Behind Your Bowling Ball

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 7/1/2014; Updated: 10/14/2022

If you are a bowler with a moderate amount of hook, then it is important to keep your hand behind your bowling ball during your release minimizing your hook and achieving accuracy and a controlled ball reaction.
Since you do not deliver a big, sweeping hook, maintaining a controlled ball path down the lane to the breakpoint is important to hitting the pocket and to accuracy.
There are several tips on staying behind your bowling ball which coaches recommend to avoid overturning or over-rotating your fingers and increasing your axis tilt.
Using a low axis tilt is developed by a reduced amount of finger rotation at the moment you deliver your ball.
When your thumb exits the ball in the release zone at the bottom of your forward swing, the palm of your hand needs to face the pins. Maintain that relative positioning throughout the completion of your swing and follow-through motion.
If your hand is directly behind the bowling ball so the palm of your hand faces the pins but you still rotate your fingers more than you wish, think of keeping your thumb to the right of your middle finger when your thumb leaves the ball and all the way to the finish of your swing cycle.
This is an effective way for right handed bowlers to stay behind the ball and avoid over-rotating the bowling fingers.
Left handed bowlers merely need to think of keeping the thumb left of the middle finger during the release and follow-through positions.
Although this technique may seem like you will not rotate your ball at all, it is an effective mental tip to avoid over-rotating the ball.
Power players hook the ball a good deal and generate a lot of revs. It is next to impossible to match that delivery style if you are not trained to do so.
By trying to emulate a power player release, you will get stuck between a controlled, forward ball rolling motion player with low axis tilt and the high rev, big hook style of a power player.

Unless you are very adept at playing a wide range of delivery angles, it is wise to reduce your hook by staying behind the ball and play a directional control game as opposed to playing a hook game.
Stay behind the ball, keep your thumb to the outside of your middle finger at the moment of release, and keep your forward swing very close to your body.
You do not need a lot of finger rotation to become an effective player. Control your ball hook so you can make sensible lane adjustments as you go along in competition.
The name of the game is hitting the pocket, picking up spares, and getting the most out of your strings of strikes.
This delivery tip will serve you well. Stay behind your bowling ball and ahead of the scoring curve.