Watch Your Bowling On A DVD

Have you ever watched a video or DVD of yourself bowling on TV? Have you ever captured video of your game and used it as a practice tool?
If not and if your are serious about improving your game, maybe getting a few deliveries on a DVD and replaying the disc might be a benefit in sharpening your technique. This way you can watch yourself taking an approach from two or three key camera angles.
If you do not have a camcorder, try to ask a friend who does if you can use the device to capture video of your game for self-coaching purposes.
It helps to have someone with knowledge of using a camcorder and who has a steady hand when recording to help you get several camera angles, with perhaps three deliveries from each angle for analysis purposes.
If you only use two camera angles, first get shots from directly behind your armswing between belt high and a shoulder high level. This level will capture your entire body moving to the foul line.
From the rear view, watch your feet and the direction you walk to the line. If you normally rely on a perfectly straight line walking path, make certain your are not deviating from that path.
If you walk left (right handed bowler - opposite for left handed bowlers), check that your walking path drifts left the same number of boards each delivery. Consistency is the name of the game.
The behind camera angle helps you analyze your footwork walking path, your swing path, and how close your swing is to your body on the critical forward swing motion.
Next, get a couple of deliveries from a side view where your entire body is captured in the video. The person recording your video must follow your movement to the foul line from the side view angle.
The side angle view helps you monitor your timing sequence, your posture as you walk to the foul line, the moment your bowling hand exits your bowling ball relative to your sliding bowling shoe, and your entire swing cycle including your follow-through motion.
If you get permission from bowling center management, a third camera angle from 15 feet beyond the foul line with the person using the camcorder standing on the gutter caps filming about knee level will work nicely.
This front view angle serves to help you zoom in on your release, how close to your bowling ankle is the inside edge of the bowling ball as it passes your sliding bowling shoe, and if your sliding shoe moves to the center of your body for solid balance purposes.
It helps to have an experienced bowling instructor help you analyze your game on video. If you do not have access to an instructor or if you wish to self-coach and make your own decisions about your game, there are a couple of key focal points from each camera angle.
From the rear view, watch your swing path and walking path. Make sure your swing does not bounce out away from your body on your forward swing, causing shots pulled inside your intended target path. Make certain you do not rotate the ball early causing there to be more than one inch of space between the inside edge of your ball and your sliding ankle.
From the side camera view, make certain that your are not late with timing by beginning your swing later than you should, or that you are holding your ball in front of you after your push-away motion and not allowing it to swiftly fall into the backswing cycle while you continue walking to the line, for example.

From the side view, you can also monitor your posture and general body position during your approach. You can quickly see if you are thrusting your upper body too far forward before releasing your ball. You can see if you are bouncing while walking to the foul line. You can see if you retain knee flex with each step to the line.
Capturing video of your game can be a useful training aid. Be careful to not over-rely on video to guide the mechanics of your game unless you are positive you understand the important keys of your physical game.
If you have never seen yourself bowl, you might be surprised how what you feel might be very different than what the camera sees.
If you are serious about making improvements in your game, consult a bowling instructor and record videos of your game for analysis purposes. Practice and training sessions can be fun and you actually can see yourself making progress.