Topic: Learning Lateral speed on the front pin toss

[IndyGunworks]

I am fairly new to the game, probably good enough for the rookie level.  I have a decent snake shot when its going, but i never truly feel like i have full control of the ball.  I have been playing around w/ the euro front pin and i REALLY like the control, but i always shoot wide.  I am not sure why.  Even when i train super slow i shoot wide about 50 percent of the time (only pull side for now)  Anybody have any tips for learning the toss?   I have good recoil and i can see i am not spraying the ball, but its always about half or 3/4 of a ball wide.  when it does go in it banks off the side post.

[snake eyes]

My buddy shoots the shot well here's the key, use a very very light grip while in motion to pull or push toss and heavy grip in final execution. He can hit one dot square both sides but real difficult to shoot straight. Snake

[IndyGunworks]

I shoot the straight open handed spinning the rod and cathing it before it goes 360 after striking the ball.... super easy and incredibly quick.   after about 4 hours i have an unraceable pull 1 dot, and far shot square.  I have to work on my cutback shot, and spray, but pull side is giving me trouble.  i ALWAYS shoot wide if i do any more than roll the ball w/ a snails pace which would be easy to defend.  I have no idea how to learn the push, its pretty frustrating. 

I played for 14 hours yesterday and am loving the front pin.  I would not have been able to shoot the snake or pull for that length of time and been able to keep any degree of consistancy because of how tired i was.  I made a few shots picking a hole and closing my eyes to see if i could hit it w/out watching, it was kinda fun, but because i dont have a push side and everyone knows it, i have to pick one of two holes to shoot while setting the ball up left of center.

any tips for the push side?

[Malamir]

You're not the only one who find it hard to do the pinshot push side. 
It has something to do with the bio-mechanics of the hand. Instinctively when you do the push motion your hand does the "move up" motion. Just keep an eye on the mans legs -- they go up at the end of the pushing motion. But when you do the pull motion your hand goes the "move down" motion (legs go down). That's why for pinshooters it's easier to do the pull than the push. And for the snake shooters it's easier to do the push than the pull.

So when you are practicing the push side front-pin watch the men legs and put some effort to overcome the bio-mechanics. I was trying to "curve-down" the ball at first because it was feeling weird. But few months later I do the push without any trouble.

Just make sure when you do push for 1 ball distance that at the end of the push the mans legs are behind the ball and not 1 inch over the ball

[Malamir]

Indy, I guess you already have figured it out but still...
The main difference between the snake and the euro pin is where you pin/pinch the ball. When shooting the snake you can pin the ball slightly back. While when you shoot the euro - then make sure you pinch the ball closer to the goal (as close as you can). This will give you less spray when shooting.

[garabdorje]

In my case it is completely the other way around, my push shot came natural. I just recently (after 18 months) manage to understand the motion for the push shot. First I observed my push shot and I tried to translate the same motion to the push shot, and it was very difficult, I always ended spraying the shot wide. I had to completely change my grip, after that I had to make some minor adjustments for my push shot to work again. But I now have a consistent euro/front pin shot to either side and a very strong long push shot that I can shot long, middle, near and diagonally. I tried and tried until I gave up to do the same thing from pull position.

I just cant seem to shot a long pull, I cannot translate the lateral motion to the ball. It is always to slow.

By the way mi OCD would let me have a different pull shot from my push. I notice that almost everyone makes a pull shot without the recoil motion. Even watching this tutorial didn't help xD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T28Mie2Zb0

I just had to have a pull shot with a recoil motion as with my push. xD

As for the advice: you need to have a relax grip on the handle, only when you are actually tossing the ball is the hand tense. Usually to be able to have a quick lateral motion you need to lift the rod a bit, that way the rod will bend in a slight "U" shape that will translate all you strength and motion to the ball and you will be able to have a quicker toss. 

I hope my advise can be of help.

Good luck!