Ok, since I'm examining all aspects of my game lets talk release

[RobLV1]

Two or three years ago, I co-authored an article in BTM with Mark Hammel. In it, we talked about the differences between traditional and contemporary bowlers in an effort to help those that learned traditional techniques to become what we dubbed "Transitional Bowlers." The release is one of the main differences between traditional and contemporary bowlers, along with the timing differences that accompany it. Mark Roth, the original Cranker typified the application of a traditional release to create a power game. His release was possible because of his late timing (the bowler gets to the line in front of the ball and pulls it through keeping a cupped wrist. Today's contemporary bowlers not only load and unload their wrists, but they also incorporate neutral or even early timing to slow down the release timing (the amount of time between the thumb's exit from the ball, and the finger's exit. The contemporary release limits lift, something that was required in the old days, but can be very detrimental today. Today bowlers who still incorporate traditional releases are able to do so by being aware of the modern need to avoid lifting the ball with the fingers. Examples are Pete Weber and Norm Duke who share the common trait of keeping their fingers straight during and after the release. Duke even goes to the extreme of leaving the holes in his bowling balls unbeveled so that he will get cut if he inadvertantly grabs (lifts) during his release.

The contemporary release is exemplified by Michael Fagan who utilizes very long release timing as he turns through the ball. If you combine the traditional releases of Weber and Duke, and the contemporary release of Fagan, you get the transitional style that is exemplified by Chris Barnes and Sean Rash. Both load and unload their wrists, with Barnes using more of a lift and turn contemporary technique with timing that is just slightly late, and Rash using more of a turn and lift traditional technique with timing that is significantly later.

For a good look at different release styles, take a look at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5nnD...eature=related

Rob Mautner

[Aslan]

Rob-

I just read your article on "Physical Aspects/Changes" on your website yesterday. I'd say the release was the part that was most confusing to me. As a traditional bowler, I can't figure out how someone generates revs without moving their hand up the side of the ball. Of matter of fact...sometimes if I need to ensure a straight shot (since I don't use a "spare ball") I will keep my wrist behind the ball (rather than move it up the side) and it allows me to throw it straight. So it seems completely counter-intuitive NOT to bring my hand up the side of the ball. I've watched a lot of Pete Weber and Walter Ray...and while their releases are certainly different...it seems like they ARE bringing their hands up the side of the ball. Pete does something at the end where is arm/hand "seems" to go to the right rather than "towards the ceiling". But thats all I noticed.

Thanks.

P.S. It's nice to have you here in person. Your articles/opinions have been a source of much interest and debate over the past month. Bowl1820 has done his best to give you positive PR though!

[RobLV1]

The traditional cupped wrist forces the hand to the side of the ball. It's only by loading and unloading that contemporary players are able to "play the inside of the ball," keeping the fingers in the inside bottom quadrant as the release is initiated. I know exactly what you are talking about, as I do the exact same thing throwing plastic at my spares, in fact I often track the ball over the thumb hole using this release. There are two main differences. First, because of the longer release time of the contemporary release, from the time that the wrist is broken through the time that it is re-cupped, the release has had the time to rotate through the ball rather than around it. Secondly, modern bowling balls are so strong, that they hook anyway. The hardest thing about teaching modern bowling to traditional bowlers convincing them that they don't have to make the ball hook, it does it all by itself.

Recently, my youngest son as been travelling on business and has taken to bowling to pass the time some evenings. Knowing that, I had a used ball plugged and redrilled for him to take with him. He had told me that the only way that he could get a (houseball) to hook was not to put his thumb in it. He called me last weekend and told me that he had tried out the new ball, and found that it "hooks all by itself." In fact he compared using it to pointing a BB gun at the corner of the house to hit the front door!

By the way, another thing that I noticed in your post is the concept of the armswing going toward the ceiling. The contemporary armswing goes towards the pins, not the ceiling. As Mo Pinel said, "There are no pins on the ceiling."

Rob Mautner

[Aslan]

Maybe when I'm out in Vegas for sweeps...I'll look you up and you can "show" me.

Believe me...if you can convert THIS traditional bowler....into a modern or even transitional bowler...you'll save a LOT of people on this website...a LOT of headaches if they no longer have to listen to me drone on endlessly about how "thats not how Earl Anthony does it."

[zdawg]

Ok, now I'm so far beyond confused lol...I always just assumed you started with your hand behind the ball and when I bowled straight I just let my wrist break back but kept my hand/wrist/arm perfectly straight and I could throw the ball perfectly straight. The only change I made when I decided to learn to hook the ball was to stay behind but just at or just before the moment of release rotate my fingers/hand into a handshake type movement, or like throwing a football underhand (while not allowing the wrist to break back freely).

I'm gonna ask my coach next week for his thoughts on release - as far as I can tell when I release the ball and it rotates but somehow still goes almost perfectly straight its when I actually release the ball early - sometimes as early as behind my pivot step leg. Usually when I focus on releasing properly, nice and slow, I can get the ball to hook just fine - although often it hooks too much. I think as I added various techniques the fact that I never had someone really show me how to perform a proper release has become my major #1 sticking point.

I recently read a tip on here about holding the ball prior to release and that the bulk of the weight should be supported by the V created by the index and middle fingers, so I tried that today with very mixed results but so many things were off its hard to really know what was wrong - and predictably my wrist is extra sore but I think that's because I'm holding my wrist further in a position its not used to.

[GeoLes]

I triied it last night when I had trouble keeping the ball to the right of the rack. It worked for me. My non-bowling hand supports the ball until push-off, so I only need to support the position a a second or two of the approach. I think of my forward swing as activated by a slight torso twist and the arm comes back low, flat and relaxed. It keeps me from "throwing" the ball.

[GeoLes]

If you can watch the bowling from Tokyo televised Sunday, you will see that Sean Rash tucked his pinky and spread his index finger in ball setup.

(be careful trying it though, since he lost )

[tccstudent]

I have tried the pinky tucking and it aint for me. Everytime I have tried it I kinda hurt and really killed my ball speed.

[J Anderson]

If you can watch the bowling from Tokyo televised Sunday, you will see that Sean Rash tucked his pinky and spread his index finger in ball setup.

(be careful trying it though, since he lost )

Yeah, but the real cause of his loss was missing a ten pin spare to let his opponent back in the match.

[RobLV1]

Back in "the old days," bowlers used to tuck the pinky to get more lift and turn on the ball. In the modern game, tucking the pinky is rediculous in my opinion. Yes, I know, Sean Rash does it, but he probably does it because he's done it that way since he first started bowling. Please don't mess with it. It's not going to make you hook the ball more, it's just going to encourage you to "come over the top."

Rob Mautner