With a few peoples help on here, I have been playing with different releases. I have made a few videos here illustrating 5 different releases. Coach Jim suggested that I try a few different things and take a video of each. I have some tape on the Ball from Pin to PAP in order to see the axis tilt and rotation but I don't have slow-mo ability to really see what is going on. I also can't tell exactly how I am coming out of the ball with each of them, so if anybody has freeze frame ability and/or slow-mo and can repost that would be awesome.

All shots are on a 2 day old house shot, with both league and open play on them. Best guess is about 10-12 lines bowled on this lane. All shots were made with a Brunswick Red Zone, Pin over fingers and 5 1/4 Pin to Pap, MB opposite my Track in the medium Track area.

The first video is simply my normal everyday house shot release. This is the 480RPM and 18+mph version that has been toned down a bit over the past couple months. As you can see it is pretty effective on the house shot, and it is comfortable for me. I am able to hit my targets and be consistent for the most part. Although I do suffer when the oil is shorter and/or drier.




This second video was requested that I put maximum hook on the ball. I opted to keep the ball inside in the heavier oil on this shot. Had I went further out this shot would have hooked up early and jumped in the back ends.



The next 2 videos were also requested that I try to stay up the back of the ball the best I could. I can actually go straighter, but I still changed axis tilt quite a bit on these shots and its obvious they are straighter.





The following release is with the weight of the ball on my index finger. This is more of a push release, or at least it feels like it to me.



The next shot is simply closing my fingers all close together behind the ball, rather than spreading the index finger out, it is tucked in towards my middle finger and ring finger. Otherwise nothing is changed on this one.



The following 2 releases are what I was calling a short arm/no hit release, but after seeing the video it is pretty apparent I am still following through. The ball speed is quite a bit lower since I am not accelerating through the release point. You will also notice that the ball rolls out in the back ends.






That is all I have for now. Let the disecting, critiquing and ridiculing begin.

Do you really think the ball had more revs in the short arm release? I couldn't tell. I did see the elimination of the hit. You just dropped it on the lane, and the ball rolled all the way.

Did you say you tried this on the Viper? Well, you are playing more straight up and the Viper is a short pattern that will let your ball tail at the end. If you had played straight up 8 to 4, you would have had a wicked tail, with an entry angle greater than 8 degrees. And, leave 10's all the time.

DD the biggest issue you have is a lack of knee bend, this causes you to release the ball from a higher point, getting lower would allow for a smoother quieter release. I'm not sure if you have any physical limits as to how low you can get at the foul line, but more knee bend is always better.

The "no follow through" release looks much smoother than the normal release, and your arm swing looks more fluid. Next time try to vary your release the same way using different finger pressure, but use the "no follow through" technique.

I think what you are calling follow through, the rest of us call yanking the snot out of the ball, so less of that is always better.

I am seeing improvement keep it up.

I would have said "trying to rip the cover off the ball", but I think we mean the same thing.

DD - You're a big guy and my guess is that you don't even feel like you're trying to do much to the ball, but the fact is that you're putting a ton of force/muscle into the delivery.

I'm no small guy myself and I've always struggled with that as well. I literally feel like I do nothing to do the ball when I make my best shots. Video shows that I'm doing more than nothing, but if I feel like I put any hand in the ball at all, I'm over throwing it.


The other thing I noticed is that your videos of staying behind the ball still have a fair amount of axis rotation. Less than you normally do, but still a good amount. it's hard to tell from the video but my guess is that you're still at the 30-45 degree point. Your normal shot is pushing 90 I think. I'm not sure how well you can stay more behind it with your hand, but knowing how you threw that ball and the fact that you still have a decent amount of axis rotation should be something you're aware of.

Axis rotation on my normal shots is in the 60-70 degree range. The axis rotation on those end of end shots were in the 10-20 degree range. I actually didn't try to go straight with them, I was still looking for a little hook.

I have taken a lot off the ball over the past couple months, but I guess I am needing to do even less.

As for knee bend, I can get down further no problem, I just forget to do it is all. I was almost completely upright before so I am making progress I guess.

As for as not hitting or follow through or whatever we want to call it. I am going to need to do something with my armswing to get it higher. I want to stop short of opening my shoulder though. So I guess I better start working on some flexibility in my shoulder and knees as well.

If you re-read my other post I said there was no apparent loss of revs. No gain though, its about the same as far as I can tell.

I was swinging a few boards with this release on the viper, and it would hook up and roll out. The ball doesn't have the finish to it when I don't hit it. This is apparently what I am supposed to be doing since everybody seems to like that release the best.

I will honestly work to develop that release however it will be secondary in competition until I get proficient and comfortable with it, or if conditions demand it. I will be needing to change my arm swing and getting it higher to develop more speed, and I will also have to change my timing a little bit as well. I am sure I can work through it, its just a matter of time.

I was able to freeze some images and get still of the release points and hand positions. They are kind of small but you can get an idea anyways.

Here is my normal release and you will see my hand is more underneath the ball and the distance travelled by my fingers around the ball is greatest.








Here is the no hit release and you will see that the ball actually is off my hand a little sooner but the hand position is the same.







Then of course staying behind the ball, you can see how I come out if the ball a little different on this one. You can also see how my arm stays closer to my body with this release. There is an effort to keep your elbow tucked in when you know you want to stay behind it. I have a tendancy to chicken wing every now and then with my regular release. Its caused from rotating the wrist early.

You may think you're at 10 or 20 degree axis rotation but that video says differently. Especially the stills. I stopped the video to see where your hand was at release and it's well beyond that point. I'd bet your camera is at a 20 degree angle to you and your hand goes past the imaginary line from the camera through the ball.

If you're at 0 axis rotation your ball will roll directly at your target. 10-20 degrees of axis rotatiion would probably put the initial roll straight up the lane because you're swinging it. You've got a good 20 degree angle to the boards so that's going to put you closer to 45.

Lefty, what I think I need to do is get some video closer to the foul line and zoomed in at a higher resolution so we can see what is actually going on. I wasn't trying to go straight on those shots, but I also wasn't rotating my wrist nearly as much or ripping through it either. I was basing my estimate on what I seen while bowling and not on the video, so you may be correct with the 45 degree angle.

To be honest I may not even be able to go 0 axis rotation because of the fingers I use to bowl with. I mean I can't roll it right over the holes end over end if that is what you mean.

You're right, that just might be a limitation you have.. I'm not sure anyone but you is going to know. It's not something I think any of us has ever had to deal with.

The only advice I can give you is maybe to not turn your wrist at all. You already have more built in axis rotation with how the ball sits in your hand. We all do.. you just have more. I have to physically c0ck my hand outward at setup and not turn my wrist at all to stay dead behind the ball. Imagining using the fingers you use, I don't see how I could ever get to 0 without doing serous injury to myself