Stay Behind Your Ball To Get Ahead in Your Bowling Scores
Updated 8/3/2020Drop the phrase “turn your ball” from your bowling vocabulary. There is no need to turn the ball these days.
Modern bowling ball equipment is engineered to produce specific ball motion for every bowler. The trick is to stay behind the bowling ball and allow the dynamics of the
bowling ball, the pitch angles drilled into your ball, and the drilling layout to produce the controllable hook motion you seek.
Stay behind the ball as you begin your forward swing and as your hand enters the release zone. Use only a slight rotation of your bowling fingers to gain an effective delivery. This type of delivery motion will allow you to play any angle of attack to hit the pocket. It will produce sufficient rev-rate and axis tilt to gain a reliable ball reaction when using the modern
bowling ball equipment in today’s market.
Any finger rotation applied to your bowling ball must occur in the release zone. The release zone is where your thumb exits the ball and where your fingers rotate your bowling ball. It is recommended to allow your thumb to exit the ball near the heel of your sliding
bowling shoe and then your fingers will rotate the ball slightly later near the toe of your sliding shoe.
Position your hand directly behind the bowling ball at the top of your back swing so the palm of your hand faces the pins down the lane. Remain in that position until your hand enters the release zone. This will prevent rotating the ball too soon and causing your bowling hand to move over the top of the ball resulting in inconsistent and ineffective deliveries.
With your hand directly behind the ball as you prepare to deliver the ball, you will be in position to rotate your bowling fingers only very slightly to produce a low axis tilt and impart a forward rolling action onto the bowling ball.
Don’t get caught up in a big rotation motion with your hand. With a slight finger rotation, perhaps only one inch, you will avoid rolling your ball over the gripping holes and easily produce sufficient ball skid.
With a slight axis tilt you can easily control the skid length and produce a controllable hook motion as your ball transitions in the mid-lane and again on the back-end.
If your hand is accidentally positioned slightly to the outside of the bowling ball, you are in danger of over-rotating the ball and making an ineffective delivery. Avoid over-rotating your bowling fingers or letting the palm of your hand go around the front of the ball at all times.
To help get your bowling arm into position at the top of your back swing, make sure you keep the inside bone of your elbow tucked closely toward your torso during your forward swing. This arm position, coupled with keeping your elbow positioned behind your ball, will help keep you from rotating your ball too soon.
If your bowling arm swings closely to your body as you swing the ball into the release zone, the chances of staying behind the ball increase. Keeping your forward swing close to your body will help you maintain a good swing path direction to your sighting target.
Don’t think about turning your ball, think instead of staying behind your ball for consistent deliveries.
