​15.  DON’T BREAK THE WRIST. Keep the wrist even with your arm, not in a bent down position unless you are going for a 10 pin. Many bowlers use a wrist support that helps keep their wrist straight since the ball is a bit heavy. I use one because I have a 16 pound ball. If you feel you can’t hold your wrist straight, then invest in a wrist support. They are available at the pro shop as well as online where there are several to choose from.
 
16.  KEEP ARM OUT SLIGHTLY TO THE SIDE which will allow for body clearance when your arm comes down with the bowling ball to go into the pendulum swing, otherwise you have to force your arm out to the side, and it could go out a little farther one time but not the same the next time. Once again, you need to be consistent.
 
17. FINISH IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION with a good knee bend if you are able, rather than bending from the waist which puts more stress on the back.
 
18. Remember my 5 “F’S”- FACE the ins squarely, FOCUS on all of these basics, don’t go too FAST, keep the trailing FOOT more in back of you rather than out excessively to the side, and have FUN!!!

19. Think on your FOREARM going up towards the ceiling and touch your back lightly, so you know you are getting a good LIFT on the ball after the release.
 
    I certainly hope that your game has been improving. We have gone over many things since the beginning of my Blog. Remember to keep practicing and incorporating these basics every few games. There’s a lot to remember to be patient with yourself.
 
  Join me here next week to find out more about "Practice makes Perfect"! 
 
Good Luck and High scoring!!

    There are basically four types of BALL TRACKS. Before you start your next practice game, wipe your ball off really well with your towel and then bowl your first shot. When the ball returns, pick it up and observe the “Oil Track” on the ball to determine what kind you have.
 

1. SEMI ROLLER: This track is just to the side of the thumb and fingers. With this track, about ¾ of the balls surface touches the lane as it travels down the alley. A bowler with this track indicates that he/she holds their fingers a bit stiff and turns the wrist as they release the ball (rather than the arm) which creates a nice hook. This is the ideal ball because as it hits the pins, it makes them fall in a horizontal direction helping to knock down nearby pins instead of just flying quickly off the pin deck.

2.   FULL ROLLER- The oil track on this ball runs around the center of the ball and falls between the thumb and finger holes. The bowler with this track gets a lot of mix on the pins, the hook isn’t as large as the person with the semi roller, and there isn’t much wrist turn when the ball is released. 

 3.   SPINNER- You’ll notice the track of the oil here is way down on the ball and only covers a small portion of the balls’ circumference. A bowler with this track doesn’t have as much pin mix or power as the previous two tracks, but is rolled with a lot of wrist turn when the ball is released. There isn’t much hook and the ball deflects more when it hits the pins. Instead of the fingers normally finishing on the right side of the ball (left side for the left handed bowlers), they finish more at the top of the ball.

4.   FLARE- This type of ball track is newer since the more modern balls have been made. The ball moves off it’s initial track and ends up making a new track with each rotation of the ball as it travels down the lane. This means more of the cleaner surface of the ball is touching the lane which will equal a larger hook. (As you recall, oil cuts down on the hook). 

​    Checking your ball track will be able to tell you how consistent you have been in releasing the ball to make sure the oil ring is basically in the same area. If it’s off more than an inch, or so then you’ll need to work on keeping it consistent. After all, that’s the name of the Game!!
 
 
    As I previously mentioned, I will be away for the month of July 2021, so please keep practicing the things we discussed and make sure you have been able to get all the necessary equipment. Having your own “stuff” will also keep you more consistent. 
 
Good Luck and High Scoring!!  Join me here next week when I'll be discussing more important things to do in bowling part 3.

    A “Washout” is a spare leave with a space in between the pins, but the Headpin is still there (1 pin). It’s basically a split with the 1 pin present. They don’t consider it a split because theoretically you shouldn’t miss hitting the headpin. 
 
    Washouts, like splits, can still be difficult to convert. The first one we will discuss is the 1-3-7, or 1-3-6-7. You need to hit the 1 pin on the right side in hopes that it will slide over into the 7 pin. Try moving about ½ board or 1 full board to the left of where you normally stand for your strike shot. Use this as a starting point and adjust a little at a time until you can convert it. 

​    
​    Another washout you may encounter is the opposite, the 1-2-10, or 1-2-4-10. This time you will need to move slightly right of where you stand for the strike shot, so the 1 or 2 pin can slide over into the 10 pin. Remember, bowling is a game of angles and pins hitting into other pins for results!

​    There are several other “washouts” you may come across that I haven’t mentioned here, but you get the idea. It’s just a split with the headpin still remaining.
 
    Another way I see bowlers going for some of these washouts, is to stand to the left at the stance to change the angle. Try converting these and take notes on how you made them so you can refer to them on league nights if you need to. The object is to get high scores, have fun, and help your team win the games!! There is so much satisfaction in bowling really well. I promise you will get there, just be patient with yourself because it takes time!
 
  Next week I’ll be discussing “Ball Tracks”.
 
Good Luck and High Scoring!!