Ask Bob (August 2014)

A. Squeezing the ball to hang on causes many problems in the game of bowling. Loss of accuracy due to an inconsistent release point, loss of carry, the under/overreaction are just a few.
First go see your pro shop and make sure your fit is still proper. The hand goes through changes over time so something might have changed. Make sure the span is still correct and that the thumb hole is not too loose. If you have never used tape in the thumb hole ask your drilling professional teach you the art of taping the thumb hole to keep up with the natural changes in the size of your thumb. Any one or all of these things give you the feel of dropping the ball.
If after these things are checked your fit is fine then you are just trying to control your hold of the ball. This is not a good thing. You are then subject to all of the symptoms of a bad fit. I think all of us bowlers squeeze the ball sometimes especially when we are trying to hard to make a good shot. My trick for this is to set up and squeeze the ball purposely before beginning my approach. Do a hard squeeze then relax and begin approach. Most of the time doing this keeps you from squeezing the ball during your approach. Your accuracy and pin carry will go up.

A. First I hope you didn't quit all summer. I bowl in one summer league just to keep some rhythm. Then I go to the pro shop and check my equipment, have them clean it up resurface if needed, IHave them check my arsenal to make sure I have all my bases covered for the upcoming season. I may get a new ball if I need one to fill out my arsenal. Then I start practicing at least once a week; twice a week is better to regain muscle memory and confidence in my timing. This helps especially with shooting spares. You don't have to spend hours at this practice. If your league is 3 games then bowl 3 games. If it is 4 games then do 4 games. This gets you back in your normal bowling mode.