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.

I tell all my students from the start of the swing until you release the ball to imagine you’re holding an egg. If you squeeze the egg you have damage the egg and your shot.

What do you tell them when the ball slips when they don't squeeze the snot out of it? tape? What do you do when they have so much tape in the hole that they have to twist their thumb into the hole and it still falls off their hand? You can't out coach a bad fit, so start your lessons with that since 90% of bowlers don't have a ball that will not stay on their hands without squeezing it.

I agree 100%. Checking the fit is the 1st thing we do. We have a very good ball driller at the bowling alley. If they don’t want to get the ball check then I tell them you are limiting how good you can get.
This usually happens with older bowlers rolling old equipment (8-10 years old) and bowlers getting their own ball for the first time. A bad fit may feel good because that’s what your use to. Some bowlers don’t what to change their span or pitches and they will never know what it like is to roll a “clean” pure shot. Bad for them.

I agree.. if you squeeze the ball, more than likely you're doing it without even thinking about it. You will need to consciously think about not squeezing it the entire approach. Think about your thumb being straight, hand extremely relaxed, fingers relaxed and keeping it that way for the entire delivery.

Lately I've been noticing my hand tightening up so I've made it a point to add a step to my routine to make sure my hand is relaxed.

Lefty, you might want to move your pitch forward 1/8", that is what happens when your hand has learned to relax past the point of where the thumb pitch is, your hand starts to tighten up to prevent the ball from slipping from your thumb. Try going another eighth forward and see if that helps your hand relax more without thinking about it.

Okay, So I think I'm finally going to change my pitch. How much to start out with? Forward 1/8"?

I have grown to trust not dropping the ball thereby not bending my thumb to hold the ball, however I find it difficult to keep my hand extremely relaxed and cup my wrist at the same time. When I cup my wrist, both my hand and forearm tense up under the weight of the ball to maintain the cupped position throughout my swing.

Why is your bowling hand supporting the weight of the ball? The only time your bowling hand should have any weight on it is at the bottom of the swing. If it does at any other point, you are controlling the swing.

Relax your hand, then cup your wrist. Make sure you can wiggle your fingers freely. Now push on your palm with your other hand. Wiggle your fingers freely. You can keep a cupped wrist with a relaxed hand.