Expert: Kyle - 8/4/2006

Question
I've been trying to improve my technique in bowling. I bowl simple so i just throw the ball down the middle but I've noticed alot of people I know that spin the ball on the release that its more effective cause the pins scatter more causing the other pins to get hit. So i was wondering if you have any pointers on that. Do i put the thumb or the middle and ring fingers in? When i spin it do i throw it down the middle so it can just curve into the front pins? Let me know.

Answer
Well, it sounds like you are just dicovering one of the most important aspects of the game, hooking a bowling ball.  There are a lot of things to learn about this, so bare with me.  First of all, a lot of what goes into hooking a ball is the ball itself. You need to look into getting your own ball and having it drilled specifically for your hand with a "fingertip grip."  A fingertip grip is a grip in which you only stick the part above your first crease (knuckle) of your two fingers (ring and middle).  What this enables you to do is release the ball quicker allowing you to put revolutions on the ball.  Since you are just starting out, I will give you some basic tips to begin hooking a ball.  First of all, you should learn the numbers of the pins.  http://www.topendsports.com/sport/tenpin/images/numbers.jpg   Go to that link an remember how the pins are numbered.  Next, when hooking a ball, you want it to enter at an angle in the "1-3 pocket". This means you want it to enter on the right side of the pins (assuming you are a right handed bowler) between the pin labled one and the other pin, 3.  So your answer for whether you should or should not throw the ball down the middle, is that you should NOT.  If you are hooking the ball and you want it to enter into this 1-3 pocket, you are going to need to start more towards the right of the pocket and let the ball hook in so that you can get that good entry angle which will cause pins to scatter as you had mentioned.  Another thing to remember is that you should never twist your hand to get the ball to curve.  This is a common mistake that will lead you to be a BAD bowler!  If you let your thumb come out just before your fingers, the ball will naturally have a spin to it going down the lanes.  May I warn you that starting out this is going to be a very difficult thing to learn, but with practice, you will learn what works best with you are your ball.  I know suggest that you do some further research online and find yourself a good lower end reactive reasin bowling ball such as the Columbia 300 Scout Reactive.  This is a lot to learn, but start out with simple things as I have told you.  Let me know if you have any further questions and I would be happy to answer them for you!  Sorry about the delay with getting to your question! -Kyle