elkhart in, and get with Ralph at Ralphs Pro Shop and ask him to take a look and evaluate your timing and swing. Other than that, I can see that your strongest playing deep inside.
You definitely need to figure this out. It looks like your rev rate has dropped under 700.
Your elbow has always been bent. That was something that you'd eventually have to fix if you want to become a serious contender. No top one handed bowler has a bent elbow at the top.