I do have a natural release....

[Hammer]

I had a previous post saying can a release be natural for some people. Well on league night tonight I came to the conclusion that mine is a natural release. What has to happen for me is on the forward swing I have to think about keeping my hand behind the ball until my hand reaches my sliding foot. After that happens I don't have to think about turning my hand suddenly to put revs on the ball. For some reason my hand wants to turn on it's own as soon as it reaches my sliding foot. I do have to think about keeping my hand behind the ball until the right time. That part isn't natural. So tonight I had no problems putting good revs on the ball. I just like the fact that I don't have to think about turning my hand at the right time to get the revs going. To prove this fact not one time did I forget to turn my hand and have a straight ball on release. I did have a few times where I kept my hand behind the ball a little too long and the ball bellyed out to close to the gutter but came back to the pocket. I stayed on the approach with the toe of my sliding foot on the center dot just about the whole night. I am just glad that not having to think about turning my hand at the right time is a plus in my book. In my approach I just concentrate on keeping my hand behind the ball as long as possible and letting everything else after that happen on it's
own. I am glad that it comes naturally for me. It's one less thing to think about. The ball I used tonight was a urethane Blue Hammer.

[Tampabaybob]

Hammer, what you're referring to is muscle memory. Even the pros have to FOCUS on certain aspects of their approach from time to time. They just make it look easy. But you have to remember that some of these guys practice 100 games or more a week when they're not at a tournament. That's where the body "learns" the muscle memory. Not many people can afford to shoot that many games a week, nor can we take the time, but regular practice with total concentration and focus will eventually get you to the point where you won't have to concentrate so hard on your staying under the ball. It'll just come naturally. Good luck.

[Hammer]

I guess bowling 26 years with a fingertip ball had something to do with that. There was a time when I would turn early before the release and my ball would be a foot away from my sliding foot on my release. Being on this site made me more aware of staying behind the ball up to the release and making my swing get close to my sliding foot for more leverage on the ball. I am glad that I decided to take a look at this forum thanks to talkbowling.com. A lot of good stuff to be learned here. And I have a chance to win a bowling ball to boot.

[GeoLes]

It is muscle memory. I have experienced it myself. I learned from a coach to play different pins from the same location and through the same mark by simply varying the release. natural handshake release for moderate break: wrap-around-release(for lack of a better term) for an agressiver break; relaxed open-palm release for smaller break (it works well on practice during the day on dry lanes), and flat release with weight block locked out over the index finger for a flat ball. Everything else about my delivery remains exactly the same. It makes bowling so simple. Set the wrist, walk to your mark, release the ball.

I practice the releases at home with a soft basketball against a wall. No backswing, just set the grip, swing forward and watch the effect as the ball leaves your hand.

It becomes very natrual and effortless.

[Tampabaybob]

Geo....good way to practice that at home. On bowling days, many times my wife asked what I was doing, when I was sitting in the chair swinging my arm and rotating my wrist (she's not a bowler). This helps, believe it or not, with that muscle memory, to just swing and release as though you have a ball in you hand. Hundreds if not thousands of times !

[GeoLes]

I do it at home with a bowling ball, gently releasing it into the couch cushions when the wife is not home.