How to correct hooking ball?

[littleArnold]

I recently stated bowling with my wife. My wife puts me to shame at bowling. She bowled as a kid a lot through bowling leagues as a kid. She consistently bowls like with a score of 120+ and I am lucky if I get a 100 or better most of the time I score between a 50 and 85. She doesn't have enough strength to bowl with a ball heavier than 8 lbs and I can throw a 14-16 lb pretty easily. Have weightlifter for years, a lot strength but really awful bowling technique.

She watches me and says I have a problem when I swing of hooking the ball. She says when I throw the ball my arm swings across my body on the finish instead of throwing my arm up straight. She says I look like I am aiming for the bowling lane next to me and makes fun of me lol :)

I have tried with bowling balls as light as 10 lbs and and as heavy as 16 lbs, still same problem. On the release I have a tendency to want to swing arm at an angle across body instead of straight and this ends in gutter balls or a ball with a lot of curve on it. I can put a lot power into the ball, get a high swing and throw with a lot force, but for some reason I always want swing that arm across the body on the finish instead of swinging it straight.

I got a custom ball 14 lbs to fit my hands, but still same problem. My wife will laugh at me and say I am hooking swinging arm on finish across body instead of straight. Anyway to correct this issue?

It is frustrating. My wife is not strong enough even to bowl with a 10 lb pound, she drops it. Yet she kicks my butt consistently at bowling. I can really muscle the ball throw my shoulder into it and swing it very high, yet my accuracy sucks.

I am a lot taller and heavier than wife. My wife is like 120 lbs and I am 200lbs I have a 325 lb bench press. Yet she kicks my butt in bowling everytime. Very humiliating experience.

Any advice on how to throw the ball straighter?

[boatman37]

Bowling has nothing to do with strength. No need to throw as hard as you can. That will actually hurt your game more than help it due to accuracy and not giving the ball a chance to do what it was designed to do.
If you want to get serious about bowling the first thing I would do us go to your pro shop and get a ball drilled for you. A 15lb ball should be fine for you given your size. Next thing I would do is hire a coach. Your arm should swing in a straight line both forward and back.

There are some on here that are better equipped to answer your questions than me but I'm sure all will agree with what I posted.

Oh, and if you are wanting to throw a hook, the ball will do the work. No need to force the ball to do anything. The drilling pattern, core, and cover are made to cause a ball to hook.

[RobLV1]

Start out right. Find a qualified coach and take two or three lessons to learn the basics.

[djp1080]

Take the time and get hooked up with a bowling coach. The pro shop in your bowling center may provide lessons or at least they could point you to one or two people who would be glad to assist you to get started in the right direction.
Being fit and all is a good thing, but bowling doesn't have a lot to do with strength training or anything. A coach will hopefully get you to make better use of gravity to allow the ball to get down the lane with much less effort than what you might be doing now.
Good luck...

[bdpeters]

welcome to the forum. I am far from an expert and all the tips for getting a good coach for a few sessions is a great idea. until then though, this is what I am trying with my son who has similar issues. I asked him to just stand at the foul line instead of starting back further on the approach and just relax and roll the ball without worrying where it is going. on his follow through I asked him to pretend like he is reaching straight up to grab a light. this has seemed to help him. his back swing was going way around the back of his body and then swinging out to the side almost like he was throwing a side are pitch. and like djp said let gravity do its work that is the one constant that is always there and does not change.

[J Anderson]

welcome to the forum. I am far from an expert and all the tips for getting a good coach for a few sessions is a great idea. until then though, this is what I am trying with my son who has similar issues. I asked him to just stand at the foul line instead of starting back further on the approach and just relax and roll the ball without worrying where it is going. on his follow through I asked him to pretend like he is reaching straight up to grab a light. this has seemed to help him. his back swing was going way around the back of his body and then swinging out to the side almost like he was throwing a side are pitch. and like djp said let gravity do its work that is the one constant that is always there and does not change.

As RobM would say, “there are no pins on the ceiling!” It would be better to suggest that your son focus on following through toward his target.

[bdpeters]

As RobM would say, “there are no pins on the ceiling!” It would be better to suggest that your son focus on following through toward his target.

well put, I was using this as an aid to help my sons swing to straighten out, we were not concerned with his target yet but that also makes sense.

[fordman1]

Go on U-tube and look for bowling lessons by Norm Duke. Nothing fancy just good solid bowling lessons.

[bdpeters]

Go on U-tube and look for bowling lessons by Norm Duke. Nothing fancy just good solid bowling lessons.

Norm's lessons seem pretty good, I checked one out from the library.

[mattmc82]

Getting a bowling coach to make an appointment can be tough sledding (I know I’ve been trying awhile now). In the meantime the best advice that I think all can grasp with arm motion is to finish each throw like your running your hand through your hair above your ear. Finish high and finish straight. If you’re throwing games between 50-85 you might want to snap a video and post it here.

[boatman37]

I always said think of it as trying to shake hands with the mark you are aiming for.