Modern Release??

[Astropin]

I'll take a stab at it.

The image is a bit crude but...
If your fingers are coming straight up the back of the ball like the Blue line. The ball will basically go dead straight.

If your fingers are following the the Red line. Your coming around the ball, your hand isn't particularly staying behind the ball and it's like your trying to spin it (the ring finger is more or less following the middle finger) to make it hook.

The green line is more like what you want, The hand is behind the ball with it rolling forward off your fingers, with the ball turning your hand not your hand turning the ball.



in this video they talk about "rotating through" vs "rotating around"

Thanks for the video. I hear what you are both saying...but...how does the ball turn your hand? Does my body need to be at a slight angle to the lane instead of dead square facing it?

[Phonetek]

I hate to comment on this thread because of the tone of it but for what it's worth.....I gave this release a try tonight for the first time. I was able to load and unload my wrist okay, for ME that was the easy part. NOT lifting is very very tough to do so I seemed to combine the two. The result... I noticed a significant rev increase, only a slight speed reduction (still way too hard), much less loft (still too much) and crazy back end but I was far from doing this release properly.

At best I got it about 35-40% right and that may be a high guess. If you've been bowling for many years doing it however you were doing it, lets just say it's going to take a lot of work, time and dedication to change and do this properly. This is not a quick fix and it's not easy so I recommend you don't treat it as such if your at all serious.

[RobLV1]

Every single bowler who I have taught to use a modern release has immediately seen and increase in rev rate and ball motion.

[Astropin]

The thing I'm stuck on is that there must be some hand manipulation at release beyond just coming through the ball. If I just come through the ball from the back then the revs are all dead straight towards the pins and the ball goes nearly dead straight.

[boatman37]

The thing I'm stuck on is that there must be some hand manipulation at release beyond just coming through the ball. If I just come through the ball from the back then the revs are all dead straight towards the pins and the ball goes nearly dead straight.

Could that be due to the ball and the drill pattern?

I am going to give this a try in practice Tuesday night to see what happens (and if I can even do it...lol). Seems like you just relax the wrist just before the release then kind of 'flick' the wrist back up just as it leaves your fingertips and leave the palm facing straight forward?

[Astropin]

Could that be due to the ball and the drill pattern?

It's not the drill pattern...I have three balls drilled from aggressive hook to neutral (my spare ball) and if I come straight through the ball from the back they all go straight. The aggressive one will hook a tiny bit.

I am going to give this a try in practice Tuesday night to see what happens (and if I can even do it...lol). Seems like you just relax the wrist just before the release then kind of 'flick' the wrist back up just as it leaves your fingertips and leave the palm facing straight forward?

Well that's what everyone keeps saying...but if you watch the pro's in slow motion that is not what appears to be happening. It looks like the thumb comes out but then the fingers ROTATE through the ball. They do not come straight up the back. By the time their fingers actually leave the ball there is a definite motion towards the gutter with the fingers....putting revs on the ball that are not directly at the pins. The ball is spinning towards the gutter (but the path is away from the gutter). That's the only way I can even imagine a big hook happening. When the ball heads down the lane it's revving pretty hard towards the gutter...generating the eventual hook. No way to do that if you release straight up the back towards the pins (which is what people keep saying...and I've tired).

The only way I can see that happening (letting the ball turn your hand) is if your hand is in the right position as soon as the thumb comes out. Which would be a little more on the side of the ball then completely behind. Then your finger would naturally push through the ball at a slight angle creating spin (revs) at an angle away from the pins...allowing it to hook.

So my question to the experts - where are your fingers when the thumb exits? Where are your fingers when they exit? (I guess use a clock for reference). I'm a lefty but can figure it out if you describe it "righty".

[Phonetek]

Every single bowler who I have taught to use a modern release has immediately seen and increase in rev rate and ball motion.

I guess I should give myself an "atta boy" because I appear to have done something right. At least I must be on the right track. Still, I did so much wrong and I know it. Baby steps

The thing I'm stuck on is that there must be some hand manipulation at release beyond just coming through the ball. If I just come through the ball from the back then the revs are all dead straight towards the pins and the ball goes nearly dead straight.

Astropin, I can't say exactly what I personally did because honestly I wasn't putting any thought into what my fingers were doing after my thumb came out. I was focused on the wrist. If I had to fathom a guess I'd say probably what they have always done with my stroker release minus "some" lift which I was trying very hard not to do. Meaning I'm sure there was "some" turn involved somewhere. I tried it for a mere 5 games and no video so I can't give an accurate frame by frame explanation.

All I can say is what results I saw which there is no reason to repeat. I would think I put that turn on it because that's what I've done for 40 years. It's a natural thing at this point I can't just hit Ctrl - Z and undo what I've been doing for decades. Did I do it properly for the modern release? I could have gotten lucky yes but I truly have no clue so I highly doubt it. Again, baby steps. It's gonna take me a hell of a lot more than 5 games to perfect it. Probably hundreds or perhaps thousands and years not weeks or days.

Astropin, if your ball is going straight then look at the oil lines on your ball. They should give you an indication of why. The ones on my ball didn't change location or angle from where they always were there was just a lot more of them. Take a photo of the oil lines and upload it, maybe that will help give the members something to go on. You could also upload a video of yourself. These people WILL do their best to help you I can assure you of that just don't get discouraged.

[RobLV1]

If you are having difficulty eliminating the lift, it's probably because you have not embraced the idea of simply rolling the ball instead of throwing it. Try some one step drills where you simply take one step to the line and roll it towards the pins to get the feel of rolling it instead of throwing it.

[Astropin]

So my question to the experts - where are your fingers when the thumb exits? Where are your fingers when they exit? (I guess use a clock for reference). I'm a lefty but can figure it out if you describe it "righty".

................

[Phonetek]

If you are having difficulty eliminating the lift, it's probably because you have not embraced the idea of simply rolling the ball instead of throwing it. Try some one step drills where you simply take one step to the line and roll it towards the pins to get the feel of rolling it instead of throwing it.

Agreed. This was just a first try and I was extremely happy with the results. I WILL get this. I wasn't completely prepared to be honest. I was going to punch out and go home. My son went with me to work and suckered me into bowling since we were open a couple more hours. Next time I want to bring my laptop and do what they did in the Asian video step by step that Bowl uploaded a few weeks back which also includes the one step drill.

It was nice to see my ball move like that even knowing I wasn't doing it perfect, it certainly raised my eyebrows. I didn't mention I was using a highly polished Faball Original Black Hammer (my spare ball) on lanes that were oiled before league but not used, not my Rip'd. I'm trying to limit the games on that ball at work since we have 42' THS, seems like a waste. Saving it for Sport shot and tournaments. I have to say I didn't expect the carry and movement I was getting from that old dinosaur. Until I get my next ball that's all I'm using at work.

I do have one question though Rob, on cross alley for say a ten pin. I picked those up like I normally did it. Should I not be doing that? I mean with my wrist which I just flatten out and go at it that way. I couldn't see loading and unloading for 10 pins so that's why I didn't.