Maybe I’m going a little bit old school, I really don’t know. I was staying directly behind, and trying to twist with my fingers, but I mostly ended up making my knuckles really sore.
Shouldn't be twisting anything. Let the ball do the work. I come up sort of behind the ball. If 1/2 way behind the ball (suitcase is 90* and behind is 0* I'm probably about 30*. I don't do any 'twisting'. Just follow through. That follow through at that angle automatically starts the ball forward with a slight inward roll. Sounds like what you are doing is more of a spinner style?Originally Posted by GrumpyCatFace
Arsenal "15# Global Eternity Pi-45x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Xponent-60x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Zen Soul-60x4.5x40" "15# Roto Grip Idol Helios-90 x 2.25 x 45" "15# 900 Global Altered Reality-50x3.625x30" "15# Brunswick Uppercut-80x3.625x35" "15# Brunswick Igniter-70x5.5x35" "15# Raw Hammer Pearl 45x5.75x40" "15# Brunswick T-Zone"
Rev Rate about 270 @ about 15.5 MPH at the pins* High Game: 290 - High Series: 733. PAP: 5 1/8"x1" up; tilt 20*, rotation 75*. YTD highs - 290-733
Oh, and LEFTY!!!
No that’s exactly what I’m doing now. Sort of halfway behind it, and just letting it fall off my hand that way. I cock my wrist to the side a bit, and cup it a little, which puts me a bit off to the side from “directly behind it.
In reading back over the comments posted here, I'm seeing a couple of things that need clarification.
First of all, concerning what you feel in your release, please let me refer you to an article I wrote for BTM entitled, "In Search of the All-Elusive Nothing." To summarize, I interviewed top Tour Pros, Senior Touring Pros, and Top Amateurs. I asked them all to describe what they feel when they throw a perfect shot. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM REPLIED THE SAME: "NOTHING!" A great majority of the bowlers that I have been able to help with one-on-one lessons have benefited the most from one simple thought: the more you try to "make" the ball hook, the less it hooks. The idea is to let it hook rather than make it hook.
Secondly, many of you seem to be confusing where you are at the end of your release with where you should be at the beginning of the release: behind the ball. If you truly want to develop a modern release, here's a program for you to follow this summer:
1. Starting with the weight of the ball at the junction between your index finger and your middle finger, with your thumb pointing at 2 o'clock (right hander), bowl one game using a one-step approach, trying to throw a back-up ball: ball curving from left to right. Your thumb should end up at three o'clock, with your pinky coming around the left side of the ball. You should see your track going either between the finger holes and the thumb hole, or, at least, thumping over the thumb hole. Continue this drill until you see your track at least thumping over the thumb hole. Once you see this, bowl three games using your full approach but using this back-up ball release. Score doesn't matter. Getting your hand in this position at the beginning of the release does!
2. Once you are able to roll the ball over the thumbhole consistently, go back to the one-step drill, this time starting at the same position (thumb at 2 o'clock), and practice finishing in this same position. THIS IS COMING UP THE BACK OF THE BALL. The ball should be tracking very near the thumb hole. Once it is, bowl a couple of games until you can track the ball consistently near the thumb hole without hitting it.
3. Finally, once you have done this, go back to the one-step drill, starting in the same position, and gently rotate your wrist as you release the ball, so that your thumb ends up pointing between 11 and 12 o'clock. The thumb should NEVER be left of 11 o'clock. If it is, you have succeeded in coming "OVER THE TOP", effectively destroying everything you have accomplished.
Once you are able to perfect all three of these releases, you will hopefully find that you can vary the rotation and the tilt of the ball to produce different amounts of hook at different lengths down the lane.
This sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but it's worth it!
Rob,
Thanks for your wonderful post. I'll give your recommendation a go.
I tended to not make much use of the one step drill. What caught my eye recently was the video of Coach Diaz and his recommended one step drill with minimal upper body.
I have a bad habit of pulling up the ball on the back swing and at the top of the swing my hand turns back and forth looking for something I guess. I don't even know that I'm doing it. By opening my hand a bit so that the palm of my hand opens a little toward the right seems to keep my hand quiet. Most times my pulling up on the back swing has at least diminished.
Now I have something to work on during this Summer.Thanks again!
You’re putting the clock face on top of the ball, right? Otherwise that would break my arm lol.
I believe I’m at a 1 o’clock position.
There are basically two perspectives of how to view the "clock".
One is if you think of the clock as if it were lying on the approach directly under the ball. With 12 pointing towards the pins and 6 pointing behind you
Second is if you look at the ball from the behind, 12 is toward the ceiling and 6 towards the floor.
In the three examples below the yellow line represents the clock lying on the approach under the ball.
In example A, the fingers are positioned at 4 & 4:30 (represented by the red dots on the clock face)
In example B1, the fingers are positioned at 6 & 5:30 (represented by the red dots on the clock face)
In example B2, the fingers have moved to 4:30 & 5 (represented by the red dots on the clock face)
Last edited by bowl1820; 05-12-2018 at 10:49 AM.
Right handed Stroker, high track ,about 13 degree axis tilt. PAP is located 5 9/16” over 1 3/4” up.Speed ave. about 14 mph at the pins. Medium rev’s.High Game 300, High series 798
"Talent without training is nothing." Luke Skywalker
Yes, 12 o'clock is at the top of the ball. If your thumb is at one o'clock to start, it's impossible to have the weight of the ball on your palm unless you rotate your hand clockwise on the backswing. I actually do this when I am trying to throw a backup ball at the ten pin; the clockwise rotation before the release encourages it to continue through the release as I am attempting to back it up. For the strike shot, it is much more efficient to start with the weight of the ball on the palm and just keep it there as the release process begins.
Ok, so in my stance, my wrist is cocked to the left. Thumb at 4-5 o’clock from above.
I keep it cocked that way through release, at which point my fingers are at 7, thumb at 1 o’clock from behind. Since I’m also cupping a bit, my thumb is at 5 o’clock from above, fingers at 10-11.
At that point, I just let the ball fall off my hand, and follow through with zero shoulder engagement, and it curves just like it should.
Not a suitcase, not holding the side of it, but definitely not straight “up the back” either.
Maybe I’m just weird, I don’t know lol.
If your thumb is at 4-5, there is NO WAY that you can roll the ball without coming over the top of the ball. You are "trying" to make the ball curve, instead of rolling it and "letting" it curve. Big difference! When you try to make the ball curve, it never gets into a roll and ends up hitting like a toasted marshmallow, leaving corner pins galore. Try the drill that I posted below, and learn to roll it. Until you learn to accept the fact that you do not have control over anything in bowling, you'll never be good at it.
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