Hammer
11-17-2013, 12:56 AM
I got this technique of a release off of the often mentioned YOUTUBE video called Analysis of the modern 10-pin bowling swing and release. I used everything in that video for my approach except one thing. If you watch this video you will see that the pros do something in their release that didn't sink into my head until watching the video recently. It is even shown in the video in slow motion. What the pros do in the video is if they have a cocked or cupped wrist during their swing they will uncock or uncup their wrist when they enter the release area. This shows up well in the video in slow motion. I was under the impression that if you cocked or cupped your wrist you left it that way through the release.
Tonight I tried the uncup the wrist through the release tonight and I couldn't believe the action I got on my Blue Hammer and my Raw Hammer Anger ball. The only thing I didn't change on the release was that I kept my fingertips bent like they are in the ball. The other thing I focused on was I opened up my shoulders on the backswing and kept my balance arm in front of me with the thumb down. What happened when I did this was on the backswing my hand would open up so my ball would be facing away from my body. On the video it is called playing the inside of the ball. I kept the hand on the inside of the ball until it got close to the release area at which point my hand would make a little turn to put revs on the ball as the ball came off the fingertips.
I found that using the hand inside the ball until the release kept me from turning my hand too early before the release. I thought that trying this on league night would not be a good idea. This should be done in practice first. But I thought what the heck, let her rip. I got more confident as the night went on and I got better at it. I was going to get my Blue Hammer plugged and redrilled with a new layout to give the ball more action that it seemed to need. But after tonight doing the uncup thing through the release the Blue had action that I thought I wouldn't see without a layout change. So tonight for me the UN did wonders for the action on both of my Hammer balls. Long live the UN. :cool:
Tonight I tried the uncup the wrist through the release tonight and I couldn't believe the action I got on my Blue Hammer and my Raw Hammer Anger ball. The only thing I didn't change on the release was that I kept my fingertips bent like they are in the ball. The other thing I focused on was I opened up my shoulders on the backswing and kept my balance arm in front of me with the thumb down. What happened when I did this was on the backswing my hand would open up so my ball would be facing away from my body. On the video it is called playing the inside of the ball. I kept the hand on the inside of the ball until it got close to the release area at which point my hand would make a little turn to put revs on the ball as the ball came off the fingertips.
I found that using the hand inside the ball until the release kept me from turning my hand too early before the release. I thought that trying this on league night would not be a good idea. This should be done in practice first. But I thought what the heck, let her rip. I got more confident as the night went on and I got better at it. I was going to get my Blue Hammer plugged and redrilled with a new layout to give the ball more action that it seemed to need. But after tonight doing the uncup thing through the release the Blue had action that I thought I wouldn't see without a layout change. So tonight for me the UN did wonders for the action on both of my Hammer balls. Long live the UN. :cool: