My purpose in the preceding chapters has been to teach you to bowl properly. As I visit different bowling centers throughout the country, I’m afraid I see incorrect and faulty styles as often as I do proper ones.In this chapter I’ve tried to point out some of the most common faults. If any of these styles look like yours then my advice is to change. Your scores and your average are sure to benefit.

1) TOO HIGH A BACKSWING I’m always surprised at how often I see this occur, especially among women bowlers. Don’t let the backswing ever get be-~ yond shoulder height. Don’t force it to the level pictured here it’s sure to result in faulty timing.

2) DROPPING THE BALL Get the ball over the foul line; reach out with it. There are two reasons for this problem: either your timing is off, or it is simply a case of your ball not fitting you properly.

3) POOR FOLLOW-THROUGH Many bowlers I’ve seen seem to do everything well, until they release the ball. Then they go into a poorly executed follow-through. Here’s one example not keeping down; pulling up at the finish. You can overcome this by keeping your head down and your eyes on the target.

4) BAD FINISH Here’s a problem on the follow-through; in fact, it’s no follow-through at all. Be sure to continue the arm on its natural upward motion after the ball has left your hand. Many pro stars continue the motion until their hand reaches the height of their head. Try it. It could be a great help to you.

5) INCORRECT PICKUP Be careful about how you pick up the ball. Don’t reach out for it with your right hand as shown here. If you do this continually, you’ll find your hand tiring and eventually your control will be affected. Instead, pick up the ball with both hands as you lift it. That way, your hands won’t be struck and injured by balls coming into the rack.

6) WRONG STANCE A common fault in the stance position is failure to place the feet parallel to the boards (perpendicular to the foul line) before the delivery begins. It is simple to do, requiring only a moment to check.

7) WRIST BREAK Keep your wrist straight and firm; don’t let it bend to the side as shown in this picture. If you don’t keep a straight wrist, you’re certain to lose control of the ball and thereby all accuracy. Keeping a firm wrist is a matter of concentration, nothing more.

TOPPING THE BALL Here’s another common fault among women bowlers overturning the ball, causing a reverse hook or back-up ball. This can be prevented by releasing the ball in the shake-hands position I’ve discussed. Keep your hand and wrist in the nine o’clock position and you’ll find yourself rolling a perfect, sharp-breaking hook ball.

9) STEPS TOO LONG Even some of the most experienced bowlers are guilty of this error taking steps in the approach that are much too long. Remember your steps are to be the length of your normal walking steps never any longer than that.

10) WRONG PUSHAWAY On the pushaway remember to get the ball out, down, and to the right. Some bowlers go up with the ball. This is a wasted motion and accomplishes nothing. It affects your timing, and can hurt your delivery.

11) BAD FOLLOW-THROUGH Here’s another common follow-through problem. Many bowlers cross their arm in front of them after they release the ball. When they do this, the ball may cross-over, miss the 1 3 pocket, and either hit the head pin full or cross into the 1 2 pocket. Bring your arm straight up; reach out for the pins.

12) LOFTING THE BALL Try to release the ball over the foul line, but at a point only three or four inches beyond the line. Never loft the ball or release it far out on the lane. Lofting will spoil your accuracy.

1-3-6[left]and1-3-6-10 [right]{Picket Fence)Use your normal strike position, and come into the 1-3 pocket.

5-9 A good strike ball will make this easy.

You will note the charts on the previous pages do not list some of the more difficult spares like the 7 10 split or the 4 6 7 10, the “big apple” as it is nicknamed. These are just about impossible to make and I don’t recommend you even try.

In the 7 10 split, try for just one pin; in the “big apple,” try for two. Often one or two pins can mean the difference in winning or losing a game or even a match.

Position yourself to the extreme right-hand side of the approach.

Clause readies for the 10-pin.

This is the proper foot position for making the 10-pin.

3-6-10 Hit the 3 6 pocket full.

6-10 The ball should hit both pins.

3-10 (Baby Split)Fit the ball in between.

3-5-6-9 Hit full in the 3 6 pocket, or just aim for the 9-pin.

5-7 A real hard one; the 5-pin must slide over to get the 7.

6-7 Only the experts make this.

5-6 Another “fit-in” shot

3-9 Watch the 9-pin, the sleeper; shoot “through” the 3-pin to get it.

Today’s average bowler is more of a strike shooter than a spare shooter. He takes careful aim; he concentrates on the strike shot; but on spares he tends to get a little lax. This is a costly mistake. Spares are of prime importance, and should be granted as much, or more, concentration than the normal strike delivery.Without the spare credits on your score, the strike balls aren’t nearly as important as they might be. I tell my pupils to make their spares the strikes will take care of themselves.

When attempting to convert spare leaves, always keep these two cardinal rules in mind:1)Position yourself on the approach diametrically opposite your pin leave. Give yourself as much lane to shootover as possible. If your pin leave is on the left side of the pindeck say the 7-pin position yourself to the right of the approach.2)Always face your work. By this I mean, turn your feet and your shoulders, your whole body, directly facing the pins you are aiming at.

This will insure that your pendulum swing in spare shooting is the same as it is when you are angling for strikes.Let’s look at some individual spare shots and see just how they are best converted.

How do you direct the ball into the 1-3 pocket? Well, to answer that question, let me explain the spot-bowling system of targeting the system I heartily advocate to all bowlers. Spot bowling is simply directing the ball so that it rolls over “spot” or directional guides on the lane in front of you and then moves into the pins. The theory behind the success of spot

The rangefinders are indispensable aids in spot bowling.

bowling is that it is a lot easier to hit a target that is ten or fifteen feet in front of you than one at the other end of the lane, about sixty feet away.

These directional guides or rangefinders, as they are sometimes called, will be found built into the lanes of every modern bowling center. The term”rangefinders” refers to the seven small triangular indicators, spaced about six inches apart, and found inserted in the lane about fifteen feet from the foul line. They are the guides we use in spot bowling.

My spot is normally the second target guide from the right.

Keep your eyes on the target or spot until after your follow-through has been executed.

Generally speaking, in the spot-bowling system, the perfect strike ball is directed over the second rangefinder from the righthand side. It starts hooking at a point about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way down the lane. You should practice rolling the ball over the second rangefinder, and if your delivery is the same each time, you can’t miss rolling up a string of strikes.I recommend the spot-bowling method for both strike and spare shooting. Of course, on your spare shots you’ll adjust your spot each time, depending upon where the spare leave is located.

Many professional bowlers use a modified system of spot bowling, called directional line bowling. In this system the bowler uses a combination of sighting spots consisting of directional guides on the lane, plus the pin setup. Some bowlers prefer casting an eye on the pins just before their delivery

The ball should start breaking towards the pins at a point two-thirds of the way down the lane. It strikes the 1 3 pocket.

begins, especially on spare shots. It is called line bowling because, in his mind’s eye, the bowler draws a “line” from the pins to the foul line a line that includes the points over which he plans to roll the ball.Pin bowling is the system used by most beginners.

In pin bowling, the bowler aims and shoots for the pins directly without regard to spots or marks, or any type of directional guides. Using this style is a bit of a handicap for the average bowler and I would rather see him practice and use the spot system. It has been proven best by far.

All the top professional stars in the country roll a sharp-breaking hook ball. Let me describe it for you: the ball starts out on almost a straight line toward the pins, but as it nears the pins, about two-thirds of the way down the lane, it breaks in sharply toward them. This is the kind of ball that gives you high scores the one to strive for on both strike and spare shots.

The hook ball traces the path I’ve described because of its action on the lane. First it spins, then rolls. It spins as it leaves the bowler’s hand and continues its spinning action on a straight path until it reaches a point about one-half to two-thirds of the way down the lane. Then it begins to roll.

The nearer it gets to the pins, the more rolling action it develops. By the time the ball moves into the pin setup, it’s in a full and complete roll. We call this a semi-spinner.

This is the hand position for a straight ball (right).Here’s the perfect release for a hook ball. This will result in a back-up or reverse hook (right).

The curve ball forms a complete arc from the foul line to the pins. It’s better than a straight ball for knocking down pins, but if you roll a complete curve, you will find you will be bothered by ten-pin or five-pin leaves. It’s better to strive for the hook.

The positioning of the hand, wrist and thumb determine the amount of hooking action you give to the ball. As you release the ball, keep your hand set in the “shake hands” position I’ve described, with the thumb between nine o’clock and twelve o’clock. Try to lay the ball down just over the foul line not far out on the lane.Sometimes bowlers are bothered by too great a hook.

The easiest way to cut down the hooking action of your ball is to increase its speed. Speed will give the ball more spin, less roll and cut down the “biting-in” action of the ball on the lane. Another way to cut down the size of the hook is to change your spot, or your target, to a point further down the lane. But changing speed is tricky! Don’t let your timing be affected.

Many women bowlers not the professional women stars, but the beginners or amateurs roll what we term a “backup ball,” or a reverse hook, or reverse curve. It’s a natural action for a woman because the structure of her arm is slightly different from that of a man’s. One of the muscles of the forearm is positioned in such a way that it becomes quite natural for a woman to impart a clockwise spin to the ball, giving it a reverse hooking action. To overcome this tendency, women should strive to release the ball in the shake-hands position I’ve recommended.

Releasing the ball properly, for both men and women, is more a matter of concentration than anything else. The release usually goes awry sometime during the backswing. The bowler becomes intent upon his delivery, and he breaks his wrist. Concentrate on keeping your wrist straight and firm from the moment the pushaway is initiated until the follow-through is completed.

Now that you have mastered the approach, delivery, and release of the ball, you must learn to acquire accuracy. Of course, we all know the ball should strike the pins in the 1 3 pocket to achieve a strike, and further, that the hook ball, explained in the previous chapter, is the best method for hitting in the 1 3 pocket.

No matter what the sport, the follow-through is an all-important motion. It is just as important to the batter in baseball or the fielder as he throws the ball, as it is to the football player who kicks or passes. It is equally important in bowling. Following through in bowling simply means allowing your arm to continue its natural upward motion after the ball has left your hand that is, immediately after the release or explosion.

The follow-through motion should then be continued until it reaches shoulder level. Some professional stars you see continue the motion until their arm reaches the height of

This is a good follow-through motion. Note that my eyes stay on the target.

If it’s natural for you to continue the follow-through motion until it reaches head height, then do it.

their head, or even beyond. There’s nothing wrong with that. But never hold back with the motion. Reach out toward the pins as the ball leaves your hand.

One suggestion: keep your pendulum arm to the right of your face; this will prevent you from “pulling the ball” causing the ball to move to the left side of the lane.One way to insure a good follow-through motion is to keep your eye on your target, that is, your spot on the lane, until your ball has passed over it. This action tends to keep your head down and thereby encourages that all-important reach-ing-out motion.

A smooth, well-coordinated follow-through assures you accuracy and puts you in a comfortable well-balanced position after the ball has been released.

Clause executes a smooth, well-balanced follow-through.

You’ll notice that many bowlers tend to wind up their delivery in a rather unorthodox or even awkward position. Even some of the professionals do. Steve Nagy’s right arm shoots off to the right after he has delivered the ball; Bill Lillard gives a noticeable kick with his right foot after his release. But none of these unorthodox motions are actuated until after the follow-through has passed shoulder height.

After that, you can go into any style or generate any type of body “English” you like. I’ve had bowlers ask me if it’s all right to break their elbow in the follow-through motion. It isn’t a necessary action, but if it’s a natural one, don’t try to prevent it.

You can have a smooth delivery and a wonderfully coordinated approach, but if the manner in which you release the ball isn’t right, then you are going to be just another duffer. Practice the proper release. You can even do it at home.

Keep your wrist straight and firm. Here’s the “perfect” wrist following release.

You don’t have to make any delivery; just practice releasing your bowling ball into a pile of pillows or an old chair or sofa. It’s crucial for you to learn to release properly.First of all, remember to keep your wrist straight and firm; don’t let it break, or you’ll lose control of the ball and will spoil your accuracy. Secondly, keep the thumb at about a twelve o’clock position certainly never below nine o’clock.

The “nine o’clock” hand position.

The “shake-hands” position.

Be sure to release the ball over the foul line; the thumb comes out first.

It’s a position 1 like to call the shake-hands position. Put your right hand up as if you were going to shake hands with a friend of yours. Look at your hand now that is the position it should be in when you release the ball.

As you release the ball keep your head down, and your eyes on your target. The thumb comes out first, and then the fingers. The fingers stay with the ball for an instant to give lifting action.The ball should always be released over the foul line that is, at a point three to four inches beyond the line. Reach out with the ball this encourages a good follow-through motion.

This is where the ball should strike the lane.

The sole of the right shoe is rubber, to help you to brake or slow down as you approach the foul line; it also gives you the necessary traction as you start. The sole of the left shoe is leather, allowing that foot to slide on the fourth or final step.You’ll also need a bowling bag to carry your equipment in, and these range in price from $7 to $40 or $50. You can purchase a small bag, for carrying the shoes alone, for about $2.50.

Any good comfortable sport shirt is fine for bowling. Just be certain it gives you full freedom of movement, and that it doesn’t hamper your armswing at all.

For women bowlers I recommend a blouse-and-skirt combination, or a blouse and slacks. Many manufacturers are now turning out special bowling sportswear for milady. Dresses are available in such attractive styles and pleasing colors today that they must be difficult for women bowlers to resist.

A word to the women about skirts. Be sure your skirt isn’t too tight, or it will restrict your freedom of movement. And watch that it is not so full that you strike your arm against it in the downswing. Semi-flared skirts are the best.
On the market today, and available in almost every bowling center, are many kinds of devices designed especially to help you score better.

There are gloves to protect your thumb, and gloves to help you support the ball; devices to support and position your wrist and special grips, as well as sprays and ointments of all varieties. Before deciding on any of these, experiment with them in a practice session. They may or may not help you. But quite often they give you a psychological boost that does help better your score.

Professional stars you meet may be using a fingertip or semi-fingertip ball. But I recommend the conventional grip (the one I’ve described above) for almost every bowler. Pros use the fingertip styles to get more hooking action in their delivery; but unless you completely familiarize yourself with all of the subtleties of “lift” and “turn,” don’t use it.I hesitate to make any recommendations about proper pitch, since so much of this depends upon the individual bowler’s style of delivery and the size of his hand.

Let the man who fits and drills your ball recommend a proper pitch.I’m also hesitant about recommending a specific weight for your ball. I say this: if you can deliver a sixteen-pound ball with ease, without hampering your accuracy or control, then use it. But if this weight isn’t comfortable, switch to something lighter. The most important element in achieving high scores is accuracy not the particular weight of the ball you’re using. So, by all means, sacrifice weight for accuracy.

The same applies to women bowlers. I’ve seen 5′3″ gals, who couldn’t weigh more than 120 pounds, handle a sixteen-pound ball with the ease of Sylvia Wene, current Women’s All-Star champion. And I’ve seen real husky gals have trouble picking up a ten-pound ball from the rack. Why? Because they are poorly coordinated. Your own physical make-up and ability to coordinate will help you decide.

The two-finger grip, shown above, has become something of a rarity, and I don’t recommend its use.

Almost all bowling balls today are of the three-fingered variety, although at one time two-fingered balls were the only kind used. Nowadays the two-fingered style is something of a rarity, although a couple of the leading pros still use them. Ed Lubanski of Detroit won the 1958 World’s Championship with a two-finger grip. But generally it’s felt that the three-finger style is easier to hold; it’s more comfortable and it’s controlled a lot more easily.

I recommend that you own your own bowling shoes too. They range in price from $7.50 to $10, or even $20 for a really elegant pair. Bowling shoes are of a special variety.

This is my special pro model bowling bag. Bags may range from to $50.