Now that you know the basics of the grip, stance and address as well as the steps, you should also know the basics of the release and follow-through. You will find that at these stages, you have increasingly less control over the ball – it’s already out of your hands and in motion – but you can still control its spin, speed and path.
The Release
This is the part where you deliver the ball, so to speak, so that it hits the pins for a strike, hopefully. Here, you should keep these tips in mind.
- You must release the ball at the exact moment it reaches your left foot. The ball should be on its downward arc during your fourth step.
- Your thumb should come out first from the finger holes.
- Your fingers should lift, so to speak, the ball so that your wrist has a natural turn of about an inch.
- Your hand should continue its upward swing even after the ball has been released. At this point, the ball should cross the foul line during its upward arc.
Neither snap nor twist your wrist when releasing the ball. If you find yourself doing so, then you are either compromising accuracy in favor of unnecessary power or compensating for a bad habit. Keep in mind that you don’t require sharp or wide hooks in order to knock down the pins.
Of course, you can only achieve an effective release if you have adopted the right grip, stance and address. You have to bowl in a consistent manner starting with keeping the ball in the same arc.
In this regard, you are well-advised to keep these tips in mind:
- Swing your arm freely as if it was a pendulum.
- Keep your eyes on the target and keep your shoulders parallel to the foul line.
- Approach the foul line in a straight line.
And don’t be in such a hurry to release the ball either! Mindfulness has its place in bowling, as any effective bowler at Red Rock will tell anybody who asks.
The Follow-Through
Just because the ball has been released doesn’t mean that you can forget about good form and good manners! At the start of the follow-through, your foot should be approximately four inches from the foul line. Your hand should have carried the ball over the foul line, too.
You should “throw” your hand toward the target so that your foll0w-through comes naturally. Your hand should also end up as if it was shaking hands with another person. You have to keep your hand in such position until the ball is down the lane.
And please don’t act like a maniac when you get a strike. Celebrate but do so with good manners in mind.