Staying Behind the Ball

[Greenday]

I've been having trouble with this. My wrist is usually cocked back and I'm on top of the ball. As a result, my ball rolls out too early and loses all of its energy. Also, the tracks of oil sometimes even run over my thumb hole.

Today, this has been rectified. My coach and I spent an hour on this. I'm not amazing, but my oil tracks have moved to being medium instead of high and I'm getting amazing length and hitting with power. It's freaking fantastic. Crushing the pocket. Should make a huge difference and with the extra pin action, a lot less pins standing.

[coachkapps]

That's awesome to hear. Amazing how a little change can make a big difference. Makes the game so much fun.

[Hammer]

To keep your wrist straight or a little cupped you grip the ball with your ring and middle finger and the index and pinkie finger press into the ball to help out. The thumb does nothing but grip lightly with it's entire length and not with the thumb's pad at the tip of it. Gripping with the thumb's pad will raise the thumb knuckle and will keep the thumb from coming out quickly as it nears the release. This will cause a pulled shot and effect accuracy.

[Greenday]

What's worked for me is focusing on only my ring finger. I apply pressure when I grip and its position is the only one I think about when I throw. The more you think about, the less focus you have, the worse you do. By just keeping it simple, I learn my new techniques much faster.

[striker12]

i have had resently a hard time staying behind the ball my self it seems that at the top of my backswing my wrist is uncocking and putting my hand on the top of the ball and then at the release my hand barly gets behind the ball so im working on improving this but im doing alot of 1 step drills to help out and also help with the arm swing.

i dont even get under the ball and i can still create alot of revs and when i use to beable get my hand under the ball i had alot of revs so i want all my revs back

[v33dubfox]

I have always had problems with that. When I release the ball, I turn my hand too early so that it is on the side of the ball instead of behind. Because of that, I don't get a lot of revs, and the ball flares very high, near the thumb and near the fingers. I am working hard on that but it is not that easy because of what we call "muscle memory". I play bowling for around 15 year now and I had never had a coach to teach me how to release correctly the ball. Do you think that I can still "overcome" that problem after all that time throwing "the wrong way"? I have around 205 average. Do you think that changing my release can help me improve that average?

[J Anderson]

I have around 205 average. Do you think that changing my release can help me improve that average?

If you don't change anything, will you improve?

[Tampabaybob]

I have always had problems with that. When I release the ball, I turn my hand too early so that it is on the side of the ball instead of behind. Because of that, I don't get a lot of revs, and the ball flares very high, near the thumb and near the fingers. I am working hard on that but it is not that easy because of what we call "muscle memory". I play bowling for around 15 year now and I had never had a coach to teach me how to release correctly the ball. Do you think that I can still "overcome" that problem after all that time throwing "the wrong way"? I have around 205 average. Do you think that changing my release can help me improve that average?

The more you improve in this game the harder it actually becomes to improve. Let me explain. Small changes, such as hand positions, pressure on your index or ring finger can make differences that seem small but will help you carry those 2 or 3 extra strikes per game. When you get to this higher level the mental game also kicks in more and awareness of small details becomes increasingly important.

You mention that you have a problem with your rotating your hand too early. Try this....kneel at the line, swinging your ball and watching your hand position in the back swing. Don't try to throw the ball hard with a high back swing, because the purpose of this drill is to "SEE AND FEEL" your hand in the position you want it to be in. Throw a few like this then try it with your full approach. Do it again if necessary until you get the same feel with a full approach. When you can feel your hand position all the way through your swing (without really thinking about it) then you should be able to maintain doing that as a normal routine.

Also, I agree with Greenday about the pressure on one finger. I started putting pressure (a small amount) on my index finger and pointing at my target a while back. That helps direct the ball, keeps my thumb on the outside of the ball, and gives me a good roll and rotation. Try this also, it's easy and I think it helps. Good luck let us know how you're doing.

Bob

[v33dubfox]

Thanks for these advices. I will try that during practice this week and let you know.