[thechat] Bowling tips

[Luther, Ron]

Hi Madhu,

First of all ... Congrats to "the mad Kegler"!   ;-)

Curves, eh?
I'm guessing that you're talking about a 'big hook', (the
bowler stands left of center, spins the heck out of the ball,
it crosses the center line and at the last minute cuts back sharply
into the pins), rather than a gentle curve.  That's gonna be
tough with an 'alley ball'! You may need to buy a high friction
ball and have someone who knows what they are doing drill it
off-center for you.  Then you'll have to work on your release
to get comfortable with 'snapping' your wrist.  A big hook CAN
get you high scores, however, if your speed if off or the lane
conditions have changed ... it can also lead to a lot of splits!
I don't think I'd recommend it for someone starting out.

For a gentle curve, try keeping a towel handy to dry the oil off
your ball - some balls accumulate a lot of oil and will slide
more than roll ... you want that end-over-end roll.  [A little
rubbing alcohol and water solution can clean the oil off as well.]

Many bowlers hold the ball in a "palm-up" fashion. If you do this,
as you release the ball, let your thumb slide out of the ball first.
Then turn your hand 90 degrees, keeping your thumb up, and "shake
hands with the headpin" on your follow through.  That's one way to
get some rotation on the ball for a gentle curve into the pocket.

Another way, (it takes some getting used to and a little more 'wrist'
strength), is to hold the ball with your wrist bent at a very sharp
angle. Keep your approach the same and straighten your wrist on follow
through. {Actually, now that I think about it a lot of bowlers keep
there wrists bent to some degree.}

Some bowlers buy 'wrist supports' like these:

http://www.bowling.com/productsbycategory.asp?ID=22&CategoryName=Wrist+Supports

in order to keep their wrist at the proper angle to get the delivery
they want. {Hey - it's cheaper than buying your own ball!}


RonL.

Now here's a glossary so you can "talk the talk"!  ;-)
http://www.hickoksports.com/glossary/gbowling.shtml#htop
Soon you'll be talking Brooklyns and sleepers ...

-----Original Message-----
From: Madhu Menon [mailto:webguru at vsnl.net]

I won both the games we played today.

Now how do those pros throw the ball wide and make it curve back in?