Holding the ball for maximum hook

[sprocket]

OK, I'd like to post a couple of videos showing two releases on the extreme ends of the spectrum regarding hand position at the bottom of the swing. The first is Pete Weber. Although Pete opens his hand in his back swing, he closes it back up before release. If you pause the video at 0:17 you can see that his hand is not on the inside of the ball at the release point. His fingers pretty much straight behind the ball with a slight cock to his wrist. From there they rotate to about three o'clock when his fingers let go. With Pete's release his hand actually rotates to about four o'clock before his thumb ever exits.

The second video is Michael Fagan. Fagan is the ultimate extreme example of playing the inside of the ball. If you pause the video at about 0:24 you can see that his fingers are on the extreme inside of the ball in about the eight o'clock position. From there his hand turns counter clockwise but his fingers never go past six o'clock all the way through release!

The thing these two guys have in common is that nobody else releases the ball quite like they do. What the comparison shows is that there are a variety of ways to generate good roll on a bowling ball.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsSPqIM18Zc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdDL51Awsr4

[zdawg]

Z-
Slow it down...EXAGGERATE it...see how slow you can throw it!! If it doesn't hook...then maybe your alley is on some kinda magnetic pole with gravity problems or something...but I'm 99.7% sure it'll hook. Try it...prove me wrong. If ya do, you'll be that much popular around here!! Win Win!!

LOL, my coach today did tell me when in doubt slow it down to the speed we did early in my lesson today, and if it still wasn't hooking either there is something wrong with the lane or we're having an earthquake

[zdawg]

OK, I'd like to post a couple of videos showing two releases on the extreme ends of the spectrum regarding hand position at the bottom of the swing. The first is Pete Weber. Although Pete opens his hand in his back swing, he closes it back up before release. If you pause the video at 0:17 you can see that his hand is not on the inside of the ball at the release point. His fingers pretty much straight behind the ball with a slight cock to his wrist. From there they rotate to about three o'clock when his fingers let go. With Pete's release his hand actually rotates to about four o'clock before his thumb ever exits.

The second video is Michael Fagan. Fagan is the ultimate extreme example of playing the inside of the ball. If you pause the video at about 0:24 you can see that his fingers are on the extreme inside of the ball in about the eight o'clock position. From there his hand turns counter clockwise but his fingers never go past six o'clock all the way through release!

The thing these two guys have in common is that nobody else releases the ball quite like they do. What the comparison shows is that there are a variety of ways to generate good roll on a bowling ball.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsSPqIM18Zc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdDL51Awsr4

Nice videos and you're right, the more I learn the more I realize once you really get the basic fundamentals down (not there yet but working on it) you sort of mold your game in your own way - the pros of course are the best example of this as many of the little things they do are completely different from one to the next but they still manage to do well and make it look easy

[Hammer]

The reason for swinging the ball with your hand on the inside of the ball, if you can do it, is it helps prevent your hand from turning too early through the release area. If you leave your hand behind the ball to the top of your backswing and through your forward swing there is a chance that you will turn your hand too early when you reach the release area. If you notice the pros hand start to turn from open to behind the ball as they reach the release zone and then about an inch or two more going through the release area just the right amount when the ball leaves their hand. The other thing to make sure you get good revs at release is to swing your ball close to your sliding ankle. To do this your ball has to swing under your head going back and forward especially. If the ball is a foot or more away from your ankle then that is going to kill revs you want. The only thing with trying to keep the swing near your ankle is the thought of hitting your ankle on the forward swing. If you swing right the weight of the ball will make your swing stay far enough away from your ankle so it don't hit it. Don't let your wrist break backwards on your forward swing unless you want to lose revs. Good luck.

[zdawg]

So it looks like the coaching session the other day is already paying dividends, prior to tonight I had thrown one clean game and a high score of 200. Tonight I threw my second clean game for a 205, and then strung along a bunch of strikes for my best game ever....232

I realize I still have a lot to learn, but fixing this problem that has kept me in a slump for a month (which is 1/3 of my entire bowling career LOL) and keeping at it has shown me there is a light at the end of the tunnel

[tr33frog]

Nice work zdawg!

Hammer - Nice write up, gives me something to think about.

[zdawg]

The other thing to make sure you get good revs at release is to swing your ball close to your sliding ankle. To do this your ball has to swing under your head going back and forward especially. If the ball is a foot or more away from your ankle then that is going to kill revs you want.

Thanks for the tip, this is one of those things I've read about, and seen on video obviously, but haven't consciously tried adding to my game yet. I think next week I'll start working on this and take some new video, since I've never thought about it on the lane I'm curious to see how close I am to my ankle currently, and I'll go from there.

[Bunny]

So it looks like the coaching session the other day is already paying dividends, prior to tonight I had thrown one clean game and a high score of 200. Tonight I threw my second clean game for a 205, and then strung along a bunch of strikes for my best game ever....232

I realize I still have a lot to learn, but fixing this problem that has kept me in a slump for a month (which is 1/3 of my entire bowling career LOL) and keeping at it has shown me there is a light at the end of the tunnel

That's awesome zdawg!! Glad the lessons with Mark are paying off. You're way ahead of the curve!

And since you're just starting out you're only going to keep getting better!!

Good Bowling!!

[dnhoffman]

Congrats man