Technique Consider that the lane is 60 feet
long. If you normally lay the ball down six inches past the foul line, your ball has 59½ feet to travel be- fore it hits the head pin. If you loft the ball a foot farther, you’ve short- ened the lane to 58½ feet. The ball starts its motion later on the lane. Simply put, you’re starting the pro- cess later. The problem most bowlers have
with trying to loft the ball is the ten- dency to impart loft entirely with the upper body. Most bowlers try to muscle and hit up on the ball. They just try to throw it farther. The proper way to impart loft is
to stand up on the shot a little more when you’re entering the slide-and- release portion of your shot. Instead of getting as low to the line as you can, keep your knee bend a little higher and don’t drive into the line as much as normal.
Practice Tool
Place a towel on the lane, a foot or two from the foul line, and practice clearing the towel. Remember, don’t muscle the ball by using extra upper-body strength. Work on staying a little more upright, not bending your slide knee as much and releasing the ball from a higher position.
PREPARE TO SET SAIL: Click the video above as Bryan O’Keefe demonstrates the keys to introducing loft to your game. The keys to loft are the knee bend
and posture. We’ve talked before about keeping your posture the same once you start your slide, and that applies here as well. Maintain your posture, just don’t bend so much at the knee. It’s important that you’re not rising on the shot. Concentrate on staying a touch more upright through the shot.
Loft shouldn’t really affect your
release point much. You’re just releas- ing the ball from a slightly higher point, which will make it hit the lane further out. You do want to release the ball just a hair past your ankle so that you’re projecting the ball out onto the lane. Remember — out, not up. Neither should loft affect your follow through. At fi rst, holding your fi nish a
10 USBOWLER JUNE 2012
little higher may feel different, but after a while you will get used to how your fi nish feels. Make sure the things that make your normal shot consistent stay consistent when you’re lofting the ball. You still want to post the shot properly. — Bryan O’Keefe is Assistant Coach and Facility Manager at the Interna- tional Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas.
BOWLING TECHNIQUES TO MAKE YOU A BETTER BOWLER
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