3 fingers practice

[martinezsam2495]

Read any of the zillion threads already started about creating revs.

I'm sorry Bill, I should of done that, but I wanted to tell my situation and how to fix it..

[Big Nick]

Here's the short version of how I put revs on the ball when I'm bowling.

First, I don't really cup my wrist, or at least not as exaggerated as Randy Peterson showed in his videos. I more just concentrate on keeping my wrist strong during my back swing. I start with my hand almost directly behind the ball, and try to keep it in that position throughout my swing until release. At release, I relax my wrist so that my thumb will come out of the ball first. At the exact same time, I try to accelerate my hand through the ball, reaching with my fingers toward my target making sure to turn my hand just enough to wind up with my thumb pointing straight up.

It sounds simple enough, but the timing of the whole process takes a while to master. I tried to hone my delivery myself for several months over the summer, but was relatively unsuccessful. The best thing I did was book some time with the local pro. I've had four lessons over the last two months, and in that time my averages have climbed from something around 140 to something closer to 175. Prior to getting some coaching my highest game ever was 180. Just last week I bowled my personal best, a 219, which also happened to be my first 200+ game. The coaching was integral to my improvement thus far.

[Tampabaybob]

Big Nick, congrats on the 219 game ! The first one is always the hardest, but you've don things right and hooked up with a pro. Keep up the good practicing and there'll be more to come.

Bob

[Tampabaybob]

I'm starting to get throwing the ball....
But, no hook at all. I can't generate revs like I do without the thumb. I know I'm not expecting to have a ton of revs automatically, but I'm just saying I can't generate none... The only hook I have is the little backend hook my ball has. I've probably bowled too much this past week as I have bowled a little over 30 games. My thumb started to hurt today after the 3rd game. It started to get a blister, I stopped using my thumb and continued playing with 2 fingers.
My main question is, how do I create revs or hook the ball with 3 fingers?
Any videos, comments, or explanations would be helpful.
Thanks in advance,
~Sam.

Sam, while I agree with Bill, there's a ton of info on this site to look thru and sort out and not every thread is going to fit every bowlers situation. With that said, you say when you're using "no thumb" you have no problem getting revs on the ball, right? When you're not using your thumb next practice session (and I'd encourage you to try this) notice, and FEEL what position your wrist and hand are in during your backswing and all the way through to your release. I know you're probably saying, "How the heck can I feel that". It's not the easiest thing to do, but you have to concentrate on actually feeling each movement of your hand with the ball in your hand during delivery. If you can't seem to pull it off within a few shots, ask someone that's nearby to watch the positioning of your hand and tell you "exactly" what they see your hand doing. Throw 6 or 8 frames like that and then try to duplicate that hand/wrist position with the thumb in the ball. If it doesn't feel the same, do one then another.

Making a switch like that is tough, but as I told one of our other members, it's an excellent ability to have in your bag of tricks to be able to throw both ways. You never know what type of condition you may come upon at a tournament or even on some nights when the lanes can drastically change. The bottom line is that the release should not be that different (i.e.; rotation of hand and fingers) than what you're currently doing with no thumb in the ball. Give it a try and let us know what happens and "how your hand felt with both releases. Remember you want them to feel similar.

Bob