Releasing the ball too soon



When a bowler releases the ball too soon, he winds up with a very low follow-through or none at all, and therefore finds it difficult to direct the ball in the desired path to the target. He also cannot develop a grooved delivery, but instead produces a jerky motion that cannot fail to have ultimate bad effects, from a standpoint of both accuracy and smoothness. REMEDY. Wait until the ball has passed your left foot before you release it, and then release it as smoothly as possible. If you do this, you will maintain control of the ball until the last possible instant and will have a better follow-through. For the better bowlers, this means adjusting one's self at the last fraction of a second in the delivery.

Not releasing the ball soon enough

By hanging onto the ball too long, you lose the desired smooth- ness. The ball is pitched or thrown out onto the lane. It bounces, loses its "stuff" and in general is not effective. REMEDY. After the ball has passed your left foot, allow the fingers to come out of the ball easily and effortlessly. Keep in mind that the trajectory of the ball from where it leaves your hand to the point at which it touches the alley surface should be a low one, and that the ball should leave the fingers in such a manner that without any effort expended the ball lands on the polished surface of the lane past the foul line. Let the momentum of the easily swinging ball carry it out over the line.

Worrying over immaterial details

Too many bowlers have their minds occupied with unimportant things that make no real difference in their game, and these serve only to prevent them from concentrating on the really important fundamentals. As an example, quite often bowlers come to me and say that after they have inserted their thumb and fingers in the ball, they are at a loss to know where to place their forefinger and little finger. Actually, this makes little or no difference at all. I tell them to pick up their ball from the rack and then put it back again, several times in fairly rapid succession. When they have done these four or five times and are becoming accustomed to holding it, I ask them to observe the manner in which they are holding the ball. The chances are that the grip they are using then is their natural grip and is the one they should continue to use.

Another question that is often asked is, "What do I do with my left arm?" I had occasion to go into that subject years ago. I was watching a league of male keglers and happened to observe what each man was doing with his left arm during the approach and delivery. I saw practically every person using his arm differently and concluded that it was entirely a matter for each individual that each used it as a natural balance, even though the methods of use differed widely. Intrigued with this discovery, I dropped in a few minutes later where my wife was bowling. As I came in, she was regarding with satisfaction her three straight strikes which she had scored to open her game. As she arose for her fourth frame, I whispered, "What do you do with your left arm when you bowl?" Puzzled, she considered it for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders helplessly. But I could see her pondering as she stood out there ready to roll her next ball. Then she started forward, her left arm held out rigidly and unnaturally from her side, and delivered a jerky ball that wound up in the right-hand gutter. I don't mind telling you that I was out of that seat and heading for home before she could get back from the foul line!

It is as important to know that remedies as it is to know the faults that you commits not only in the game of bowling but in other games as well. So try to make the best use of the remedies that are available to you when you commit any faults in the game.