Technique A B
TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE YOU A BETTER BOWLER / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
A helping hand:Altering your outside finger placement will affect the roll of your ball, adding another tool to your bowling toolbox.
A: Standard grip. Using the standard grip as a baseline will give you a better idea of how changes in your finger placement impact the shot.
C D
B: Close pinky. Moving your pinky finger close to the ring finger takes away some of the support system on that side of the ball and allows you to get around the ball more.
C: Tucked pinky. By tucking your pinky finger, you’ll feel like you’ve got a better hold on the ball. This grip also allows you to get around the side of the ball.
D: Extended spread. If you want to stay behind the ball more, spread your pinky finger out wider.
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
changes with your index finger. I favor keep- ing your index finger in a pretty standard, comfortable spot and moving your pinky finger to create slight changes in ball roll. There are several variations of pinky-fin- ger placement that will affect ball roll. The closer the pinky finger is to the ring finger, the more you’ll feel that you can get around the ball, taking away some of the support system that you have on that side of the ball, so you can roll around that side a little eas- ier. A more extreme variation is to tuck the pinky finger. You will feel a little more stretch
inside the ball, like you’ve got a better hold on the ball. This positioning also makes it even easier to get around the side of the ball. (Sean Rash tucks his pinky finger, but his natural release is still more up the back of the ball.) Conversely, by spreading your pinky fin- ger out a little wider, you’ll be able to stay behind the ball more. If I want someone to stay behind the ball, I will often instruct him to spread both the index and pinky fingers wider, creating a big “W” with their fingers. Now, there’s more support on both sides
of the ball, which creates a more relaxed release and “softer” hand, and the ball has a tendency to roll off your hand. That’s key for many bowlers, given today’s balls. Because bowling balls today do so much of the work for you, minimal grip pressure and a softer hand are important. Pete Weber may have the softest hand in the game. Learning to move your outside fingers adds another tool to your bowling toolbox. Practice these adjustments to see how they affect ball roll. If you’re playing outside and straight, spread the pinky finger out. You’ll
feel like the ball is more centralized in your hand, and you’ll get a more up-the-back re- lease. If you’re playing the middle of the lane and trying to create a sharper reaction, try bringing the pinky finger closer to the ring finger than normal (or tuck it). This is another option for fine-tuning your game without moving laterally; it adds to your versatility. Trust me, these are moves that the best players know and implement. But they are also moves that above-average bowlers can practice and occasionally incor- porate into their own game.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////// May 2014 13
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25