8
- DECEMBER 2014
Helen Duval‟s Bowling Tips
Idle Bowling Thoughts
By Chuck Pezzano
How High or Low Should I Hold the Ball
Several articles in this series have discussed holding the ball properly and where
and how to hold the ball. But these columns have not covered the extremes of ball
positioning in your stance.
Basically, there are three positions to hold your ball in your stance. They are all
acceptable and workable if you make certain adjustments during the pushaway.
The most desired position to hold the ball in the stance, as it seems everything
falls into order more simples, is with elbows close to the body to help support the
ball and your bowling forearm on your right hip with the ball slightly to the right of
center, enabling you to push the ball out and down in a straight line toward the tar-
get, not at an angle.
The pendulum swing alongside your hip will be free and easy and you won‟t have
to move your hip out of the way of the ball‟s path. Your non-bowling hand supports
the ball and you are comfortable and balanced. You will now be ready to push the
ball out and step together in the most important “first movement”.
Some bowlers hang the ball from their shoulders. Many people do this and have
fair results. However, I feel this position is tiring, as the dead weight of the ball will
increase the tension across the neck and shoulders. I don‟t think you can last as
long or be relaxed using this position.
Your hands actually press against the sides of the ball instead of supporting it.
Supporting the ball takes the pressure off your hands and arm. From this position
you must lift the ball up as you take your first step. The lift then becomes the pen-
dulum swing. So, you see, if you don‟t lift the ball when you start your approach,
guess what you do with the ball and your body? In order to bring the ball back to
swing it, you must pull it back, therefore pivoting your hips and shoulders. Of
course, the ball is now behind you and it‟s really a problem to get it swinging
straight. You may be doing exactly this and wondering why you don‟t have proper
control of the swing.
The third option is that of holding the ball right under your chin. Now this is fine
for the bowler who wants to put a little more speed on the ball or possibly help the
coordination of the ball and your body to the foul line.
If you do have to or are in the habit of holding the ball high under your chin,
please don‟t push the ball up and out into the pendulum swing. Just push the ball
out and down into the swing with your first step.
I definitely recommend starting with the ball in this under-the-chin position for
little, short, easy-going people. Just by starting with the ball higher you will add
speed to the ball without forcing it.
One more tip: When you practice, concentrate.
Competition In Bowling
Many leagues and tournaments wind up with races as close as a bunch of col-
lege students trying to see how many of them can fit into a telephone booth or
compact car.
When competition is keen and can go any way, it's tension time. Tempers are
short, and there are flare ups of all sorts, even between bowlers on the same
team. The most docile bowler can become aggressive when the battle is on,
whether the reward is a tiny trophy or the Tournament of Champions title.
Adapting to change is a source of tension. Yet, tension is natural. It shows up
when there is a conflict of any kind, a spat with your mate, kids, friends, enemies;
or in fighting off another bowler, bowling team, or even a lane condition.
You become great at something the same way you learn to swim or ice skate.
By
making a fool of yourself until you master the challenge. Good judgment comes
from experience, and experience usually comes from poor judgment. Money
can't
buy natural ability. It's a gift. And experience comes from countless hours of
practice, patience, and competition.
The finest athletes in every field of sport and talent in all other fields generally
agree that you never fully get used to pressure. Don't let outward appearances
fool you. Tension grips the most seasoned for performers. But that doesn't re-
duce ability. Some rise to the greatest heights when under the most pressure.
Nobody completely shakes tension. It's a fact of life and must be lived with--like it
or not.
Winston Churchill said, "It is very much better sometimes to have a panic feel-
ing beforehand, and then be quite calm when things happen, than to be ex-
tremely calm beforehand and to get into a panic when things happen‟.
Eddie Richenbacher once noted, "Courage is doing what you're afraid to do.
There can be no courage unless you're scared”.
Think about that when you're making a clutch shot or a style switch in the
middle of a game or tournament. Being tense or scared is not the major problem.
Being scared of being scared causes most of the trouble. The first step in the
battle against pressure is to admit it is there, and that it won't fold up or silently
slip away.
Each individual battles pressure in his own way. Veteran performers, having
been through it, have more weapons to combat the common malady. Some
chew gum, tobacco, candy, or their lips. Others take a deep breath or try to stop
breathing. Some fidget as much as a lobster in boiling water. Some talk more,
others less. For every action or idea that works, there is another that won't.
Look in the mirror. You should know the best way to calm the person looking
back at you. Don't think you're different because a triple gets you flustered or you
nervously shake when you face even a so-called "simple" spare at a crucial mo-
ment.
On the surface most established pros seem as calm as the proverbial con-
tented
cat. Inside they're more like raging tigers. Similarly so, though most bowling com-
petition seems to be decided on the lanes, the hidden element, the battle against
the pressure, really determines the winner.
Some bowlers, when thinking about upcoming key matches, expend so much
energy that they tire and sleep well. Some have trouble sleeping prior to the try-
ing
times. One, when he's having a bad night, shakes his roommate until the latter is
awake, then asks, "What's the matter, can't you sleep either”?
Don't sleep when it comes time to face pressure, as it does for every bowler.
Face it the best way you know how--and only you really know how.
Geico WSOB VI
PBA Viper
Championship
Sunday,
December 21
@ 1pm EST on
ESPN
