Gripping of ball

W

wicked

New Member
Hi guys,

This is my first post and I'm already asking questions. :p

I'm bowling with a red zone, 2nd arrow, medium rev, tracking about 1 inch from the thumb hole. I'm not too sure about how the ball is drilled. I think it's setup for medium oil, has got a balance hole drilled out. The yellow dot sits about 15mm beside the fourth finger insert.

I have problem getting a consistent release of ball, resulting in inconsistent hook and often throws my aiming off. Here is a list of things I found:

- Late exit of thumb. How soon should my thumb be released (eg. exactly where in my swing)? I have a thumb insert, should I make it a lot bigger to aid the release of thumb?

- Grabbing of ball. I've tried the palm up approach, not easy. Should I contnue practicing palm up motion?

- How do I swing or release to get more rev as I'm not hooking enough with freshly oiled lanes. I really hope to work on my techniques before sanding the ball down or redrill the ball.

Thanks for reading this. :)
 
there will be alot of knowledgable people on this site that can help you here, mr doust is one that comes to mind, along with stephen cowland, tonx etc. If your looking for some help in the meantime til one of the sites members answers your questions look at www.bowl4fun.com in the tips archive section. while i was still bowling it was a site i read religiously as ron is one of the best coaches in the world. he really knows his stuff
 
strange it was there two days ago when i last looked. try googling ron clifton and see if it may come up with a new site. if you can find something from him you will find lot of the answers your looking for. just ask anyone off the pba site they will tell you how good this guy is
 
Ron's domain name expired. He is in a coaching clinic atm, and will be sorting the site when he gets back home.
 
wicked said:
Hi guys,
This is my first post and I'm already asking questions. :p
I'm bowling with a red zone, 2nd arrow, medium rev, tracking about 1 inch from the thumb hole. I'm not too sure about how the ball is drilled. I think it's setup for medium oil, has got a balance hole drilled out. The yellow dot sits about 15mm beside the fourth finger insert.
I have problem getting a consistent release of ball, resulting in inconsistent hook and often throws my aiming off. Here is a list of things I found:
- Late exit of thumb. How soon should my thumb be released (eg. exactly where in my swing)? I have a thumb insert, should I make it a lot bigger to aid the release of thumb?
- Grabbing of ball. I've tried the palm up approach, not easy. Should I contnue practicing palm up motion?
- How do I swing or release to get more rev as I'm not hooking enough with freshly oiled lanes. I really hope to work on my techniques before sanding the ball down or redrill the ball.
Thanks for reading this. :)
Click to expand...

I don't think the palm up approach works for trying to hook the ball. It seems like you're bowling straight balls. At the time of release, your hand position should resemble something close to holding a briefcase. Another handy tip to promote revs/hook is to think that you're trying to rip out the finger inserts (the middle and ring finger) as you're releasing the ball. If feel that your thumb hole is a little too tight take it to the ball driller. If that's not the case, you could just be giving your ball a deathgrip without knowing it. As for targeting, if you target second arrow, then keep your eyes on that only for your first deliveries on each frame. Focus on the second arrow until you think it's big as a watermelon.
 
I don't really think telling him to pretend to rip out the finger inserts is going to help him at all -- only throw off his ballance & make him look silly.

The thing about finger tip is you need to 'crawl before you walk'. When you;re bowling you are meant to be relaxed, & if you;re relaxed properly, let the ball 'fall off your hand' & roll off your fingers. Eventually when you get used to this, begin gripping with your fingers, & you'll get more revolutions.
Hand position is important, when you swing the ball behind you, it is important to keep what ever motion you are doing consistent. I presume you're just holding it normal -- a good thing. When you're about to release your ball, pretend you're giving a hand shake, you'll find you will get an ok roll & nice looking angle of direction on your ball. This will help it hook.

& I hope this helps.
 
And before you do any of that. Get a coach to look at your timing.

Without consistent and good timing you can do all you want with ripping grips and letting it fall off your hand, but it won't be consistent.

I've found it amazing how much easier it is to adjust my game when my timing is spot on, as opposed to when im struggling for timing as well as reaction. They are often very closely related. Do you have a video camera?? Youtube and putfile are great places to upload videos and make it easier for everyone trying to help you.

Does your thumb feel comfortable in the ball? If yes, but your are struggling to release it, it could be more thumb pitches then anything. Thumb pitch is the angle at which the hole is drilled into the ball. If it's drilled towards your fingers or forward pitch, then it can create a hold on the thumb being released. Pitched away from your fingers or reverse pitch, does the opposite. Allows a quicker exit from the hole.

You say your only just starting and it's rare for a ball driller to get your fit absolutely perfect first time. Go back to them and express your problems. They might be able to help more then we can.

Later Da Cowman!
 
Troyza said:
I don't really think telling him to pretend to rip out the finger inserts is going to help him at all -- only throw off his ballance & make him look silly.
Click to expand...
I disagree. What my coach taught me when I wanted to get more revs on the ball was to VISUALISE yourself ripping out the finger inserts on the release. Therefore, in physical terms, meaning to create a strong lifting action with the fingers. Furthermore, it won't throw him off balance provided that the rest of his technique is good.
 
On the subject of gripping the ball Im wondering what peoples thoughts are on grips.
I was told when I got my first reactive ball drilled If I hadn't used grips before dont start as they are expensive and i really don't need them.
Someone recently told me I would get more reaction If I had used grips (Or lifters as they said)
 
Just having lifters in your ball won't mean you will automatically get a better reaction. That's what happens when you go finger tip as opposed to the conventinal grip. When you do start using these lifters for finger tip, however, then it is possible to get different reactions.
There are two types of lifters, oval (they have an oval shape for the fingers) and power (have a flat spot where the fingers grip). Oval lifters have practically the same effect as a normal finger hole, while power lifters help promote hook, giving off a better reaction. It's your choice as to use which ones you want, as both have their pro's and con's. Personally, i use the oval lifters because i'm 2 handed, so i don't feel i don't need any more revolutions or hook on my ball. There may be other 2 handed bowlers out there that do use them for other reasons. It's basically your choice, wheter your left handed, right handed, a stroker or a tweaner.

Hope this helps out.
 
If you want some good advice depending on where you are in Brisbane take some time out and see Laurie Hill and Caboolture Bowl (www.griplocaus.com). He coaches as well as ball driller and I think his rate for coaching is $7.50 for 1/2 hr. Runs the pro shop as well.
 
griggsy said:
there will be alot of knowledgable people on this site that can help you here, mr doust is one that comes to mind, along with stephen cowland, tonx etc. If your looking for some help in the meantime til one of the sites members answers your questions look at www.bowl4fun.com in the tips archive section. while i was still bowling it was a site i read religiously as ron is one of the best coaches in the world. he really knows his stuff
Click to expand...

That site was very informative, hoping to put some of that to use this Friday Night.
 
Nebster said:
There are two types of lifters, oval (they have an oval shape for the fingers) and power (have a flat spot where the fingers grip). Oval lifters have practically the same effect as a normal finger hole, while power lifters help promote hook, giving off a better reaction.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... I think this is a common misconception.

When I put my drawing eyes on and really try to see what's happening, I haven't seen anyone get more than a tiny increase in revs from using the "lifter" side of a grip. They feel more drag on their fingers and often get some burn (a.k.a. tissue damage), but the revs usually don't seem to appear. Oval grips in correctly pitched holes will give the same revs with greater comfort in my experience and that of many of my customers.

The main reason for this is that you can get a purchase on the hole with the entire face of your fingertip, not just the top edge.

Besides, you don't need big revs these days. It's fun, but not necessary to generate a heap of hand.

Good advice from Cow, btw. Timing is everything in comedy and bowling. Also ask around to see who's the best person to put holes in a ball for you in your area. After all, it's your hand. Take care of it.
 
I've got lifter type and oval and I don't notice a difference other than my fingertips being less or more numb depending on which ones I use.
 
Jase,
I do find also that different types of lifters give different reactions of your hand, and also some of the different colours create different feelings as well. The best ones I have found so far have been the Ice lifters, very soft and give a very good feel especially for the longer tournaments. I did notice that when I did first start using lifter my rev rate improved a little but not very noticeable unless you have a trained eye to my shot, so it was like a 5% or less difference. The thing it helped me with was the burn on my fingers and the fact I felt like I had more feeling when I was letting go of the ball. Since changing to them, I dont think I could ever go back to not having them in the ball as I have quite soft hands and not having them in or having old hard lifters would just create hell on my hand.

Just my two cents,
Phillip
 
Hi Phillip,

Fair call and interesting observation on the colours. Different slug colours have a different expansion (and subsequent hole shrinkage) rates after drilling in my experience as well, so it seems to be related to the dyes. The "lifter" type of grip gives the burning sensation of new found additional lift, but as we've both said, the difference is minimal. (The 5% you mentioned would be 1 revolution if you already had 20 like Belmo.)

Vise Ice oval grips are my preferred grip for people. They match everything and aren't as soft as Turbo grips, so give a firmer feel and last longer.

As a side issue, I dislike the term "lifter" as your fingers are the only lifters you have. It's one of those oxymoronic marketing terms like "fresh frozen". I don't use grips personally as they give me too many revolutions and limit my ability to throw it with less hand as is so often required. It's so rare for me to really want to get on it these days. I think the last time was in 2008!

Cheers,
Jason
 
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