How To Put Spin On A Bowling Ball
Written By: bowlingball.com | Written On: Sunday, August 25, 2024
bowlingball.com Originally Posted: 11/04/2010; Updated On: 08/25/2024
If you wish to learn how to put spin on a bowling ball, then begin with understanding a few important release techniques to regulate a consistent and effective bowling ball release motion. Putting spin on a bowling ball must be done in a relatively precise manner in order to improve your game.
First, the "spin" term people use to describe a bowling ball motion refers specifically to the amount of axis tilt caused by a rotating axis of a bowling ball after being delivered down the lane. Your release action determines if a ball will hook or go straight. Developing a hook release is certainly preferred over a straight ball delivery. A hook ball will enter the pocket at the pin deck with an angle of entry more likely to maximize pin carry whereas a straight ball entering the pocket will deflect off of the head pin and not enter the heart of the pin formation which increases the chances at a strike result.
A spinning bowling ball is one which is rotating on an axis caused by a proper release of the bowling ball. As the ball rotates around the axis while the ball is in motion traveling down the lane, the axis will gradually tilt in an upward direction, called migration, and the degree of axis tilt will reduce until the ball makes contact with the pins. This overall motion of a bowling ball describes the "hooking motion" you are trying to achieve and may be referred to as "spin."
There are techniques to learn
how to put spin on a bowling ball and one is to maintain constant grip pressure on your fingers from the stance position on the approach and throughout the entire swing motion and into the critical release area at the bottom of the forward swing as your hand nears the back of your sliding shoe. If you release the ball between the shoe laces of your sliding shoe and the toe of the shoe, the momentum developed from the swinging of the bowling ball will carry the ball onto the lane surface beyond the foul line. The closer you can regulate the "moment of release" to that precise area of your sliding shoe, the more consistent your release will become.
Another factor in developing a "spin" release is the placement and positioning of your bowling hand on the bowling ball. To produce a small and consistent hook, less finger rotation at the "moment of release" is required than if you wish to produce a larger hooking action as the ball travels down the lane. Less hook is easy to control. A strong hook requires more discipline because of a faster and larger rotation by the fingers during the release of the ball.
For modest spin, a smooth hook, and one which is easy to control, set-up on the approach with your hand holding the ball not flatly underneath the ball and not completely on the side of the ball, as if you were going to shake hands with someone, but rather in between the two positions. If you were to allow your hand to maintain this position through the entire swing cycle and into the release area, you will rotate the axis of the ball perhaps only 15-20 degrees and the result will be a controllable hook on the back end of the lane. You will see noticeable "spin" imparted on the ball on the front 1/3 of the lane, less "spin" in the mid lane, and even less "spin" on the back end of the lane where the lane is void of oil conditioner and where the surface friction between the lane and the ball will cause the ball to "unhook" itself and roll with less axis tilt than when first delivered.
You can also hold the ball in a complete handshake position, or on the side of the ball, and maintain that position through the swing and release to get a similar result but the danger is that you may "over-turn" your hand and bowling elbow while releasing the ball as to have your hand pass over the top of the ball and your palm of your bowling hand face the floor. This common symptom of trying to force a "spin" release onto the bowling ball will certainly cause inconsistencies and result in poor direction toward your target as well as an ineffective ball roll. By all means, keep your bowling hand positioned between the handshake and flat, palm-up positions through the swing cycle and the release with your elbow directly behind your hand entering the release zone and you will achieve a smooth and moderate hook on the bowling ball.
It is possible to achieve a great deal of initial "spinning motion" on the ball which will produce a sharper and more stronger hooking motion at the back end of the lane by setting-up on the approach with your hand under the ball with the palm of your hand facing toward the ceiling. This type of hand position is commonly known as "behind the ball" positioning. If you are a right handed bowler (opposite for left handed bowlers), as your hand reaches the critical release zone with your hand maintaining the "behind the ball" positioning on the forward swing, you must rotate your fingers quickly and decisively from left to right or about about two or three hours on a visualized clock dial from "behind the ball" to the side of the ball from the 6 o' clock position to the 4 o' clock or the 3 o' clock positions. This quick and decisive rotation of the bowling ball with your bowling fingers will tilt the rotating axis to perhaps a range of 45 - 70 degrees of axis tilt, cause the noticeable "spin motion" you seek on your ball, and will cause the ball to hook more sharply than the previous example of maintaining your hand between the "behind the ball" position and the "handshake" position.
In either case, be careful not to rotate your entire arm but rather only your fingers and wrist action. Another tip is to use a wrist device when practicing (if you do not already use one) which allows for a setting to be adjusted to create a speedy thumb release and a crisp axis tilt rotation motion. Tilting the wrist upward while you are releasing the ball will fly your thumb out of the ball well before the fingers so the fingers can rotate the ball and create additional revolutions on the ball and/or increase the amount of tilt in the rotating axis of the ball, both of which will undoubtedly work toward maximizing your release hook potential.
bowlingball.com always recommends you consult with a certified coach so you can sharpen your skills and develop a smooth and consistent bowling release. By the way,
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