Can the release be something that happens naturally?

[Hammer]

When my forward swing starts the only thing I am focused on is to let the ball fall on it's own and to feel my index finger staying behind the ball as long as possible. When my thumb comes out of the ball my hand automatically makes a little turn to start the revs on the ball. I don't have to think of doing it it just seems to happen on it's own. Does anyone else here have this happen on your release? There are probably some people that have to think about doing this. Some can't do it so they preset their hand and keep it that way through the release to put revs on the ball. I just have to feel my index finger staying behind the ball as long as possible and then my hand reaches a point where it turns on it's own. Maybe it is just muscle memory from doing this for years and I just never really thought about it until now.

[sprocket]

You're lucky. Maybe it's just the way my muscles and tendons are built, but it feels like there is pain and stress on my forearm and wrist if I rotate the ball out enough so that the weight is on my index finger. If the ball is in a comfortable position, I don't think I am quite behind it. Because of this I have to fight to play the "inside of the ball". I have to be aware of my tendency to come over the top of the ball and turn it early. I do overcome it but it requires thinking about what I do, which is never a good thing because I want the swing and release to be automatic.

[Perrin]

When I am bowling well I don't have to think about it .. It just happens .

Every now and again I get lazy and just kindof drop the ball on the lane and lose most of the revs. Usually just takes a mental reminder to follow through to get it back to normal.

[Hammer]

You're lucky. Maybe it's just the way my muscles and tendons are built, but it feels like there is pain and stress on my forearm and wrist if I rotate the ball out enough so that the weight is on my index finger. If the ball is in a comfortable position, I don't think I am quite behind it. Because of this I have to fight to play the "inside of the ball". I have to be aware of my tendency to come over the top of the ball and turn it early. I do overcome it but it requires thinking about what I do, which is never a good thing because I want the swing and release to be automatic.

If you want to see how far to turn your hand to keep it behind the ball extend your forearm in front of you and turn your hand so it faces the sky. You should be able to do this without pain in the forearm or elbow. If you do have pain you might have some kind of issue there. If that is the case you can get around that by pre-setting your hand in your setup. At first you can turn it a little and go further from there until you see what position works best to give you the hook you need. When you do pre-set you have to remember to keep the hand in that position all the way through the release and not change anything by turning it more through the release.

[billf]

When I let it happen naturally, whether pre-set or not, it hooks better than when I try to put more revs on the ball. Letting it come off the ends of my fingertips is a different matter ;)

[jbeck]

Wish mine felt natural...but if I don't feel like I'm actually forcing a turn, my ball won't hook. Maybe because I'm still new to it. I've tried lately to play inside and feel my wrist turn in order to get more consistent revs and hook, otherwise I either hook to early or not at all if I play outside in which I have to be precise. I've pretty much plateaued playing outside.

[Greenday]

I have a very smooth natural release. That was before my lessons. Now I have a smooth approach, just working on a free arm swing and releasing the ball later in my swing.

[Hammer]

If you want to see if your hand will turn naturally try this. Sit in a chair and tilt your upper body a little to your bowling arm side. Next with your arm hanging relaxed next to you face your palm forward and while swinging your arm back and forth try to keep your palm forward and don't let it turn. Now keeping your arm relaxed swing
it back and forth and let your hand to whatever it will do on the forward swing and when your hand reaches the top of the forward swing look at your hand. If it turned from palm forward to a little to the inside you have a natural release move that has enough turn in the hand through the release to make the ball hook nicely. When I do this drill I can feel it in my forearm that on the forward swing my hand wants to turn a little to the inside which would be through the release area when throwing a ball. The key is to leave your arm relaxed. If it is tense your hand will not turn. That is why when you are swinging a bowling ball the key is to keep a relaxed arm so the mechanics of the swing will work like they are supposed to.

[MisterSinister]

My latest delivery is not natural. I had to work hard at it. However, I've bowled so many games with it, it is no longer forced, and is now second nature. I had the help of a great coach. He really helped me get my arm swing loose, and helped get my footwork better, and helped get my hand in a consostant position over and over. I actualy tried my old delivery last week, and nearly dropped the ball on my foot.

[Tampabaybob]

having a natural hand position is something many people wish for. Some people literally have to constantly remind themselves to do it until it becomes muscle memory. That takes many, many years of practice and hundreds upon hundreds of games. Good practice and a constant awareness of what's happening during your swing helps someone get there sooner than someone who isn't aware.

One other thing; if you are experiencing some sort of pain in your elbow, chef to see if the inside of your elbow faces the pins all the way through your delivery. That should ease it.

Bob

[jbeck]

I'm trying a Vise Grip 3 wrist support once it gets to me. I can't seem to get enough axis rotation unless I force it by really cupping my wrist in the backswing...my ball doesn't seem to hook much without it. It's almost frustrating to see my ball go straight a lot. Maybe a new ball? I don't know...wrist support is less expensive. My wrist turns naturally but not enough to rotate the ball much.

[Hammer]

jbeck- if you want the ball to get revs on it at your release you have to make sure that your fingers stay bent in the finger holes at release to put spin on the ball. You might have the urge to straighten them to get the ball off your hand but this is wrong. On release you will feel the ball pulling on your fingertips when the thumb comes out. This is the feeling you should have. In practice you can concentrate on gripping the ball with your fingertips and keep gripping all the way through the release of the ball. Also keep a straight wrist and don't let it bend backwards on your forward swing. What might make your wrist bend backwards on the forward swing is if you muscle the ball from the top of the backswing through the release. The weight of the ball will become too much and will cause this. Let gravity pull the ball down and have a relaxed arm. Tight arm muscles will keep the mechanics of the swing from working right. So keep gripping the ball with your two fingers until the ball is off your hand and then you can relax them as you are watching your ball spinning towards the pins.

[Tampabaybob]

jbeck....Hammer makes a good point. When I see some of my kids on the league babying the ball I tell them to squeeze, just a little, with their fingers. Some people will disagree with this technique, but I've found it's the easiest way to get bowlers out of the "lazy release". I also , as Hammer agrees, explain about gravity taking the ball all the way to the point of release. I explain this point of release as your "explosion" point. This is where, if you're going to use any muscle tension at all, is where you want to have the most effort. And then continue with a good follow through. It seems to work for those that do very little to the ball at the point of release.

Bob

[GeoLes]

The last half hour of Monday night practice produced a ball with lost snap in the back end. It seems that as I fatigue mentally, I lose the "lift" in my release, as the fingers and wrist become lazy. So no. Release is not always effortless. Sometimes you have to really focus to keep it even when you think that you have it. - At least I have to.

[jbeck]

I'm going to try this today when I bowl.

[GeoLes]

In private practice, I use isolatiion followed by integration to work on that. I assume final slide position, release and simply swing while observing how the ball leaves my hand at the foul line, not caring where it goes down lane. As long as the revs are consistentm the ball should slide to the end of the oil and turn into the gutter. I then roll normally and see the effect.

[jbeck]

jbeck....Hammer makes a good point. When I see some of my kids on the league babying the ball I tell them to squeeze, just a little, with their fingers. Some people will disagree with this technique, but I've found it's the easiest way to get bowlers out of the "lazy release". I also , as Hammer agrees, explain about gravity taking the ball all the way to the point of release. I explain this point of release as your "explosion" point. This is where, if you're going to use any muscle tension at all, is where you want to have the most effort. And then continue with a good follow through. It seems to work for those that do very little to the ball at the point of release.

Bob

Well I had a good practice today! I made sure to keep my index finger behind the ball and a little pressure in my fingers. I managed to bowl two games over 150 (151, 161) in a 3 game series which was the first time I've done that all month! I also bowled more strikes today than I had all month, but the 3rd game I think the lanes were broken down and I couldn't find the pocket to save my life on the left lane. It messed with me mentally to where I couldn't even knock down any spares, so I ended up with a 106 the last game. I felt I needed a more aggressive ball on that left lane cause it just wouldn't hook back to the pocket...it was fine on the the right, but my mechanics were off as well. I also learned to just let gravity drop the my swing while I exploded on release. I'd never seen my ball hook so beautifully. Dang last game! I'm still happy with what I got though and felt motivated to keep it up.

[jbeck]

Another good practice with 2 games over 150! I think I've found my stroke...just gotta get those spares and stay consistent.

[billf]

I've been thinking about this lately. A stroker release seems to come more naturally. The cranker is a more learned release. Just my opinion though.

[e-tank]

@jBeck where do you normally bowl at in SD?

[jbeck]

I bowl on N. Island Base or 32nd street base. What about you?

[e-tank]

Ah military man. How are the prices there? Me and the gf were about to go to the alley and the shop on 3nd street

[jbeck]

Prices are really good I think. $1.75 a game during the day and about $3.25 during the evenings. Mondays I bowl free between 11am and 1pm, plus $1 games all day Mondays after 3pm. I usually get coupon discounts as well because I'm a regular. N. Island lanes are better than 32nd street, but the approach lanes at 32nd street are well taken care of because most leagues are held there. I waited too late to join a league, so I'm practicing for the next.

[jbeck]

:DOn a another note I bowled my highest game of a 182! 8 pins above my previous high score. All thanks to this and other posts...I concentrated on staying behind the ball, pressure on my fingers a little, and powering through at the moment of release! This has been my best bowling week so far and I can see that 200 game coming pretty soon. About to go cosmic bowling with my son tonight, just for fun since I can't really see the arrows. I'm still gonna put some effort towards it though.

[Perrin]

:DOn a another note I bowled my highest game of a 182! 8 pins above my previous high score. All thanks to this and other posts...I concentrated on staying behind the ball, pressure on my fingers a little, and powering through at the moment of release! This has been my best bowling week so far and I can see that 200 game coming pretty soon. About to go cosmic bowling with my son tonight, just for fun since I can't really see the arrows. I'm still gonna put some effort towards it though.

Great job. always nice to hear about someone finding their swing.

[Tampabaybob]

:DOn a another note I bowled my highest game of a 182! 8 pins above my previous high score. All thanks to this and other posts...I concentrated on staying behind the ball, pressure on my fingers a little, and powering through at the moment of release! This has been my best bowling week so far and I can see that 200 game coming pretty soon. About to go cosmic bowling with my son tonight, just for fun since I can't really see the arrows. I'm still gonna put some effort towards it though.

Good game. Now that you've shot one, think about how you were positioned, how clear your mind was and what the ball was doing at the end of the lane. All of these things need to take place mentally as you're bowling. This game is fun and then you improve. When you improve many more things come into play and it becomes much more of a mental game, as well as physical, and you start to think a little more about things you never thought about as a recreational bowler. Everybody wants to improve but only a small percentage really want to put the time and effort into it. It sounds like you want to get to that next level and I applaud you for that. Keep working on the finer points and that 200 game is right around the corner.

From your other thread, during that 3rd game, when the lane oil breaks down, you need to move to a different target. One thing I teach, is if you start leaving a 4 pin or if you leave a split, then the lane is changing. You then have to start moving your feet a couple of boards to the right or move your target further away from you. If that doesn't work, move your target two boards left and your feet 3 or 4 left (right hander). Try that next time when you see the ball coming up heavy on the head pin. Knowing when to move and doing it is a big part of the game of adjusting. Good luck and let us know how you're doing. Also if you can post a video, that would help us help you as well.

Bob

[jbeck]

Good game. Now that you've shot one, think about how you were positioned, how clear your mind was and what the ball was doing at the end of the lane. All of these things need to take place mentally as you're bowling. This game is fun and then you improve. When you improve many more things come into play and it becomes much more of a mental game, as well as physical, and you start to think a little more about things you never thought about as a recreational bowler. Everybody wants to improve but only a small percentage really want to put the time and effort into it. It sounds like you want to get to that next level and I applaud you for that. Keep working on the finer points and that 200 game is right around the corner.

From your other thread, during that 3rd game, when the lane oil breaks down, you need to move to a different target. One thing I teach, is if you start leaving a 4 pin or if you leave a split, then the lane is changing. You then have to start moving your feet a couple of boards to the right or move your target further away from you. If that doesn't work, move your target two boards left and your feet 3 or 4 left (right hander). Try that next time when you see the ball coming up heavy on the head pin. Knowing when to move and doing it is a big part of the game of adjusting. Good luck and let us know how you're doing. Also if you can post a video, that would help us help you as well.

Bob
Thanks! Yes I know I have to work on my mental game...I usually start thinking to much after I hit 3 in a row. Most of the time though I leave a lot of 5, 8, or 9 pins, which I think maybe to my ball only being 13 pounds. I'll probably go to a 14 the next time I can afford a ball.

[Tampabaybob]

Definitely go to at least a heavy 14 or a light 15. It makes a difference, especially because many of the ball companies put a generic core inside the 13 lb balls and below. The core helps the ball to gain much more power to hit the pins. And remember...you're throwing a 13 # ball at 35+#'s of wood. That's why your leaving those pins; the ball is deflecting off of the pocket. Also if you're not throwing a fingertip ball, get your next one drilled that way. It will help get more rotation/roll on the ball.

Bob

[Hammer]

I agree with Tampabaybob to go to a 14# ball and a fingertip drilling. The ball will carry the pins better and it will be easier to learn to put revs on the ball. And I agree with billf that a stroker release is more natural and a cranker is more of a learned release. I think that I use to be a stroker but I think I got to a tweener level a while back. I seem to get a lot better revs on the ball. I belly the ball out a lot and very seldom am I straight down the boards.