Expert: Chip Aki - 11/9/2008

Question
When I bowl I've been told that I drop my shoulder.  How do I fix that?  I also have a problem hooking the ball.  I break my wrist on the back swing and when I release the ball the revs in it are parallel to the lane like I threw it helicopter style.  I want the revs to be perpendicular to the lane.  I've  been told that because I drop my shoulder that somewhere in my  approach I'm compensating for that by breaking my wrist.  How do I fix both of these problems?

Answer
Dropping your shoulder is not a bad thing if done in moderation.  Many of the top bowlers have their bowling shoulder lower than there non bowling shoulder at the release point.  If you are really concerned about it, try to keep your left hand below the left shoulder during your approach.  This will force your bowling shoulder to stay higher.

Breaking your wrist is more likely due to your timing.  If your feet are too far ahead of the swing, then you will pull from the top of your swing to get the ball back in time.  This causes you to have the arm moving downward faster thant the ball, thus the breaking of the wrist.  If the ball swings from the top of the backswing freely, the wrist will be able to cup on its own and not require as much strenght.

Make sure  you are not holding the ball for too long in front of you in the pushaway part of  your swing.  If you can video tape or have someone watch from the side, you will be able to notice this.

Good luck,
Chip