So I had a long post that I just wrote, but it got deleted V__V.
Lets just get to the main points: Had a practice session today, a pattern had me throwing straight up 8 board with mostly forward roll (up the back), and a long pattern with dry boards outside 5. thought I would play in the second pattern but couldn't find anything. Tried to go out to five and even 3 board but couldn't hit the headpin. Saw people getting to the pocket with more side roll. Tried it, and it worked! First question: I thought you would mostly use forward roll on a longer pattern like this? Not sure the length, but I could miss inside five boards and it would hold.

Second - my tempo was pretty quick today, so I have to learn to slow that down. when my arm gets fast, so does my feet, and they steps get shorter. Also, when my arm gets fast, i think I start to grab the ball with my thumb, which hurts my release, making my fingers and thumb come mostly out at the same time. Does that happen to anyone else?

Lastly, I was practicing sliding longer and I found out that keeping your left leg (for a righty) on the floor on the fourth step and just sliding with it in the fifth step gives you a longe slide, transferring the momentum of the ball! Can anyone else elaborate on this idea?

Thanks!

A forward roll shot should first and foremost be thrown with a cupped to uncupped wrist motion, so the ball bites into the lane earlier, and a forward roll can have any amount of side rotation, and is thrown so it rolls earlier and stronger on the back end. If the ball is thrown with no side rotation and a cupped or uncupped wrist the ball will go straight, you need to match your side rotation to the shot you want to play.

There is a difference between forward roll and rolling the ball straight, you always want to match the angle you want the ball to hook from, so if you are going up the 5 board you want your thumb out at 1 o'clock and your fingers to turn to 4:30. If you are going up the 12 board you only want the fingers to turn to 5:00, if you swing the ball from inside to outside you want to turn your fingers to 3:00 if you are going from inside the third arrow out to the 5 board you are going to want to turn your thumb to 12:00 and your fingers out st 4:30, if you are inside the 4th arrow and going out to the 5 board you are going to get the thumb out at 12 and your fingers out at 3:00. If you can visualize the amount of hook you want the ball to turn and match your fingers and thumb to the angle from the break point. Once you develop a feel for it you will be able to match your release to the angle you want to play better. Keep in mind if the ball doesn't make the turn where you want then you may not be using the right ball, surface or drilling to match the shot, or may be just playing the wrong part of the lane.

Is the clock you are talking about looking at the half section of the ball vertically like if I was back in the sitting area I could see the clock? Actually, even then I can't visualize it! ahhhh! Is this clock on Ron clifton's site?

Also - I used a even rolling ball. My Infinite one and tried my Terminator as well. Should I have tried something flippier?

Read this article: http://www.bowlingknowledge.info/images/stories/slowinskiapr08.pdf

I actually have read that article more than once, since I have the BTM subscription. I really like it, how it suggests to work the inside of the ball and keep the fingers at 7/8 oclock. The problem is keeping that hand position throughout the swing, without grabbing with my thumb. I just think that my wrist isn't strong enough for such a strong position.

I believe I have told you in the past that you need to have your grip fixed, until you do so you are going to struggle.

So is the pitch in the thumb that I need to fix? I remember you saying most drillers put too much reverse pitch?

From what you described I would have to say that would be what is causing you to have to bend your thumb in the hole to hang onto the ball. If your ball doesn't fit properly to the point that you don't have to squeeze the ball to hang onto it then you have to consciously think about letting the ball go at the right point in the swing and that can not happen at a consistent point every time, one time you let it go early the next time you let it go late and one time it hangs and your thumb and fingers come out at the same time and you get a knuckle ball.

Get a coach and your ball driller to have a look at your grip and see what they say.

You know whats funny? So in league - i focus more on mental game and focus on my target and just let my physical body do its thing. I roll it pretty well, unless I conciously grab it. Overall, the lift and turn is pretty good but its not that great in practice when I try to work on it, and i'm not in the same mental set-up as in league. Then again, it might have nothing to do with my release, and i'm probably more accurate when i'm looking at my target.

If you want to experiment, put your fingers in the holes, then look at your thumb as it goes into the thumb hole watch and see if it bends at the knuckle when before it even gets to the hole. If it does how mental do you think it is when you don't control what your thumb does? It just starts bending to hang onto the ball before it gets to the hole because your subconscious mind controls your self preservation instinct, it has nothing to do with you trying to let your hand relax, it will not happen until your subconscious brain will see that the ball will not fly off your hand without squeezing it, and the only way that will happen is if your grip is right.