Gonna Teach My Brother to Throw a Hook....tips?

[Rdmonster]

As stated in my previous thread I bought him a Columbia Freeze to learn on. Bought it in 14 pounds to make it easier to learn with...and yes...he would like to throw a hook.

I figured I would start with a foul line drill I saw on you tube. In it the bowler assumes as close as possible to the delivery position at the foul line. The bowler then uses and abbreviated swing to get the feel of a firm wrist and to feel the type of release needed to actually put revs on the ball.

He has been trying to use a 30 year old 16# urethane hammer and every once in a while he gets some hook on it but it's more of a push than a real hook.

I figure the foul line drill would be appropriate but any tips would be appreciated. His average is only about 112 so I think a little hook with a good release would do wonders for his game.

My average has recently increased to a whopping 150 so I'm not sure I'm qualified to teach anyone but I'm the only affordable option and we have a blast bowling together.

[e-tank]

im always the student here but ive basically become the coach among my friends and im no better than you. Im currently teaching my gf to throw a hook and the first thing id say is whatever you decide to do, take it slow and not bombard them with techniques and tips. I basically its very similar to a straight ball with the difference being that you have your wrist flexed and when you get lift on the ball you turn your hand from palm up to a handshake position. Idk if that made sense but it works for her.

[Flyer41]

One thing that helped me when I was learning how to hook was a drill with a football. You just put your middle and ring fingers on the seam and toss the ball while lifting up like a bowling release. If the ball spins along its axis and doesn't wobble, you are staying behind the ball properly while putting some fingers into it and it's just a matter of how intense you want the motion to be.

[ArtVandelay]

One thing that helped me when I was learning how to hook was a drill with a football. You just put your middle and ring fingers on the seam and toss the ball while lifting up like a bowling release. If the ball spins along its axis and doesn't wobble, you are staying behind the ball properly while putting some fingers into it and it's just a matter of how intense you want the motion to be.

Agreed. The football drill is when things really started to make sense for me. And I am/was primarily a 2 finger bowler for quite some time. The football drill made it easier for me to learn how to incorporate my thumb into the throw. Now that I have my new ball drilled, and the span is much better, I plan on going exclusively to the 3 finger technique.

Something about that football drill just makes sense to me. Probably because years ago when I was a teller for a bank, we used to toss drive thru tubes across the branch to eachother by spiraling them underhanded, and I got pretty good at doing that.

My last ball not only had a bad span, but the thumb hole is/was dramatically bigger than what they recommend when they drill for a fingertip ball. With the new ball, the thumb is so snug feeling to me, that I couldn't understand how it was supposed to release properly. The drill in this thread, has helped me understand how to get a solid release from a kneeling position. I can't wait to get to an alley and try it out full force. The thumb release makes sense to me now. In the past, the thumb pressure I had on the ball was the only reason it didn't come flying off my hand. I think that with this new thumb snugness, things will be easier once I get used to it.

[75lockwood]

One note on the football drill, make sure to impress upon your brother that the motion happens on release, not before or after.


One thing i recommend is to read chapter's 6-8 of the USBC Bronze Certification Manual; there is a lot of great information on technique teaching.


Remember, don't over teach, sure you can point out 10 things he might be doing wrong, but you need to prioritize what if most important and give him a single thing to work on at a time. Good luck, and remember having fun is the most important thing

[scottymoney]

How does your brother currently throw?

Football drill is definitely the one to teach for the release. I would also like to mention teaching how to aim with the arrows and how to setup.

Throwing a hook is great but if you can't aim with the arrows and know how to move with what the ball does then it doesn't matter much. But that is depending on your brothers current knowledge of the game. Lining up I think at time gets over looked when teaching new/learning bowlers.

[Cochese]

Patience is key. Like everybody has said, you will see everything wrong at once, but you can only fix maybe one or two things at a time. Make sure he has a grasp on the very basics like Scottymoney pointed out before you work on wrist position and release drills. Aim, approach, footwork, etc. I wish I would have learned good fundamentals before instead of having to correct bad habits now.

Even if he can't crank it up and hook the $hit out of it, he will still be able to score well.

[billf]

The sections of the Bronze manual Lockwood referred to should be in our FAQ section and it's available on-line in PDF (or so I've been told). Many coaches teach the hook last. You're a car buff, would you paint the care before doing the body work? Make sure the stance and approach are all correct first. A properly fitted ball with finger tip grips are also a must have.

BTW, you're only two hours away. Maybe one day we can meet in the middle for a few games/free lessons?

[Rdmonster]

Thanks for all the tips guys. He's a full on roller right now as to his bowling style. The other guys on the team have given him some tips on how to throw a curveball but he suffers from a few fundamental flaws. His wrist breaks down during his release and this causes him to try to steer the ball. He rarely actually revs the ball but more like just bowls at an angle towards the pocket.

He also uses an old 16# urethane ball that only has a minimal hook potential...and by old I mean like 30 years old and drilled for someone else (it is a fingertip ball and close enough to use).

I plan on helping him with the football drill and a foul line drill aimed at helping him learn how to get real rotation on the ball. He has an understanding of how to use the arrows but until he gets some movement on the ball it's kind of pointless.

I think the lighter bal drilled for him plus some coaching will get him on the path. If he cant keep his wrist at least straight (i use a pretty big wrist cock) he might have to get a device to help him feel how his wrist should be.

Believe me guys...I wont get frustrated and we are mostly gonna be having alot of fun. If he can get some curve on the ball he will be very excited. Ill keep you updated.

[75lockwood]

GO SEE Bill!!!! (and post all video from the lessons)