Page 14 - Bowling World Newspaper March 2013
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14
– MARCH 2013
Back-Up Ball
Is a back-up the kind of ball you roll? Has your average been staying pretty
much the same for several years? Do you want to increase your average? If the
answer to any of these questions is yes, then read on.
Many women roll a back-up ball, don't even realize it, and wonder why they don't
get any better.
Let's define this back-up ball just in case you're not sure, then I'll tell you why it's
an abnormal delivery. I sometimes call it the "I don't care what I do with my ball"
delivery.
As mentioned in previous columns, remember to stay at the foul line and watch
your ball. If your ball keeps hooking to the right, and you are right-handed, you are
a back-up bowler.
Why is this so bad? Well, for one thing you never get any better after reaching a
certain level and you do want to get better, don't you?
As mentioned several times, your thumb steers and guides the ball. So it boils
down to what can't be repeated often enough: Where is and what is the position of
your hand and thumb at the delivery point.
You can make a better bowler of yourself if you are conscious of where your
hand is at the foul line.
Your hand should be in an open position, making it easier for you to let the ball
roll all the way to the pins. I repeat,
roll
all the way to the pins. That's bad because
a ball should do three things on the way to the pins: skid, roll, and hook.
Now how can these three things happen if you open up your hand at the delivery
point. You must keep your two fingers in a
curled
position all the way through the
arm swing and delivery. Remember, you must feel the ball come off your fingers at
the delivery point.
If you wish to correct this fault, try this easy suggestion. Let your right arm hang
down to your side. Relax. Curl your two bowling fingers slightly. This next instruc-
tion may seem foolish, but I'm trying to make a point. Take your thumb and pre-
tend to poke a hole in your stomach (abdomen). Do that several times. Now keep
your fingers curled and swing your arm and hand in that same position up to your
face. Try to poke your nose with your thumb.
Silly, isn't it? But do you realize that if you measure your body from the center
out to your hips, it's about eight to ten inches. So if you bring your hand and thumb
from the side of your body up to your nose, you are learning the basic natural turn
of a hook ball. Now put your left foot forward, bend it at the knee and lean over it.
Swing your arm up to the area in front of your face. Check your hand position. Isn't
this a handshake position? Of course it is, and it's something very natural and
easy to do. When you want or run fast, that's where your hands and arms swing
to. Why not do something that is natural to our bodies.
If you are determined to be a back-up bowler and can't or don't want to change
to a hook ball—even though you'll get more pins—then I suggest that you stand on
the left side of the approach and use all the left-handed arrows and angles. In
other words, just pretend you are left-handed. This way you will get the very most
out of the game with your back-up.
Helen Duval’s Bowling Tips
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