If you’re a beginner in bowling, you’re in the right place. Here, you will get to know everything in detail about how to throw a bowling ball.
It’s the most important aspect of the sport – shocker, right? The good news is that your throw can be improved no matter how bad you think it is right now.
Many people can stand to improve their throw, but they mostly look for what not to do. However, rarely do people (and beginners ) explore and learn what to do (and how to do it). Here’s all you need to know about throwing the perfect delivery and more.
How to Throw a Bowling Ball
The perfect delivery has a couple of core components. You must have the proper grip, aim, release, stance, and speed. A good throw does all of these right. Even the ball you choose impacts your throw.
Throwing a bowling ball properly is the most fundamental skill you need to learn to get better at the game. So, what’s the right way to throw a bowling ball? Before you release the ball, there are some preparatory steps.
The Right Grip
The grip and how you hold the ball is essential. Hold the ball with your dominant hand underneath. The other hand should support the ball from the side.
For better control and grip, insert your fingers into the holes drilled into the ball – there’s a reason bowling balls have holes.
It helps you be more consistent, introduces the perfect amount of spin, and increases comfort. We’ll dive deeper into the different types of grips a bit later.
Position and Speed
Your position is important before you even approach the lane for a throw. Stand a couple of feet away from the foul line.
Place yourself slightly to the left of the lane and visualize your shot. Additionally, utilize the same position for every frame. It’ll improve your consistency.
Then, there’s the speed of your throw. The right speed ensures your ball rolls with enough force to knock down all the pins – a strike. Good players throw the ball with speed, about 16 mph, to be exact.
But don’t worry about the exact speed of your throw too much initially. Instead, focus on throwing the ball with decent speed but with better aim and proper technique.
Once you learn the basics, you’ll eventually find the speed that works best for you.
Time Your Release Properly
Time your releases to be as consistent as possible for every frame. This will also make you more consistent and improve coordination.
Good timing also depends on intuition and experience. Therefore, the more you practice, the better your timing will be.
Throw the Ball
Lastly, there’s the actual throw. Throwing a bowling ball is very technical. The perfect throw includes the right grip, rotation, and release timing. You can use a technique called the 4-step approach.
There are five primary things you need to keep in mind. Keep your wrist and hand straight and your arm stretched at a distance. As you bring your arm closer to your ankles, rotate your arm and wrists away from your body and release the ball.
Remember not to add extra force when releasing the ball – just let go. Let the momentum add the power and speed you need for the ball to roll down the lane and hit the pins.
Adding extra force or motion will ruin your aim and alter your throw. It might sound counterintuitive not to exert extra force, but you shouldn’t do it.
As you get better, it won’t feel weird not adding extra force during release since you will have already perfected your technique.
Different Types of Shots Every Bowler Should Know
Bowling is a very deep sport with lots of intricacies. It’s what makes the game fun and challenging. However, there are many beginner-friendly techniques you can learn as well.
Many throwing techniques in bowling can be used to achieve different goals and also work great for players with different skill levels. Here are the most common bowling shots you need to know.
1. The Straight Shot
Beginners love the straight shot. It’s simple and easy to learn. However, as you get more experience, you’ll realize that the straight shot is better if you want to drop targeted pins.
Since the general advice in bowling is to throw the ball down the center anyway, this shot teaches you the fundamentals. It also helps you learn advanced shots later on. Here’s how to do a perfect straight shot:
Step 1: Keep your torso parallel to the foul line when doing a straight shot.
Step 2: Hold the ball up with both arms.
Step 3: Bend your knees 90 degrees and move closer to the lane.
Step 4: Swing the ball back as you start to approach the lane, and keep your head, wrist, and arm aimed at the pins.
Step 5: Bring your arm down as you approach the foul line (don’t cross or step on the foul line).
Step 6: Just as the ball passes your ankles, release. Let gravity and the momentum of your arm do all the work. And release the ball aimed at your target.
2. The Hook Shot
After you’ve mastered the straight shot, move on to the hook shot. It’s a more advanced technique used by professional and experienced players.
Regardless of the type of throw, the fundamental principles of bowling are all the same – the grip, position, speed, and release. With a hook shot, you need to be mindful of these and the ball’s revolution and side rotation. Here’s how to do it perfectly:
Step 1: Get a solid grip on the ball. The fingertip grip is the best for hook shots. Many beginners try to add extra spin to their throws when attempting the hook shot, but that’ll just throw your aim off. Instead, the right grip will give the ball the necessary rotation.
Step 2: Take your thumb out of the ball as you take your last step. When the ball leaves your hand, your thumb should be pointing up. That’s how you know you got a good hook on the delivery.
Step 3: Try doing a hook, and you’ll notice that as you remove your thumb, the ball’s weight moves to your fingers. Remove your fingers from the ball. It should be a smooth, counterclockwise motion to get the perfect hook. If you’re left-handed, do a clockwise flick.
Step 4: Wait, that’s not all. There’s one last step remaining, which is the follow-through. Don’t stop swinging your arm prematurely. After you release the ball, your arm’s momentum should be enough to take it up parallel to the ground.
3. Curve Shot
This one’s a fancy shot. Differentiating between a curve shot and a hook shot is difficult for beginners. A curve ball travels a wider arc with more turns than a hook.
Although it’s an effective shot, the hook is more consistent. The curveball performs great on some lanes but completely falters on others.
Step 1: With a curve ball, you want to look at the arrows on the lane. You can aim better by doing so. Since the turn is so high, you’ll need good aim for a curve ball.
Step 2: Thumb positioning, ball release, and follow-through are the same as with a hook. The spin is the star of the show here. However, don’t use your wrist to spin the ball; do a smooth flicking motion instead.
Step 3: Throw the ball with power. Releasing with speed will ensure the ball has enough speed to drop the pins and curve so it doesn’t go straight into the gutter. Throwing a curve is tricky. Don’t sweat it too much if you can’t get it right. Just practice.
4. Backup Ball
The backup ball, compared to all the other techniques, is one you don’t want to do. It’s not a good throwing technique to get the most strikes. Honestly, I think a lot of players play a backup ball accidentally.
It happens when you twist your wrist from left to right during the throw. You get a peculiar ball motion. The ball gets much harder to control and is generally not a good idea.
So, instead of teaching you how to throw a backup ball, I will tell you how to avoid it. Here are three tips:
- If you have a weak wrist, use wrist support. It’ll keep your wrist from rotating during release. Wrist support is beneficial for female players as well.
- Keep your palm pointed straight. This helps with your wrist action.
- Practice at home or with a lighter ball. A heavy ball tends to rotate your wrist when you don’t want to.
Tips to Fine-Tune Your Release
A smooth release is one of the most important aspects of a good throw. A good grip and fit will significantly help with your release. You’ll be surprised how much a good throw depends on the ball. Here are some tips:
- Don’t tense up your arms before releasing the ball. The more relaxed your arm is, the better.
- Get a good grip on the ball for the best control.
- Try out different stances to find a suitable one for you.
- The release is not separate from the approach. The whole process should flow and be smooth.
- Release the fingers smoothly.
- Do targeted practice. If you feel like you trip up when pulling your thumbs out, practice that specifically.
- Never add a twist or extra force to the ball with your forearm or wrist.
The key to getting better at any spot is to practice. The more you practice, the better you’ll be at it. Additionally, having a buddy with you also helps. Plus, it also makes the game infinitely more fun.
Ball Hand Positions (Grips) You Should Know About
There are three primary grip types. The basic grip, conventional grip, and fingertip grip.
The Basic Grip
This grip is pretty straightforward. Place your ring and middle finger in the front two holes – the ones that are next to each other. Then, place your thumb into the larger hole.
Hold the ball with your dominant hand and support it with the other hand. The basic grip is good for new or younger players. Supporting the ball with two hands doesn’t put too much strain on your wrist. However, don’t grip the ball too tight. Otherwise, you will have a poor release.
The Conventional Grip (A Classic)
This grip is also pretty good for beginners. It’s one of the best grips for control and comfort. Put your thumb firmly into the larger hole, and voila! Pretty easy, right? However, the conventional grip isn’t the best for throwing a hook.
Fingertip Grip
Fingertip grips are more advanced. So, only try this if you have some experience bowling already. With a fingertip grip, don’t place your fingers through the holes. This grip is less secure but makes it easier to hook the ball.
How to Aim Your Shot
The quickest way to improve aim in bowling is to switch from pin bowling to spot bowling. These are two different aiming techniques. With spot bowling, you’ll use the arrows on the lane to aid your aim.
You will be more consistent with this technique. Now, the big question is, which arrow do you aim for? It depends on what kind of ball you throw. If you’re throwing a straight ball, aim for the middle arrow, but place the ball at a slight angle.
However, if you’re throwing a hook, aim for the second arrow from the right (second arrow from the left, for left-handers).
How To Throw a Bowling Ball Without a Thumb?
You’ll hear many things that people try to explore and switch up techniques. One of the weirdest things I came across was bowling without a thumb (hole).
The interesting thing is it works great for some people. It gets you more hook and rotation. However, the extra rotation can end up backfiring. Your ball might completely miss the pins.
There are more drawbacks to no-thumb bowling. It can be very inconsistent, which means this grip isn’t the best for tournaments, where consistency is key. In fact, some tournaments don’t allow no-thumb bowling at all.
Is it better to Throw a Bowling Ball Fast or Slow?
There’s no rule about whether a slow or a faster throw is better. The speed does matter, though. A faster throw gives you more pin action. But it could reduce the hook.
Whereas a slower ball will give you more hook but reduced pin action. You should also consider the lane. If the lane is very slippery, a fast throw can become uncontrollable.
It is about finding the sweet spot for you. And you should be able to gauge what speed is best for the situation with experience.
Conclusion
Let’s be real here. Reading ten guides on how to throw a bowling ball will only get you so far. It will help you know the theory and techniques.
However, nothing beats hands-on practice. Go out there and play some games. This is the only way to learn and get good. Incorporate all the tips I mentioned into your game, and you’ll start to see results.