How should you hold your wrist in bowling

    When a Bowler holds the ball at the stance, there are basically three wrist positions he can choose and hold throughout the pendulum swing:

1. Using the Broken Wrist Position:
    
     * Will put less SKID and more ROLL on the ball.
     * Will transfer more of the balls weight to the fingers letting the bowler apply necessary LIFT and getting action at the 
           pins.
     * You need to stay focused to be consistent and break the wrist the same way each time. You can break the wrist
​         slightly more when dealing with tight (oily) lanes, but if the break is too extreme, then the ball will not be in the
         correct position at the end of the swing. It will place your fingers too much at the top of the ball, instead of 
         underneath, and you won't be able to lift with the fingers properly. The balls' weight will also be shifted on the thumb
         causing the ball release to be too early or too late.
    

Broken Wrist Position

2. Using the Straight Wrist Position:

      * Is the most popular wrist position bowlers use.      
      * Will keep the proper position of the ball throughout the swing.
      * The easiest of the wrist positions to maintain and execute.
      * Keeps the fingers under the ball to be able to execute proper lift.
   

Straight Wrist Position

​3. Using the Cupped Wrist Position:

     * Allows the hand to move more strongly under the ball, which produces more Skid Force. Skid Force allows the ball
         to travel a bit further down the lane before it starts to break (hook). This wrist position helps you to score higher on 
         dry lane conditions (when there isn't much oil).
     * Produces a low effective roll that will help with pin carry.
     * Requires a powerful forearm and wrist, or the strain of holding the ball in this position may cause your hand to turn 
         slightly to the left (for right handed bowlers), or to the right (for left handed bowlers. It can also cause you to move 
         your elbow and arm away from the hip too much (to allow for the proper body clearance) which would restrict a 
         good pendulum swing.
      * Restrict the use of a wrist supporter, depending on which type you like to use.

Cupped Wrist Position

   Which wrist position do you use? If you haven't tried all three, go practicing and give the others a try and see how they can affect your ball's reaction on the lane.  Take notes on what you discover and practice them often so you can use them  at any time during your league play when lanes are changing and nothing else is working.

​Good Luck and High Scoring!

    Join me here next week when I'll be discussing more on basics and important things for you to remember. See you then, and have a great week!