Throwing a straight ball can be great, especially if you are going for spares, but let's face it, all the better average bowlers in the leagues or the pros you watch on TV all throw some type of curve or hook shot. Putting more revolutions or "Revs" on the ball will help you achieve this desired hook shot that will get you more action at the pins and ultimately more strikes!!! I may have mentioned some of these in other blog posts, but if it's important, I tend to repeat. Here are some ways you can increase the revs on your ball: 1. USE A FINGER TIP GRIP: If you are currently releasing your ball with a conventional tip grip (fingers insert into the ball up to the second knuckles) you should bring your ball into the pro shop and have the holes filled with resin and get a Finger Tip Grip drilled into the ball. The Finger Tip Grip (fingers inserted into the ball up to the first knuckles) will more easily allow you to pull those fingers toward your palm to get more turns or revs on the ball as you release it, and allows the wrist is able to put more into the shot. 2. CUPPING THE WRIST: Cupping the wrist and keeping it that way throughout the swing and release causes your thumb to leave the ball first. The remaining two fingers will allow you give the ball good LIFT, giving it a strong counter clockwise motion and a strong hook coming into the pocket. It will feel awkward if you're not used to this. 3. CHANGING FINGER POSITIONS: Remember the clock face I spoke about? Assuming your stance position on the approach, place the ball in your hand out on front of you and turn it to the right as far as you can. Thinking about the face of a clock, the pinky will be on the 10 and the thumb will be on the 4. If you are a left handed bowler, your pinky will be at the 2 and your thumb at the 7 or 8. Try holding your hand in this position at the stance and on the downswing. Just before the release, turn your hand back to the 10:00 or 11:00 position (1 or 2:00 for lefty's). That will get a nice rotation on the ball and higher revs and pin action. See photo below: 4. If you have been wanting a new ball and have been bowling awhile, you may want to BUY A MORE AGGRESSIVE BALL at the pro shop or have them re-fill and re-drill your ball so the pin is in a different position to help with more revs.Talk to the pros about this at your bowling center and let him know what you want to accomplish. They are always very helpful and knowledgeable. 5. Try getting the FINGERS BELOW THE EQUATOR OF THE BALL: 6. This one will take practice, but you can try CHANGING YOUR TIMING a bit by getting your footwork to be one step ahead of the arm position. If your foot can reach the foul line slightly ahead of the arm releasing the ball, it will help increase the rev rate on the ball. 7. When you have a relaxed hand, the fingers stay in the ball a little longer which will increase the RPM's (Revolutions Per Minute) on the ball. 8. Try INCREASING THE SPEED IN WHICH YOUR STRAIGHTEN THE BOWLING ARM while releasing the ball. In other words, push the inside of the elbow towards the pins more quickly on the ball release. 9. BENDING THE PINKY: Bend your pinky so that the fingernail is touching the ball. This forces the other two fingers to turn the ball a bit more before the release. Most people have a ball RPM of about 300-350. Strokers can average between 0-200 RPM's, some power Tweeners 300-400, and Crankers 350+ RPM's. A man names Robert Smith has been recorded to have the most RPM's at 550-600!! Remember to always go and practice these new things and be confident before applying them in your league games when it counts. Be aware that with a higher rev rate, the ball will come up higher on the head pin and you want to do your best to avoid splits, so observe how the lanes are moving and move your feet and target accordingly. Join me back here again next week when I'll be discussing Part-2 of "Understanding the Mental Game of Bowling". Good Luck and High Scoring!!
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AuthorHello!! My name is Joanie. Although I'm not a professional bowler, I have loved the sport for more than 45 years, averaged over 200 for several seasons, and learned quite a bit with research and experience. Archives
February 2023
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