Anyone care to share a few tips with a new bowler?

[archerbrad]

Well, I've grown bored of Archery, so I took up bowling. Problem is, I'm not very good. My mom signed me up for a bowling leauge for people under 21, and I don't want to be dead weight for my team mates (Who all get averages of 130 or over, and my average is usually aroung 90).

Now, a bowling coach has been teaching me a few pointers, but nothing he is telling me is working (Except to aim for the 3rd arrow on the right and use a 12 pound ball). What isn't working for me is following through after I roll the ball (He said it was supposed to be like I'm answering a phone) and starting on my right foot rather then my left.

So I was wondering if any veteran bowler out there had a few tips to share. What I'm most interested in learning to do is putting a hook on a ball. And yes, I'm young (14 years old).

[aussiedave]

Well, I've grown bored of Archery, so I took up bowling. Problem is, I'm not very good. My mom signed me up for a bowling leauge for people under 21, and I don't want to be dead weight for my team mates (Who all get averages of 130 or over, and my average is usually aroung 90).

Now, a bowling coach has been teaching me a few pointers, but nothing he is telling me is working (Except to aim for the 3rd arrow on the right and use a 12 pound ball). What isn't working for me is following through after I roll the ball (He said it was supposed to be like I'm answering a phone) and starting on my right foot rather then my left.

So I was wondering if any veteran bowler out there had a few tips to share. What I'm most interested in learning to do is putting a hook on a ball. And yes, I'm young (14 years old).
Hi Brad. I reckon you would know that it could take a little time to get good at bowling, just as it did with archery - this generally holds true with anything.
However, there are some good tips available that will get you going quickly.
Personally, I think that learning to get down into that bent knee release position will be one of the first things to get you going better. Getting that free leg out to the side away from the path of the ball is a primary thing to learn.
This will then make so much of the game fall into place.
The second that will help you heaps, is to remember to hold your head in a face toward the pins attitude as with the chest. Always try to keep your chest facing the pins.
Thirdly, follow through - your hand should finish up pointing at your target.
If you get good at these three things, you will be ready for the next step, the fingertip grip - the one that will get you that fancy hook.
In the meantime, don't fret the potential of the regular conventional style - my (then) 14 year old son could bowl 190's occasionally with a 12lb house ball using that style.
Oh, and have fun!
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[Josch]

Nice to meet you. I'm also 14. I took up bowling about a little over a year ago.

If it's a handicapped league there is now reason to be worried about being bad for your team. When your average is lower, slight improvements can greatly increase your score. If you start to get strikes and spares you will soon start to bowl over 100. Handicaps help even out the game. When you bowl above average you will be getting scores just as good as everyone else once handicap is factored in. Since it's somewhat easier to drastically improve your score then people with higher averages, you will actually be an asset to your team. On my team there is a kid a couple years younger than me and my friend. His average is 91 but the last couple weeks his been bowling in the 110s. Because of this hes helping our team out drastically. Once you start to improve your teammates will be happy you are part of their team.

Following through is actually easier then it sounds. All you have to do is continue to let your arm swing after you release the ball instead of stopping your arm. It gives you a lot more control over the balls direction.

The reason you start the approach on your right foot is so that you end on your left (I'm guessing your right handed since you aim at the 3rd arrow, and that he is teaching you the 4 step approach). You want your right foot (and leg) out of the way when you release the ball. This is to keep you from hitting yourself with the ball. It also gets your ball under your shoulder and head. Watch some bowling clips on YouTube and you will see this. You don't have to start the approach on your right foot if you have a 5 step approach but this usually requires much faster steps and isn't the best for beginners. If you want to learn how to hook the ball you would need to buy your own ball. The balls that you see hooking are very different from the house balls. The balls that hook are coated in a material that grabs on to the oil because it has microscopic pores. This material is called reactive resin. The house balls are coated in a material that simply glides through oil. This material is polyester, usually referred to as plastic. To get these balls to hook you need to have 2 or 3 times as many RPMs as a reactive ball. The inside is also different. Reactive balls have cores that control how the ball turns as it revolves. Plastic does not. This core allows a different part of the ball to touch the lane every rotation, therefore oily parts of the ball don't touch the lane. It also helps keep the ball from deflecting off pins as drastically as a plastic ball. The other major difference between balls that you see hooking and the house balls is the grip. The house balls use a conventional grip while the hooking balls usually use a fingertip grip. Conventional grip is when your first 2 knuckles are your fingers are in the ballWith a conventional grip your doesn't have a lot of contact with your ball and it also forces you to pull your fingers and thumb out at the same time. Fingertip grip is when only the first knuckle of your fingers are in the ball. With a fingertip grip the ball rests on your palm. Fingertip also forces you to remove your thumb before your fingers. If your wrist is straight or cupped when you release (which it should be) the ball will fall below your fingers as you pull your fingers out and create revolution. With a fingertip ball getting revs takes almost no effort. If you would like to see examples of this, just search YouTube.

I do have a ball I recommend. It's the Ebonite Cyclone. It's designed for people learning how to hook the ball. It's one of the cheapest reactive balls out there and hooks more than all others in its category (entry level reactive). My pro shop sells them for $120 including drilling and a thumb slug (thumb insert). It also comes in 3 colors.

I hope you enjoy bowling and this knowledge helps you out.

[aussiedave]

Nice to meet you. I'm also 14. I took up bowling about a little over a year ago.

If it's a handicapped league there is now reason to be worried about being bad for your team. When your average is lower, slight improvements can greatly increase your score. If you start to get strikes and spares you will soon start to bowl over 100. Handicaps help even out the game. When you bowl above average you will be getting scores just as good as everyone else once handicap is factored in. Since it's somewhat easier to drastically improve your score then people with higher averages, you will actually be an asset to your team. On my team there is a kid a couple years younger than me and my friend. His average is 91 but the last couple weeks his been bowling in the 110s. Because of this hes helping our team out drastically. Once you start to improve your teammates will be happy you are part of their team.

Following through is actually easier then it sounds. All you have to do is continue to let your arm swing after you release the ball instead of stopping your arm. It gives you a lot more control over the balls direction.

The reason you start the approach on your right foot is so that you end on your left (I'm guessing your right handed since you aim at the 3rd arrow, and that he is teaching you the 4 step approach). You want your right foot (and leg) out of the way when you release the ball. This is to keep you from hitting yourself with the ball. It also gets your ball under your shoulder and head. Watch some bowling clips on YouTube and you will see this. You don't have to start the approach on your right foot if you have a 5 step approach but this usually requires much faster steps and isn't the best for beginners. If you want to learn how to hook the ball you would need to buy your own ball. The balls that you see hooking are very different from the house balls. The balls that hook are coated in a material that grabs on to the oil because it has microscopic pores. This material is called reactive resin. The house balls are coated in a material that simply glides through oil. This material is polyester, usually referred to as plastic. To get these balls to hook you need to have 2 or 3 times as many RPMs as a reactive ball. The inside is also different. Reactive balls have cores that control how the ball turns as it revolves. Plastic does not. This core allows a different part of the ball to touch the lane every rotation, therefore oily parts of the ball don't touch the lane. It also helps keep the ball from deflecting off pins as drastically as a plastic ball. The other major difference between balls that you see hooking and the house balls is the grip. The house balls use a conventional grip while the hooking balls usually use a fingertip grip. Conventional grip is when your first 2 knuckles are your fingers are in the ballWith a conventional grip your doesn't have a lot of contact with your ball and it also forces you to pull your fingers and thumb out at the same time. Fingertip grip is when only the first knuckle of your fingers are in the ball. With a fingertip grip the ball rests on your palm. Fingertip also forces you to remove your thumb before your fingers. If your wrist is straight or cupped when you release (which it should be) the ball will fall below your fingers as you pull your fingers out and create revolution. With a fingertip ball getting revs takes almost no effort. If you would like to see examples of this, just search YouTube.

I do have a ball I recommend. It's the Ebonite Cyclone. It's designed for people learning how to hook the ball. It's one of the cheapest reactive balls out there and hooks more than all others in its category (entry level reactive). My pro shop sells them for $120 including drilling and a thumb slug (thumb insert). It also comes in 3 colors.

I hope you enjoy bowling and this knowledge helps you out.

WIth a fingertip release, it is important to get the thumb out first, then as the ball comes of the fingertips, with the uplifting motion of the follow through, forward roll is imparted to the ball creating revolutions. This actually helps the ball accelerate as it gains purchase on the lane surface creating more speed. As the axis of the ball is tilited off center, it also allows the ball to hook - and a smooth arc is preferred for someone learning this technique. A urethane ball is best for this, as they are generally known for this quality.
I own a Storm Natural urethane ball and am very happy with it, having previously owned a resin ball - I found the resin ball would "roll out" on dryer lane conditions.
Hope that helps with your ball selection.
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[archerbrad]

Hey Dave. Yes, I am learning gradually. It is definatly a challenge to get to be a good bowler. The highest score I have ever acheived is 117.
And I should be aiming my chest at the pins and when my hand should point at my target when I follow through? I will try it for sure next week when I go bowlng. Thanks for the tips!

[archerbrad]

Nice to meet you. I'm also 14. I took up bowling about a little over a year ago.

If it's a handicapped league there is now reason to be worried about being bad for your team. When your average is lower, slight improvements can greatly increase your score. If you start to get strikes and spares you will soon start to bowl over 100. Handicaps help even out the game. When you bowl above average you will be getting scores just as good as everyone else once handicap is factored in. Since it's somewhat easier to drastically improve your score then people with higher averages, you will actually be an asset to your team. On my team there is a kid a couple years younger than me and my friend. His average is 91 but the last couple weeks his been bowling in the 110s. Because of this hes helping our team out drastically. Once you start to improve your teammates will be happy you are part of their team.

Following through is actually easier then it sounds. All you have to do is continue to let your arm swing after you release the ball instead of stopping your arm. It gives you a lot more control over the balls direction.

The reason you start the approach on your right foot is so that you end on your left (I'm guessing your right handed since you aim at the 3rd arrow, and that he is teaching you the 4 step approach). You want your right foot (and leg) out of the way when you release the ball. This is to keep you from hitting yourself with the ball. It also gets your ball under your shoulder and head. Watch some bowling clips on YouTube and you will see this. You don't have to start the approach on your right foot if you have a 5 step approach but this usually requires much faster steps and isn't the best for beginners. If you want to learn how to hook the ball you would need to buy your own ball. The balls that you see hooking are very different from the house balls. The balls that hook are coated in a material that grabs on to the oil because it has microscopic pores. This material is called reactive resin. The house balls are coated in a material that simply glides through oil. This material is polyester, usually referred to as plastic. To get these balls to hook you need to have 2 or 3 times as many RPMs as a reactive ball. The inside is also different. Reactive balls have cores that control how the ball turns as it revolves. Plastic does not. This core allows a different part of the ball to touch the lane every rotation, therefore oily parts of the ball don't touch the lane. It also helps keep the ball from deflecting off pins as drastically as a plastic ball. The other major difference between balls that you see hooking and the house balls is the grip. The house balls use a conventional grip while the hooking balls usually use a fingertip grip. Conventional grip is when your first 2 knuckles are your fingers are in the ballWith a conventional grip your doesn't have a lot of contact with your ball and it also forces you to pull your fingers and thumb out at the same time. Fingertip grip is when only the first knuckle of your fingers are in the ball. With a fingertip grip the ball rests on your palm. Fingertip also forces you to remove your thumb before your fingers. If your wrist is straight or cupped when you release (which it should be) the ball will fall below your fingers as you pull your fingers out and create revolution. With a fingertip ball getting revs takes almost no effort. If you would like to see examples of this, just search YouTube.

I do have a ball I recommend. It's the Ebonite Cyclone. It's designed for people learning how to hook the ball. It's one of the cheapest reactive balls out there and hooks more than all others in its category (entry level reactive). My pro shop sells them for $120 including drilling and a thumb slug (thumb insert). It also comes in 3 colors.

I hope you enjoy bowling and this knowledge helps you out.

Yes, nice to meet you too. I've been bowling for about a month a half now, so I am a complete novice compared to you. And thank you for the information; I always thoughtt that you could put a spin on any ball, even house balls. And as for the Ebonite Cyclone, I think I actually saw one for sale at my bowling ally (they sell/drill bowling balls as well as selling bowling equipment). I may consider saving some money and buying it.
I do have another question, though. Whenever I go bowling, there is at least five people there with rags of some sort (sometimes old dish rags) and while they are waiting for their turn to bowl, they wipe off their balls (even if they are using house balls). Does this actually affect anything?

[J Anderson]

Yes, nice to meet you too. I've been bowling for about a month a half now, so I am a complete novice compared to you. And thank you for the information; I always thoughtt that you could put a spin on any ball, even house balls. And as for the Ebonite Cyclone, I think I actually saw one for sale at my bowling ally (they sell/drill bowling balls as well as selling bowling equipment). I may consider saving some money and buying it.
I do have another question, though. Whenever I go bowling, there is at least five people there with rags of some sort (sometimes old dish rags) and while they are waiting for their turn to bowl, they wipe off their balls (even if they are using house balls). Does this actually affect anything?

With reactive resin balls it keeps the ball from absorbing some of the lane oil and is strongly recommended by most if not all ball manufacturers. With a plastic house ball it may help keep you from getting oil and dirt on your shirt, also a good thing!

[aussiedave]

With reactive resin balls it keeps the ball from absorbing some of the lane oil and is strongly recommended by most if not all ball manufacturers. With a plastic house ball it may help keep you from getting oil and dirt on your shirt, also a good thing!
Even the urethane balls can absorb lane conditioner. And if you don't wipe off the ball, you may pick up some oile on your fingers which could lead to a miss throw ball, so it is a good all round practice.
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[archerbrad]

Auisse Dave, I followed your advice last saturday and bowled the best game of my life. I did so good that my coach wants to give me a ball! I got a 127, a new all-time high. I also figured out that I do better when I slide at the end of a run (I don't know what the official term is, but in this case I mean the walk up to the line infront of the lane). I slide then roll the ball at the end of the slide. I got 10 strikes that way (scattered through 3 rounds). So combine the slide, have my chest facing the target, keeping my eye on the pin, and following through with my arm extended towards my target.

Also this saturday I'll be getting my 120 patch (YES!), my bowling ball, and hopefully my bowling shoes. Tons of real gear rather then the rental ball/shoes from the ally. Thanks for the tips, everyone!

[aussiedave]

Auisse Dave, I followed your advice last saturday and bowled the best game of my life. I did so good that my coach wants to give me a ball! I got a 127, a new all-time high. I also figured out that I do better when I slide at the end of a run (I don't know what the official term is, but in this case I mean the walk up to the line infront of the lane). I slide then roll the ball at the end of the slide. I got 10 strikes that way (scattered through 3 rounds). So combine the slide, have my chest facing the target, keeping my eye on the pin, and following through with my arm extended towards my target.

Also this saturday I'll be getting my 120 patch (YES!), my bowling ball, and hopefully my bowling shoes. Tons of real gear rather then the rental ball/shoes from the ally. Thanks for the tips, everyone!
Good stuff Brad! It's a buzz when you do well huh?
Keep practicing and concentrate on this "form" and you will keep on improving for sure. Your coach I am sure will also give you some good advice as he is there with eyes on you so let him know you are happy with the direction you have chosen, but also listen to his advice - ask him if he thinks mine was good advice and to "improve" on it and improve your new form. He will spot any deviation from what you want to be doing.
Dave.

[archerbrad]

Dave, again, I listened to your advice and me and my coach worked on what you suggested. I beat my high game again with a 147. And I know what you mean about it being a buzz when you're doing good.... I can hardly believe how I've improved.

-Brad

[ffemtreed]

If you are serious about learning to bowl correctly, stop using the house ball's and save your pennies and go purchase yourself an entry level reactive ball that fits your hand. Maybe your parents will give you an early xmas present.

Its not so much the reactive ball, its the correctly drilled to custom fit your hand that is important. you can throw a reactive ball straight.

you might as well get it drilled fingertip style as well, since there really isn't any benefit of learning with a conventional grip and then switching.

Depending on how athletic you are, 12 lbs might be too light of ball for you as well. Maybe with a houseball you can only handle 12lb, but with a custom fit ball a 14 lb ball might feel lighter than the 12 lb house ball.

The goal is to have the ball freeswing once you push it out, if you have to light of a ball its too easy to muscle through it.

There are some really good balls out there right now, such as the ebonite cylcone, storm breeze, brunswick slingshot, hammer vibe that will do you well when you are first learning and also still give you the ability to learn to hook the ball correctly once you get comfortable on the lanes.

PS -- don't worry about your scores dragging down the team, I am assuming your league is handicapped, so just as long as you bowl close to your average you aren't hurting your team at all. I bet if you stick with it, by the end of the season you will find you are throwing 120 - 130 every game but still have a 110 average which will be helping your team a whole lot!!!

[aussiedave]

If you are serious about learning to bowl correctly, stop using the house ball's and save your pennies and go purchase yourself an entry level reactive ball that fits your hand. Maybe your parents will give you an early xmas present.

Its not so much the reactive ball, its the correctly drilled to custom fit your hand that is important. you can throw a reactive ball straight.

you might as well get it drilled fingertip style as well, since there really isn't any benefit of learning with a conventional grip and then switching.

Depending on how athletic you are, 12 lbs might be too light of ball for you as well. Maybe with a houseball you can only handle 12lb, but with a custom fit ball a 14 lb ball might feel lighter than the 12 lb house ball.

The goal is to have the ball freeswing once you push it out, if you have to light of a ball its too easy to muscle through it.

There are some really good balls out there right now, such as the ebonite cylcone, storm breeze, brunswick slingshot, hammer vibe that will do you well when you are first learning and also still give you the ability to learn to hook the ball correctly once you get comfortable on the lanes.

PS -- don't worry about your scores dragging down the team, I am assuming your league is handicapped, so just as long as you bowl close to your average you aren't hurting your team at all. I bet if you stick with it, by the end of the season you will find you are throwing 120 - 130 every game but still have a 110 average which will be helping your team a whole lot!!!
Good advice ffemtreed - I second that.
A good entry level ball for a new "hooker" is the Slingshot - it will give you some hook and they aren't all that expensive either.
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[aussiedave]

Dave, again, I listened to your advice and me and my coach worked on what you suggested. I beat my high game again with a 147. And I know what you mean about it being a buzz when you're doing good.... I can hardly believe how I've improved.

-Brad
Good for you brad!
The next level of the game that will really get you excited is bowling fingertip and getting that ball to hook. This will take a little getting used to but with a coach right there with you, you will be bowling hooks in no time.
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