Baseball
pitchers have different types of pitches they can throw to batters.
The batter, in turn, has different positions for holding the bat; as
well as varying the way their shoulder faces depending on how far or
which side of the field they want the ball to go. It is a continuing
duel - one trying to strike out the batter, one trying to get a hit.
Golfers
have to learn to vary their hand, shoulder, and swing positions in
order to overcome the courses they are playing. Dog-leg right,
dog-leg left, which direction the wind is blowing from, and the
distance to the hole all play a factor in determining how the golfer
will play the hole or course.
In
fact, if you look at just about any competitive sport, the best
players are the ones who can overcome the different conditions placed
before them. They've learned how to choose the right equipment and
make adjustments for any obstacle placed in their way. Indoor,
outdoor, rain, shine, dirt, asphalt, clay, different grass, wind, no
wind, oil, no oil, wood, rubber, synthetic, and on-and-on.
I'm
sure you've all heard the announcers mention that a batter is choking
up on the bat, a golfer is facing his club head in a certain angle, a
tennis player is coming down on the ball with the racquet in order to
put back spin on it, and the bowler held the ball with a "broken
wrist" grip in order to keep it from hooking so much.
Some
of the factors we deal with in bowling are: volume of oil on the
lane, length of the oil down the lane, the pattern that is laid down,
wood lanes, synthetic lanes, temperature inside the bowling center,
and types of balls the other bowlers on the lanes are using. The list
could continue for much longer, but, I'm sure you get the point.
With
that in mind, here's some tips for the bowler who want to take their
game to the next level and who want to bowl consistently regardless
of where, or what condition, they bowl under.
This
is true regardless of whether you traveling to different bowling
centers to compete or, you're in the same bowling center on lanes 1 &
2 or 21 & 22.
This
article will cover two position techniques - hand position and wrist
position.
Hand
Position at your point of release: (references are to the face of
a clock, thumb is straight up.)
1)
If your thumb is straight up in the 12 o' clock position ) zero
degrees) and your fingers are positioned at the 6 o' clock position,
your ball will roll with the least hook. Your ball track will be
closer to the thumb and finger holes.
2)
Practicing with your thumb in the 10 o' clock (15 degrees) and 11 o'
clock (30 degrees) positions will round out your ability to develop
the hook potential under varying conditions.
2)
If your thumb is positioned in the 9 o' clock (45 degrees) position
and your fingers are in the 3 o' clock position, your ball will roll
with the maximum hook
Wrist
position at your point of release: (there are basically three)
1)
The "broken" or "weak" position is when you relax
your hand so that your thumb is pointing down and your fingers are on
top of the ball. This relaxed wrist position makes it difficult for
you to put any leverage on the ball, thereby taking revolutions off
the ball.
2)
The firm wrist position is the more normal position for line
(stroker) bowlers.
3)
The "cupped" or "cocked" wrist is the most
extreme position high revolutions and maximum hook potential.
By
practicing with each of the hand and wrist positions, and,
combinations of each of them, you should be able to find the position
that will work best for you when you enter a strange bowling center.
If
you only have one bowling ball and you have four hand positions AND
three wrist positions, you could say that you have, effectively, 12
different reactions that are controlled by you.
Keep
in mind, though, that there will be a fundamental style that you will
be most comfortable with; however, knowing that you can use other
adjustments will make you that much of a better bowler.
There
are very few bowlers in the modern sport of bowling who can do well
in traveling leagues or tournaments with only one bowling ball or one
style of bowling.
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