Expert: Susie Minshew - 12/7/2009

Question
I've been trying to develop a hook, and I've had some difficulty. I spoke with my Pro Shop operator and he recommended that I start with a Columbia Freeze, so I bought that and had it drilled with a fingertip grip. He also gave me the general idea behind hooking the ball, that is keep the wrist straight, and turn the ball near the ankle and then follow through with a "handshake" to the pins. I've been trying that with a friend watching, and she says that I'm doing the turn ok, and my follow through seems decent, but the ball is just going straight and then very lightly, if at all, coming into the pocket. It doesn't seem like the ball is getting much spin at all. I'm thinking it's a thumb problem. I try not to grip the ball with my thumb, and only apply pressure with my fingers inside the ball, and moderate pressure with those outside it to help lock my wrist. Do I have to physically pull my thumb out of the ball before I release? What I mean is, mentally think about taking out the thumb. I know it should slide right out, but I'm not so sure it's coming out in time. I normally bowl a few games a week, but last week I bowled quite a few and got quite the nasty blister on my thumb. What do you suggest? Thanks!

Answer
Hi, Joshua!

The Freeze is a great entry level reactive ball. Depending on the lane condition where you bowl, it should hook a bit.

There are several things that could keep it from hooking: you are rolling it in a lot of oil; your hand action generates spin instead of roll; the layout of the ball. Let's take them one at a time. We'll assume your pro shop operator understood what you wanted and laid the ball out properly so that is not an issue. 'Laid the ball out' is defined as making sure the pin position and CG of the ball are in the right place in relation to your thumb and finger holes.

Oil is placed on the lane to protect the lane. Regardless of what type of ball you have, oil will keep it from 'hooking'. If you are rolling the ball in oil any place but in the front part of the lane, you won't experience much movement at the back end of the lane.

Now let's talk about your release. You do not have to let go of the ball. The ball should let go of you. Having a blister on any part of your thumb is bad. If it is on the top of the your thumb, you are squeezing the ball regardless of how much you think you are not. It cannot occur there for any other reason. Make sure your thumbnail is against the back of the hole throughout the swing and delivery. If you do this, I suspect you will feel like you are dropping the ball. That's an indicator of a hole that is too big (and possibly has too much reverse pitch). The more snug your thumbhole, the faster your thumb will exit. I would suggest that you try the thumbnail against the back of the hole exercise. If you feel like you are going to drop it, get your fit fixed.

Your hand action through the bottom of the swing is pretty important. Your fingers should be under the equator of the ball with the palm facing the pins. Your hand rotates to the handshake position as it passes over the foul line. It's very difficult to explain and there are hundreds of things that could go awry. Get a coach - not a friend, a real coach!

Happy Holidays!

Susie