My PAP is 3 7/8. Is this bad? When the Pro Shop guy checked it he said my ball almost spins like a top. How can I change my PAP? Do I need to?

Roger

Usually it means your hand is turning over top of the ball with your thumb still in the ball.

Try not to let the thumb turn past 12:00, straight up to the ceiling.

If you are getting a good roll like Michael Fagan or Brad Angelo then there is not a good reason to change what you are doing, if the ball is spinning and not getting into a roll soon enough, then you might want to try what I said about not letting your thumb turn past straight up.

Usually I can feel my thumb drop a little as it goes into my backswing. Then I usually feel it come out before the ball reaches my ankle.

One of the reasons I ask is that I can play down the 2nd arrow but if I go outside the 2nd arrow I can't get the ball back. I'm fine 2nd arrow in usually. I'm using a Virtual Gravity with the pin above the ring finger.

I have asked my Pro Shop operator but he says I should just play down the 2nd arrow. He said I need complex wrist positions to play inside out.

I do understand that the VG burns up early in dry lanes but I can't get it to come back on oil either.

Roger

That answers my question, then it sounds like your wrist is in a very weak (bent back) position because the ball is slipping from your thumb. Try keeping your wrist in a strong position, bent forward and c0cked toward your body, and see if you can keep your wrist in that position through the swing to the release point, then uncup and unc0ck it through the release.

If you can't hold your wrist in that position, then you need to do some strengthening of your wrist, by doing wrist curls forward and backward and Hammer curls and other forearm strengthening exercises like squeezing a tennis ball.

If the ball still feels like it is slipping from your thumb as it goes into the back swing, then you will have to go to the Pro Shop and ask their advice for how to fix that.

first of all, Coach Jim is always on the money.


Notwithstanding his very good advice, I use 10 releases, one of which is what Coach Jim preaches. The one you describe, I call the "Planetary Rotation" because it looks like the Earth spinning on its axis.

That particular rotation is useful on lanes that are dried and fried. I throw it down and in, throwing at the first arrow and more or less directly towards the 3 pin. The rotation changes in the last 10 feet into a forward roll, with a perfect angle to the pocket.

However, this rotation is of limited use. I would recommend you learn a release from your local coach that will not require muscles, like a ladies' shot. If you notice on women's bowling, they don't cup their wrist, but they still get power at the pocket. My wife throws limp-wristed and gets 3 or 4 strikes per game.

If you opt for the firm/cupped/c0cked wrist type of release taught by Slowinski, then I recommend 5 to 10 pound Kettlebells (you can google that). They are better than dumbells for wrist curls, imho.

I was throwing with my thumb at around 10 or 11 in a fixed position all the way through. Then I was told by a local to start with my hand under the ball and rotate at release a couple inches. I actually threw more strikes with my ring finger at around 5 and my thumb at 10 or 11.

I use a Robbie Revs 3 wrist brace. Should I ditch the bace? My wrist seems to be weaker than when I started. That is when I don't use the brace.

I started bowling in a league last fall and I'm using the summer to improve and try some new things.

The closest coach to me is about an hour so it makes lessons tough. Thanks for your replies.

Roger

1 - if you're throwing limp-wristed with the thumb at 10-11 oclock, the ball should not be rotating like a top. It should have an axis of rotation of about 20* or so. The fact that it doesn't leads me to believe that your hand is actually coming around the ball on the side after the thumb slips out. If you find that's the case, then try keeping your hand in the same position throughout your release, with the fingers behind the ball. I know they're on top of the ball, but I mean the fingers should not exit the ball on the sid eotwards the gutter but rather over the top of the ball. This is for the limp-wristed over-the-top release, another one of my releases that is not popular with some folks but which works for me and especially for my wife, who throws 11 mph.
2 - the wrist brace is fine as long as it doesn't prevent you from throwing the way you want to. If it keeps your wrist bent, then it will prevent you from doing the over-the-top style of release. But it will be fine for the Slowinski style.
3 - practice makes permanent. Coaches make perfect. Sad but true. It's worth the money and the time, just for maybe 2 or 3 lessons during the summer.
4 - Don't learn to bowl from books. It's very difficult to understand what they're saying until you have actually done it. However, do read all of the Slowinski stuff.
5 - Kettlebells....

Good luck and good bowling!

This, especially the first sentence. If you're not practicing the right things, you're just engraining bad habits.

Here's an update. I noticed this week that my forearm was not facing the target. The side of my arm was. So I began throwing with my forearm facing the target and my rotation changed for the better. Also I found out I wasn't bringing my right foot around. These changes have improved my game 20 pins already.

The best news is I found a coach who uses video equipment 30 minutes away from me and I have a lesson on Tuesday. I'll check back in after that. Thanks for all the help!

Roger

Went to my first lesson yesterday. CoachJim was right on the money. My hand was coming over the ball. The Coach has me concentrating on my release right now. He said my timing and my footwork was good but my release was the main problem. I also had some equipment problems. He did some work on my thumbhole and it really made a difference. Now it's just breaking the habit of rolling my hand over.

Roger