USBC Coaching Tips
Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced
1. What is the best way to determine the correct ball weight?
In determining ball weight, USBC Coaching suggests having bowlers put their hand out in front of them, waist high with the palm up. Place different weight house balls in the palm to see which one begins to slightly push the hand down. The one that slightly pushes the hand down will be the weight that is close to what should be selected.
The ball needs to be heavy enough to allow the bowler to swing it comfortably but not "too light" so that the bowler can easily change the direction of the swing - during the approach and delivery.
What is of equal importance to the weight of the ball is having one that is properly fitted to the hand. Purchasing a ball at a pro shop will allow the best chance for that all important "proper fit." An improperly fitted ball will cause you to squeeze or grab the ball during the delivery. Grabbing and squeezing the ball is a result of feeling like the ball is too loose on the hand. This physical response will result in tightness in the hand, arm and body. The tightness will eventually create soreness in different parts of the body.
2. Are the ball cleaning the machines in bowling centers really that good?
The ball cleaning machines in bowling centers can be very good if they are properly maintained. However, when they are not maintained well, they can actually do more harm than good.
Please keep in mind that there are two different types of machines. One is just a cleaner and the other cleans and polishes. If you put the ball into a polisher, it will reduce the amount of hook potential.
3. Thumbless Release – Right or Wrong? This isn't for everyone but doesn't mean that it is wrong.
The most important item for a bowler is maintaining balance throughout the approach and delivery. Balance will allow the fluid, continuous motion necessary in making a consistent shot, time-after-time. If a bowler is able to be balanced and make consistent shots then there is nothing wrong with this delivery.
With the fingers being well below the equator of the ball, the thumbless delivery is certainly a very strong shot as the bowler is able to generate a tremendous amount of revs on the ball because the fingers will stay in the ball longer.
Just as a successful baseball pitcher will have many pitches in his arsenal – a bowler must have many deliveries. There will be lane conditions where this strong hooking ball will not be the best one to use - example: extremely wet or dry lanes. While developing the thumbless delivery a bowler should continue to work on his/her delivery with the thumb - this will create more options when playing our sport, thus becoming a more versatile player.
4. Making the Ball Hook or Curve
In order to get the ball to hook, you must first understand that spinning the ball will not get the job done. When a bowler tries to hook the ball by spinning it, the ball will end up spinning like the earth on the south pole.
To hook the ball, your bowling hand (fingers and thumb) needs to be in the same position as if you were holding a cup of water. Keeping your hand behind the ball with the hand in this position will put the proper rotation on the ball to allow it to hook. Turning your hand around and over top of the ball (or spinning it) will not create the proper action to hook the ball.
5. Suffering from arthritis?
Find out what the coaches have to say to make your bowling experience less painful. Many people who have arthritis in their hands find that using a conventional grip makes it less painful. A step beyond that is to have holes drilled for three or even all four fingers. Today's bowling balls can compensate for the decrease in hook from switching to a conventional grip with where the holes are drilled in relation to the weight block.
For the knees, obviously they just don't want to bend like you want. It appears that most people struggle when they try and force the knees to bend more than is comfortable. This makes people have difficulty maintaining balance which makes the shots inconsistent. If you don't want to bend them, don't. It's okay to release the ball from higher up. If you do release the ball from higher, you may want to have a touch more forward pitch (or less reverse pitch) in the thumb hole to help hold the ball better. For the best reaction, you will want the ball to impact the lane about 2-3 feet past the foul line. If it is closer, you are more dropping the ball than rolling it.
6. Oh no.. I’ve started releasing the ball behind the foul line! Don't fret...help is on the way.
If this is a problem that you have just developed, the first question is "what changed?" Did you get a new ball that is too heavy or has more thumb pitch than before? Did your wrist position change that is allowing the hand to be on top of the ball more? Has your thumb size changed and you are having a problem getting your thumb in the ball?
After you have checked the fit of the ball and the wrist position at the release to make sure that they are correct then it's time to work on the skill of getting the ball out over the foul line. Sometimes a bowler who looks down at their feet or the foul line tend to set the ball down sooner. Make sure your eyes are on the target down the lane some.
Another thing that you can try, during practice, is to lay a bowling towel on the lane about 12"-18" beyond the foul line and try to get the ball out over the towel. If you are having problems with this, bring the towel closer and gradually move it out.
Preparing for a tournament
When competing in a bowling tournament, often the lane conditions call for playing a different line on the lane than you normally use. The best way to prepare for playing different lines is to practice. You can play different lines at your home center even though the lane conditions are different than what you'll encounter at a tournament.
The following practice routine can help prepare you for the various lines that you may need to use. Start by using the first arrow as a target. Find the proper starting point to stand so that you hit the first arrow and get the ball to roll into the pocket. Once you've determined your proper starting position, roll that shot several times. Then move to the second, third and fourth arrows and repeat the process.
Watch others to learn what works
Arrive for your tournament squad earlier than needed. Not only will the check-in lines be shorter, but you can watch how others are playing the lanes. Pick someone who has a similar style to yours and watch the way they play the lane. What kind of line is he or she playing? Is it working? Use your observations to assess your strategy for the tournament.
Picking Up Corner Pins and other Single Pin Spares
While it may sound easy, sometimes single pin spares can be tricky. Some tournaments that have traced spares find that as much as 50% of spares are missed! The key to single pin spares is to be accurate. A straight ball is more accurate than a curve release.
If you use a big curve, get a plastic ball and/or learn to release the ball straight. With the straight ball, the ball reaction does not depend on lane conditions. Straight on a dry lane and straight on an oily one look the same. Master the straight ball and you won't have to go hunting for where to stand and aim when you are facing a different lane condition.
In the basic spare shooting tip, a basic 3-6-9 system is described for rolling a straight ball. If you generally roll a curve ball at strikes, you can still use this system by finding out during your practice where you need to stand and aim in order to get your straight ball into the pocket. Once you know this, the chart in the other tip will work well. You may also use this chart as a guideline in developing your own system if necessary.
Make sure you use a couple of shots during your practice play to work on your spare line. One effective strategy is to roll at the corner pins on your first shot and then try for the pocket on your second ball.
Eliminating corner pins
You just rolled a great shot that hooked into the pocket, but you left a corner pin standing. Sometimes what may have appeared to be a perfect shot didn't hit quite so perfectly. Let's take a look at why this happens and what we can do about it.
The most common leave for a right-hander is the 10 pin. On a perfect strike hit, the ball hits the 1-3 pocket before continuing through and hitting the 5 and 9 pins. The 3 pin is driven into the 6 pin and the 6 pin in turn hits the 10 pin as shown in Figure 1. If the 10 pin stands, you need to find out where the 6 pin went. Did it get driven straight back to where the 9 pin stands? This would be a high shot. Did the 6 pin go to the side wall as in Figure 2? This indicates a light shot. The scenario is the same but on the opposite side for a left-hander who leaves a 7 pin standing. The direction of the 4 pin (like the 6 pin for a right-hander) is the key to finding out why the hit wasn't perfect.
Understanding the reaction of the pins can help solve the mystery of most spare combinations.
Tournament prep checklist
When tournament time rolls around and you need to be prepared to be your best there are many areas that any bowler can evaluate. From the pro shop to practice on the lanes, bowlers who often do well at tournament time do the things necessary to be pre-tournament ready. Here is a short list of things to consider before bowling a tournament.
Equipment
Physical Game
Mental Game
Use a straighter second release for difficult lane conditions
Varying lane conditions can make it tricky to find the right line. Rolling a straight second ball will help you on both oily and dry lanes. A lot of oil on the lanes will cause the ball to roll straighter no matter how you throw it. Dry lanes can make the ball hook too much.
Throwing a straight ball increases the forward rotation on the ball and reduces the side roll, which decreases the tendency of the ball to hook.
Try these techniques to throw a straighter ball:
These tips will help keep your hand behind the ball instead of on the side at the release point.
Make angular and parallel adjustments
Lane conditions change as bowling balls repeatedly travel down the lane. With each shot, the ball absorbs some of the oil and moves oil further down on the lane. Changes in the oil distribution will affect ball path and reaction.
As lane conditions change, there are two types of adjustments you can make to keep your ball in the pocket: angular moves and parallel moves.
Angular adjustments, as illustrated in Figure 1, are the most common moves bowlers use to adapt to changing lane conditions. For example, you may start your league session standing on board No. 20 and aiming at the second arrow (which is on board No. 10). As the lanes start to hook more, you might move your starting position one board inside but keep your target the same, on the second arrow (or board 10). This is a slight angular adjustment.
The 2-to-1 guideline for making angular adjustments means that for every two boards you move with your feet, you move your target one board in the same direction. Using the starting point example above, a 2-to-1 adjustment would have you stand on board 22 and aim at board No. 11. Moving even more, by the end of the league session you may end up standing on board 26 and aiming at board 13.
Practice this by rolling a shot to hit the pocket. Then make a 2-to-1 adjustment. Watch the ball reaction – it will probably be very light in the pocket. Make another 2-to-1 adjustment and it should miss the pocket completely. The goal of this practice is to focus on standing where you need to stand and hitting the target you intend. When lane conditions demand this versatility, you will have the skill to adapt.
Parallel adjustments, as shown in Figure 2, are made when both your target on the lane and your starting position foot placement move the same amount and in the same direction. If you move right two boards with your feet, move right two boards with your target as well. If you move left with your feet, move left with your target.
Adjust your target backward and forward
At your skill level, you have a good handle on starting position, lay down point and using the arrows as targets. You can fine tune the shape of your ball path by using different targets to accomplish different goals. For example, if you want the ball to rev up earlier, you may want to aim closer to the foul line in front of the arrows. If you want the bowling ball to rev up later, choose a target farther down the lane which will get you to extend through the shot and delay the ball's roll to some degree. Develop a line in your mind and play "connect the dots" by picking a spot at the arrows as well as a spot farther down the lane (i.e. a dark board or lane marking) and rolling the ball over both reference points. You may get frustrated when you think you hit your target and the ball didn't hit the pocket. Before the next shot, you will have to determine:
Don't forget the spare
The spare shot is just as important as the strike shot. Too many bowlers take the spare for granted and make a poor shot. Roll your spare shot with confidence and do not lose focus.
Beginning and intermediate bowlers should use their strike ball release at all spares to ensure consistency. With multi-pin spares, the ball needs some entry angle to keep from deflecting away from the back pin in the grouping. When shooting at any spare, the ball must hit the front pin.
When practicing, shoot all your spares to simulate league or tournament competition. To keep your focus sharp, use visualization and see the line you want the ball to take to make the spare. Draw an imaginary line from your bowling arm to the pin you want to hit. If you are rolling a straight ball, this will allow you to visualize the path the ball needs to take to make the spare.
Charting your strike percentage and spare percentage will allow you to identify areas to practice on.
Keep your arm swing in the groove
USBC Coaching advocates keeping the swing in line with the shoulder joint of your bowling arm, varying left or right by at most only four inches.
Top players will consistently keep the ball in the groove. They may tuck their arm swing in slightly when coming forward from their backswing. This allows them to have stronger leverage and hand position at the point of release.
1. Adjust hand position - increase your versatility as a player.
Releasing the thumb first and then fingers is the proper way to deliver a bowling ball and is necessary to generate the forces that will help the ball to hook. More important is the position of the hand at the point of release.
To generate maximum hook potential the hand (for a right handed player) would release the ball with the thumb pointing at 9 o'clock and the fingers at 3 o'clock. To give you better perspective, let’s discuss how you would deliver a straight ball. A straight ball would be delivered with the hand positioned having the thumb pointing at 12 o'clock (towards the pins) and the fingers at 6 o'clock (furthest point away from the pins).
In this 9/3 hand position your hand is almost completely to the right side of the ball and in the 12/6, the hand would be completely behind the ball. To reduce the hook potential of the ball you would need to start moving your hand more behind the ball with the hand in a 10-11 (thumb) to 4-5 (fingers) to reduce the hook potential of the ball. Somewhere in between the straight ball and maximum hook (potential) release should give you the desired reaction.
If you can learn to adjust your hand position - this will make you a more versatile player.
8.Arm swing – across the chest instead of straight upward – what’s the solution?
The primary reason for arm swing to finish across the chest would be related to the swing plane of your arm swing.
The swing plane is the direction of the arm swing throughout the entire motion. This will include paying attention in particularly to the starting position of the ball as well as the initial direction of the push away.
The beginning position of the ball needs to start at the very least lined up directly in front of the shoulder holding the ball. If the ball begins directly “in front of the body”, this will create what is known as an inside out motion. In this situation, because the ball starts directly in front of the body the arm (and ball) must swing out and away to avoid hitting the body as the ball goes nto its backswing. The downswing will go in the same direction as the backswing – i.e. towards the middle of the body and across the chest.
If you align the ball directly in front of the shoulder, this will promote a swing that will go past the hips in-line with the lane. Another subtle adjustment is to either start your ball “slightly” outside or towards the channel (in your stance) or move the ball “slightly” out towards the channel (on the push away). This will create an arm swing that will tuck slightly behind your back. This type of arm swing will also keep the arm swing from finishing across the chest.
9.Finger Position… What’s the best?
What is the difference between placing your fingers in the ball and spreading out the pointer finger and baby finger and keeping all fingers together?
Keeping the fingers tight to the other fingers will promote forward roll on the ball making it go a bit longer or, in other words, delaying the break point slightly. If you have a ball position in the stance where the thumb points at 2 or 3 o'clock (right handed) you may want to spread the index finger to take some of the weight off of the wrist. Tucking the pinky will tend to shift the ball to the outside of the body in the stance with can effect the arm swing slightly as well as the hand in the release position.
10.Watch the ball reaction
In the modern game, when the ball hooks is as important as how much it hooks. Watch your ball reaction on the lanes to see where the ball begins to move toward the pocket (the break point). Also watch the shape of the line between the release and break point and between the break point and the pocket. Being able to accurately watch your shot requires that you remain in a balanced finish position until the ball hits the pins.
There are three phases of ball reaction; skid, hook and roll. The ball skids through the heavier oil at the front (heads) part of the lane. As the ball finds more friction, it begins to hook. Once the ball has finished changing direction, it begins to roll toward the pins.
11.Commit to the spare
Visualization is very important at higher skill levels. When it comes to spares, being able to visualize the path the ball should take down the lane can help you stay focused.
Commit to the spare and trust your fundamentals and execution to make the spare. Elite players plan to make the spare instead of assuming they will miss it.
Whether you choose to roll a straight or hook ball, many players make the mistake of trying to roll the ball too fast, losing their fundamental skills in the process.
Most top amateurs and professionals use a spare ball and roll the ball straight at spares because a straight ball takes the lane conditions out of play. The straight ball takes the guesswork out of the equation.
12.Compensate for long oil patterns
If your ball is not getting to the pocket, it may be because the lane oil pattern is long. Try these tips to compensate for a long oil pattern:
13.Develop your mental game
As a top player, you are probably an active tournament participant and most of your competitors have great physical games.
Having a great mental game, too, will give you an edge over the competition.
Top athletes are able to keep their minds free of distractions. Being able to find an inner sanctuary allows you to make smart decisions during the heat of competition.
14.Targeting for higher averages
There are no hard and fast rules for setting targets for high level bowling—only options that best fit each bowler. Players need to define and develop their own targeting strategy.
Many times, a big-hook bowler can't tell you which arrow he or she is using until after giving it some thought. Bowling basics tell us to always aim at a target. Shouldn't an advanced bowler be doing that? Not always. Using targets may sometimes take the high-average bowlers out of their comfort zones.
Some high-level players may use a target to get the ball to the break point on the lane, while others will use one or more reference points based on where they are playing the lanes.
High-level players experiment when practicing to find out what works best for them. They will practice using targets and then switch to using just an area. When the lanes are conducive to scoring they may just target an area on the lane. When bowling on a USBC Sport Bowling condition such as at the USBC Masters where accuracy becomes a premium, players will use targets since hitting the pocket and leaving easier spares is very important