When coaching during the week, I will get a student who is throwing a good shot. The student will complain of inconsistency to score and carry strikes. Splitz, 5 pins and 5-7pin leaves will top the list. Immediately I think - "how is the ball reeeeally rolling to the pocket?" I'll look at several releases, and then I'll finally look at the ball oil tracks.
As OPRAH would say, "then you get that AH HAHHHH MOMENT !!!! The bowling ball comes back on the return with oil rings running over the thumb hole, the finger holes or the oil rings will even track between the two.
What causes this occurance is often a release that is later than normal (letting the ball go way past the ankle out onto the lane). Also, the early release of the thumb, however the thumb is in the wrong position.
Releasing the thumb early is good, however it is bad when the thumb is below the fingers. This action will cause you to rotate and pull the ball backwards as you try to send it down the lane. Often you may see the back of your hand at release with fingers up to the ceiling. You will have that CLAW like look of your hand like you are holding the steering wheel at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. Left and Right handed bowlers.
This action makes the fingers pull back on the ball and makes the thumb dump the ball onto the lane, thumb hole first. (If you feel the joints or near the joints you will notice a ridge of tough skin across both joints (finger tips).
If you follow the ball, even on film, you will see from the side view, that the ball is actually rotating or skidding backwards at first, prior to orientating to the left and going into a forward roll for right handed bowlers.
To "fix" this not so bad of a problem, you will need to re-train your muscles and reorientate your hand release position just a bit. Getting a USBC Certified Coach who is "experienced" with reading your oil tracks to see what your hand is doing is the first order of business. They get paid the big bucks to show you where the tracks should be and to demonstrate release techniques.
To most people they may not care that the oil rings hit the holes. Especially if they are scoring above 130, sadly these are prime candidates for 170 to 200 average bowlers. If you want to take you game to the next level so you can make better adjustments, take a look at your bowling ball oil tracks in next few weeks. If you are hitting the thumb and finger holes, you may be losing crucial traction that will allow you to get better pin carry earlier or later in the game when you need it. Learning proper release is second in my 12 step training program, right after ball fit! Although you may hit your target many times over, ball movement down lane is always going to be affected when you constantly hit the thumb and finger holes. Learn to adjust!
TrueBowler
www.TrueBowlingAdjustments.com
