Hello! Great to be here. This is a great forum. Lots of help available!

I was hoping some of you could give me some tips. I'm really new to bowling again. I've always bowled, but usually only once every couple of years. I would go once a month when I was 12/13, but very rarely since. The family went bowling last week, and I decided I didn't want to suck anymore.

I bought a cheap reactive ball the next day (15 pound tornado) and have been reading this forum the last 5 days. I would really like to improve. The last three days I've played three games/day. I'm trying to get some hook, but haven't succeeded. So I've been throwing it pretty straight. I'm not pathetic, but I don't have any fundamentals. I'm able to hit targets most of the time, and I usually get the ball into the pocket. One time I'll get it to hook a couple boards, most times it goes straight, sometimes it will backup. Anyhow, any help would be great. Here is a video my wife took. I strike here, but that is certainly not the norm:



Thanks!

Luke

It goes straight because you are playing the middle of the lane where there's the most oil/lane conditioner. The ball will not hook in oil, none will.

So.... On a typical house shot the oil is less on the outside. If you count the boards there are dots on the lane and corresponding arrows on the lane that are in increments of 5 boards. The middle is #20. Heavy oil is typically inside 10. So from 10 to 20, on the right side is fairly heavy oil.

When you roll the ball ( don't throw it/ roll it), make sure that your wrist stays firm and at least in a straight angle. You are bending your wrist back. Also the ball will rotate in the direction your thumb goes. So if you look at your thumb when you release the ball, that's the direction the ball will go. You are opening your hand and rotating the ball left to right instead of right to left. Firm up your release and pretend you are throwing an underhand spiral football.

So I'd work on that release. And start more to the right on the lane targetting the 10 board (second arrow). This will allow the ball to find some drier boards and get into a little bit of a hook.

Erin

Thanks Erin! I knew I had a problem with my release. Even when I moved to boards further right, I wasn't getting much of a reaction. I moved to the center so that I could at least have a chance towards the end of the games.

I'll work hard on the release then. Firm that wrist up, go from there.

Keep in mind harder is not better. The more speed you put on the ball, the less hook you will get.

Nicely done, Erin. Deep, keep listening to advice you get here, and you will improve.

your hand is on top of the ball, keep it behind and if possible a little under the ball.

All the advice you have received here is very sound advice. I think for you, it would be most benificial to work on getting you hand under the ball as much as possible. The best way to describe the feeling of being under the ball, is to think about gravity and its affects on your grip of the ball. You want your grip to resemble you holding an egg in your hand, to much pressure and the egg will break. I assume with your hand on the top side of the ball through your entire approach that you are having to grip the ball in order to keep it from falling off your thumb. Instead, put the weight of the ball in your palm (and slightly towards the pointer finger) and keep the pressure in your palm throughout the entire swing. If you can accomplish this, that is the first step in throwing a consistant ball every time. After getting the feel of keeping the weight in the palm of your hand, work on getting around the ball slightly. The motion is similar to that of throwing an underhanded spiral, and a good practice is to grab a tennis ball (or other similar object that fits in your hand) and try to swing and cause it to spin without rotating your wrist past 45 degrees. Hope this helps.

Thanks everyone. I will work on my release the next time I get out. Such a helpful bunch, I really appreciate it.

Luke

Your welcome, glad we could help, and after you get a few more practice sessions in, don't forget to post up another video of the progress.

For starters, you need to develop an arm swing, forcing the ball back and forth like you are doing is detrimental to hooking the ball.

Stand with your left foot in front of your right foot to allow room for the ball to swing, start with the ball in close to your body, your elbow at your side. Push the ball slightly up, then let it drop into the swing without forcing it, let the ball swing as far back as it can without helping it. You want to feel the zero gravity effect at the top of the back swing, then fall freely back down, make sure you don't release it, and repeat the swing again. Do this at home several times a day between practices.

Next you can add three steps to the drill (three steps since you take 5 steps, two steps for those who take 4). First step: no swing small 1/2 step with your left foot, with your right foot, start the ball slightly up and drop it into the swing as you take your next step, let the ball swing up and catch it and repeat the drill.