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The term "surface" in bowling means sanding it, whether that is just knocking off the shine or taking it down to a lower grit. To me, anything sanded to 1500 or less without adding any polish or compound would be considered to have surface (maybe 2000 even, but that's about right on the teetering point). If I sanded to 3000 or higher, it's not going to be as porous, and may not be "shiny" but won't really be dull either, and I would not consider that to have surface. Think of it like woodworking. If I sanded wood that was covered with a poly or stain using 80 grit, it's going to remove the poly surface and get down to the wood, and it will be a little rough. So while you are technically taking something OFF the wood (the poly), you are putting ON it a rougher surface initially. If I sand it more using 5000 grit sandpaper, the wood is going to be super soft and smooth, thus not really a rougher surface anymore. So in bowling, while you are technically not putting anything on the ball, your are removing polish or lane shine, and what you are putting on it thru sanding is a rougher, duller, porous surface that will grab thru oil better. So you are putting a "surface" on the ball by sanding, even if lightly just to knock the shine off of it. I hope that helps make sense if it all.

I saw that one. Great video.

Great question. Harder to explain than show, but I'll try here and I will reference points in the video. Increased revolutions is achieved by having a greater distance that your fingers travel in a shorter amount of time. Being further under and further inside the ball are 2 ways of getting the fingers in a deeper starting position, and using physics to torque the ball more. Imagine the big wheel on The Price Is Right. Those who start barely above the pointer don't get the wheel to spin as fast or as many times around as someone who grabs it way up high. By pulling down a greater distance, they are increasing speed from the start to the release, making the wheel spin more. It is the same in bowling. Cupping the wrist or bending the elbow only will get you under the ball more, but that will result in a more forward roll. If you cock your wrist inward as Blake does, it rotates the ball in your hand so that he achieves that same level of torque while getting a little bit of side rotation. You CAN achieve this other ways, but they aren't as efficient. For example, cocking the wrist gets the FINGERS inside, but the rest of his hand is behind or even a little outside. If you instead get your entire hand inside, you can get this also, but it requires bringing your entire hand around the ball to get the side rotation, and this CAN lead to many spinning the ball unless you have outstanding control. You can also just have a cupped wrist to get under it and be outside the ball to get that angle of rotation (as it sounds like what you are doing), but you will lose a little bit of rev rate with that method. Being loaded (which is a combination of a little bit cupped and a little bit cocked) will maximize getting your fingers under and inside the ball with the least effort. Add to that the elbow bending slightly right before release, and straightening the elbow, uncupping and uncocking the wrist (uncoiling as we call doing both at the same time), will all lead to maximizing your efforts. Now, all this said, if you don't uncoil quite perfectly, a cocked wrist can also lead to spinning the ball because before you uncoil, the cocked wrist is adding tilt, and too much tilt will equal more of a spin. If you look at Blake at that 4:55 mark, before he uncoils, you can see how tilted his ball is. But when you advance it a frame, you see him uncoil. This is important to achieving the higher rev rate. It sounds like you got the most important part down, and that is motion of your wrist right at release that gets you to about 400 RPM. That's great. Staying locked just on the outside of the ball is not bad. However, the addition of the cocking of the wrist a little bit should allow you to add even more revs, if that is what you are going for. The best way I personally have found to practice this (because I am also more outside the ball), is my method I borrowed from JR Raymond several videos ago where I imagine JUST before the ball gets to my release point that my right knuckles will scrape my left calf. You don't need to be cocked or loaded thru the whole swing, only at the release point, just like you are doing with cupping and uncupping. If you imagine the knuckles against your calf, it will get you into a more loaded position just before you release it, making sure you still uncoil everything as you let go. I hope that all makes sense. Feel free to shoot me another message if I didn't explain anything clearly for you.

Are you a 1 or 2-hander? If 2-handed, I'm all for it. You will see a mix, even among the pros, where some are resting on the forearm the whole way, some are not on the forearm at all, and some start NOT on the forearm, but they move to the forearm during the swing. I believe that getting it onto your forearm is a great way to get further under the ball, as long as you are properly releasing the wrist and rolling the ball off the hand vs. coming all the way around and over the top of the ball. If you are 1-handed without a thumb, you pretty much have to rest it on your forearm (a-la Tom Daugherty). If you are 1-handed WITH your thumb, it is much more difficult to get the ball onto your forearm unless you rotate your wrist into an extremely loaded position (kind of like Butturf). If you do this, you have to be very careful to make sure you uncoil the wrist at release, otherwise being in THAT loaded of a position, you do run the risk of spinning the ball. So bottom line is, I think without the thumb, it's a good idea, but if you use the thumb, I would try to accomplish the release without going quite to the extreme of getting the ball to the forearm. I hope that helps.

@ This helps a ton thank you so much!!!! I’m 2 handed and have been back in forth on doing it and not doing it. I just need to learn the proper uncoil position

To some degree, yes, but regardless of your pitch, you still want a snug fit. The more reverse it is, the more snug it will likely need to be. If it is forward, you can get away with it a little bit loose but you still may be inclined to squeeze. No matter the pitch, you always want to hinge at the base of the thumb.

I would just add tape in that case until you get that snug fit.

I love this event. I love that it brings in talent from the region, that it's scratch, so it's loaded with really good bowlers and tests your skills, that there are different divisions for over and under 45 and that qualifying is singles but then becomes doubles in match play (unique format). I love that it is also a fundraiser for Cancer research and they have collected a LOT of money that has been donated over the past 26 years. It's frustrating to not qualify, especially when the shot is there and you just didn't take advantage of it, but no matter what, I will always enjoy this tournament, even if I don't do well. Of all the tournaments, local and PBA regionals that I do every year, this is one I will always do as long as I am physically able.

That’s awesome that the tournament supports cancer research, I love that. I lost my wife to cancer last year, so that’s a cause very close to my heart. Fingers crossed you qualify next time! Keep up the great work with the videos, I thoroughly enjoy the content and find it very informative!

Because your hands naturally face inward, even starting with my right hand under the ball, as soon as I push away, it naturally wants to come a little to the outside. Right at the end of my pushaway, my right hand goes from about 6-oclock to closer to 5-oclock, and then it continues around the side. My left hand, while touching the ball, wasn't really doing much. I found that if I try to just get my right hand or keep my right hand further under the ball, I lose some stability, so when trying to achieve keeping it at 6-oclock (directly under the ball), the weight of the ball would sometimes fall to the right of my hand and I would end up closer to 7-oclock, and it just felt unstable. I struggled with consistency, so I gave up. Instead, by using my left hand to "push" the ball over a little, my left hand is doing more work by stabilizing that ball as my right hand was at 6-oclock. By the time I let go with my left hand, gravity is starting to pull the ball down, so it's easier then to keep the hand under it. It's not perfectly under it, but it is a lot better now. I've been doing this for a few weeks now, and it already feels more natural to do this than it did before. I hope that makes sense. It's hard to articulate with words. The front view from about 8:50 to 9:40 probably shows it the best.

Thank you. That means a lot. I really try my best to create something anyone can follow. I wanted to create something for those who struggle with other videos. Greatly appreciate you watching and commenting!

Absolutely. I like 1 step just because it adds in some timing, but no step will help you concentrate on the hand position only and get down that feeling. Usually, anything related to your hand at release, no step is a great place to start, then add in 1 step, then more steps.

Thank you.

Love to hear it!

Thanks. Take a look at our Importance of the Thumb Fit video. If you have a snug thumb, and if you hinge properly, you can flatten or even cup the wrist a little with less effort by pulling back with the thumb vs. curling. Many who struggling or get wrist pain are trying to muscle the ball into a cupped formation. You actually want to be relaxed. You can get that cupped shape with a snug thumb, using gravity, and good technique. Good luck.

My slow motion is what you are attempting to do, and is a breakdown of what you see pros do. It's not simple to accomplish, especially for a 50 year old man who is trying to go against 45 years of established muscle memory, so my own full speed may not quite be perfect, and it is why I don't have a 450+ Rev rate. But it's what I think through as I try, and those attempts are what lead to an increase from previous Rev rate.

@ I just rolled 4 games trying to copy you in this video. I had about 6 perfect releases/strikes, but I found it pretty challenging to perfect the shot. I’ll keep trying it. Do I need to have my ball redrilled for this shot? I had it drilled against my old shot.

@@StayFrothy90 You shouldn't need to redrill anything. You need to have a good fit, especially in the thumb if you use the thumb, but it really just takes practice. I don't remember the number, but it takes hundreds of reps to establish new muscle memory. As you pointed out, I still struggle to perfect it, so you just gotta keep at it, or tweak things for yourself as you go.

Thanks, same. Great chatting with you. Let me know how the Sarge Easter grip works out.

Thank you.

I understand your point. What I will say to this are a few things. First, just before the 1:00 mark, there is a disclaimer that this method is NOT the standard for throwing a bowling ball. It is simply an alternative to try if someone is struggling with other techniques they have tried. My goal is to provide alternate practice methods that I don't see a lot of videos on, for those who have tried every other video and just can't seem to get it down. Even if they get too much side rotation at first, you can fix this, but it's a good was to get started if the yoyo and other videos have been too complicated. (I will also mention that pro bowler Andrew Anderson ALSO said that a good beginner technique is like spiraling a football :)) Second, yes, you may loft it a bit at first because you practiced throwing a football in the air, but again, if you struggle with rotation of the ball, I'd rather you slightly loft it and get the rotation, and then later work on getting the ball out earlier and down on the lane. It's simply a tool to get you started. I have spent SOOOOO much time in my work office or at home tossing a football in the air to myself, but focusing on the movement of my wrist to create a tight and fast spiral, and this, more than any other drill I have ever done, has had a great impact on my ability to translate to the lanes and improve my overall release. Again, I totally get your point and appreciate the comment, just know that this is a tool to use for those that struggle with other practice methods.

@@baldbrothersbowling I'm not saying its wrong, and perhaps I should have intimated it was "my" misconception and exaggeration of the drill that I learned elsewhere. Plus I fight hanging on to the ball, so I just wanted someone to blame! XD XD XD. Just kidding. Its a matter of spinning the football but at a much lower throwing direction. Great content and thanks for the response!!!!

@@danipman Absolutely. Thank YOU for watching and engaging. I try to always respond as much as I can (I have luxury being a smaller channel LOL). I encourage all comments, questions, etc. It's through this dialogue we learn, myself included. I certainly don't know everything in the game and am always learning new things or new ways to help others. Appreciate the comments!

It's okay to laugh. I was laughing on the inside.

Yes, that is another way to look at it. Personally, I have always learned better with angle degrees, but that's just a personal preference. I should reference both that way I got everyone covered. Thanks

A couple things you can try. First, I would try putting the tape deeper in the thumb hole. That way it is tighter further down on your thumb, looser by the base of your thumb. You may need to try it at a few spots. If that doesn't work, have your pro shop do a quick pass inside the thumb with sander, just barely, and then do the tape again. Personally, I have thumb hole big enough that I have about 3 pieces of tape in there. You can then stagger them down the hole so it is more snug deeper.

The release is essentially the same for 1 and 2 handers in terms of hand position and motion. The only real difference is rolling off the thumb vs. rolling off the palm. When they say to keep it straight, do they mean straight vs. cupped, or straight in line with the target, not rotating it around the ball? If it's the first, you don't NEED to cup it, but if you are cupped, you can get more under the ball and use the cupped-to-uncupped motion of the yoyo release to roll the ball off your hand. As for the rotation around the ball, you want some rotation, but not too much. If you are being told to keep it straight, it may be that you are currently rolling over the ball TOO much. You want to stay behind the ball as long as you can. If you have a loaded position, you are a little cupped, but also the wrist is turned in so the fingers are towards your leg (like Blake's hand is when I pause the video). As you uncoil the wrist, your hand will go from directly behind to a little bit of an angle. BEST video of this is this one from CTD that shows Anthony Simonsen. ruclips.net/video/0gRwZXXHToY/видео.html If you pause it at 0:14, you can see how his wrist is a little cupped, and his hand is tilted with his fingers closer to his leg. Go forward 1 second to 0:15, you can see how his wrist is still cupped, but it moves slightly to the side of the ball, creating about a 45-degree angle to his target. As you slowly forward, you will see the wrist uncoil and the ball rolls off his hand. That is what an ideal 2-handed release looks like.

@@baldbrothersbowling It’s straight in terms of my wrist being turned towards my body. I cock my wrist a lot in my setup and keep it that way, i’m doubled jointed, and have way more wrist cock then most bowlers. Is there ever really a point where it’s bad if it’s comfortable? It’s similar to butruff

@@michaelkoch603 Over-cocking your wrist is only bad if you don't uncoil it at the release. Even Butters uncoils at the release and rolls it off his hand. Issues with cupping and cocking your wrist can present 2 things. 1 is it can cause wrist strain and pain, and this is usually because people are trying to curl the ball instead of using your grip, gravity, and proper swing speed to allow you to cup without pain. This doesn't sound like an issue for you, as you said it is comfortable. The other is that if you do NOT uncoil and roll the ball off your hand, and you have it cocked a lot, you end up rolling your hand over the top too much to clear your fingers, and this can cause a spinning motion, decrease in rev rate, or missing your mark. I often say that while there are "textbook" ways of doing everything from steps, pushaway, etc., the MAIN thing you have to accomplish is right at the release. I think if you look at the slow motion videos of Butters for the hyperextended wrist as well as Simo for the 2-handed approach, that motion and that angle of your hand to your target should be what you see there. If you get around the side too much and your palm is facing your body, you are too far around it and need to work on rolling it off your hand more. I hope that all makes sense. I am working on putting together a coaching portal where people can upload videos for us to review. I don't have this yet, but if you want to find Bald Brothers Bowling on Facebook and then send me a DM, I can let you know when that is functioning and I'd be happy to take a look at a video of you, if you want.

This is a tough one. Pitches are something you have to experiment a little bit with. If you have a proper fit, and your pitch is currently 0, you shouldn't be dropping it. If you are, you are likely either not fit snug enough, OR you are just releasing the thumb too early. A reverse pitch does allow the ball to come off quicker, so if you are currently reverse pitch, that may be the issue. But if you are not currently reverse, I would make sure the fit is truly good before adjusting the pitch. Forward pitch can help you hang on a little longer, but generally, I don't think forward is usually the answer. If you are pulling it left, we'd have to look at a video of your swing to diagnose if this is a fit issue or a swing issue. To start, I recommend adding more tape and making sure you are hinging at the base of the thumb. If you do this and it sticks, it is too tight, but you want to be so snug that you are right on the edge of sticking, without hinging at your knuckle. NOTE that hinging at the knuckle can make a thumb stick in the ball, so many people think they have a good fit, but it only fits because they are hinging at the knuckle and squeezing the ball. Once they flatten their thumb, they drop it. You need the thumb to be straight the whole time, and you need it so snug that you can do the things I say in the video. If you are straight and it sticks, you are too tight, but back out the tape 1 piece at a time as you want to be as snug as possible. If the issue is not fit, but that you are releasing early, practice no-step drills, and also put a towel down just past the foul line and work on throwing it over the towel. This is a good way to learn to hold on to it just a little bit longer (again, without bending the thumb at the knuckle). If you do all of this, and it still falls off your hand, THEN you may need to try a forward pitch. If you have an old ball, use that as a tester for changing the pitch with your PSO until it feels right. I hope that helps.

That is a great analysis. One thing I say is that many who feel pain are trying to "curl" the ball to make the cup. They are typically doing two things wrong with that. One is that they may not have a proper fitting thumb, so they squeeze, and create that "curl" motion. They are essentially straining their wrist using muscles to get that shape. The other is that they aren't using gravity and the "weightless" moments, which is similar to what you are talking about. I appreciate you adding your analysis as that's a great way to look at that. Thank you.

@@baldbrothersbowling thank you! I love your content. And I love seeing bowling becoming more popular. Keep up the great work sir, I have learned a lot from you and I appreciate your time with your audience!

Appreciate that

Yes, but here is the problem with calculating initial rev rate only. My camera is set to 24 fps. When you advance his video by frame, in one frame as it leaves his hand, you see his grips on TOP of the ball. 2 frames later, it is slightly short of on top of the ball, but by the 3rd frame, it's well past. This means that 1 revolution off his hand is between 2 and 3 frames. Using the calculation above, 2 frames would be 720 rpm and 3 would be 480. That is a large gap, and I don't know how to calculate a fraction of a frame. So at best, I would have to estimate. 563 (which I calculated using the average rev-rate) is within that gap. If I reverse engineer the formula above, 563 would be 2.55 frames at a 24 fps. Now, I could advance frames until I see the marker (in this case grips) in the exact same spot. When I advance 5 frames, the ball rotated twice and the grips are in the exact same spot. That average 2.5 frames per revolution, so 24/2.5*60=576. This all estimating, and the difference between initial rev rate and average rev rate is negligible. As you said, the highest rev rate is at the end, so if his initial is 576, then I actually underestimated his rev rate as the average would actually be higher than 576, which makes sense because in my review, at 20 revolutions, the ball isn't quite at the pins, but at 21, it's well into them. So his actual revolutions is 20 point something, and if I were to add a fraction of a revolution to my calculation, it would have been higher than 563. But I was trying to estimate, and that is why I named the video 550+ and 563. I knew this wasn't exact and was just an estimate, either way you calculate it. But for most people, the difference between initial rev rate and average is going to be close.

@@baldbrothersbowling Definitely need 60fps for accurate readings. The ideal compromise is to measure the average rev-rate using a polished plastic spare ball with no weightblock. This would eliminate the effects of ball dynamics and lane friction on the measurement, and might be just as accurate as measuring the first revolution off the hand.

That does make it tougher. Your fingers won't exit at the same time, but you can still work on relaxing the fingers and the ball won't roll off the hand as much. They will be closer to the same time. You will likely want to use a plastic ball as it will still rotate a little, but you can cut down the revs by relaxing the fingers, and it should be few enough revs that a plastic ball won't hook much. You just have to really focus on opening your hand and fingers, almost like you are holding a bird, and then opening the fingers to let the bird go. I hope that helps.

My arm is away because my hand is outside the ball. Arm has to be outside to make room for the ball. This video was about a year and a half ago, and while I am far from perfect, that is something I have been working on. I just did a video a few weeks ago showing the difference, and it is a lot closer. I sometimes fall back into that habit as it is a 44 year muscle memory I am trying to replace, but getting there. Thanks for watching. Not too many go back and watch the older ones. I appreciate that.

Exactly. If you are married, just show this to your spouse and say that we said it's important to bowl MORE to improve. :)

This is something we are working on developing. I do in-person, but we need to work out logistics of setting up something that can be done virtually and thru use of loading videos. If you want to find us on Facebook, Bald Brothers Bowling, and then send me a DM, I can put you on a list to reach out when that is set up. If you are in Omaha by chance, yes, we can do in person 1-on-1.

If you look at the 5:00 mark where I freeze and flip the frame back and forth, you can see the position of his hand. The 3 things that impact your ball are 1.) axis tilt, 2.) angle of rotation, and 3.) rev rate. All these are mostly impacted at this moment which is why we focus so much on this part specifically. What you are looking for here are the position of the fingers to the center of the ball, and angle of the fingers to thumb at release. The first thing everyone should want to try to get is fingers under the equator (the imaginary horizontal line cutting the ball in half). In the 2 frames I show, you'll see in the first frame, he's a little under, but by the 2nd frame, he is well below the equator. Next, you will see that his fingers are on the inside of the ball in the first frame (if you draw an imaginary VERTICAL line, he'd be on the left side of the ball). As he uncoils his wrist, it slightly rotates so that it goes from inside to more in the center. This along with rolling the ball off the thumb first helps get the revs. Next, you will see that the angle of his fingers to his thumb is not straight up and down, but angled. That is extremely angled in the first frame as he is in the loaded position (wrist cocked inward) and less so, but still there in the 2nd. Because his fingers are about in the center (left to right) of the ball in frame 2, but his thumb is outside, this creates both his angle of rotate and tilt. Basically his palm is pointing probably 30 degrees to the left, not straight down the lane. Comparing Blake to me, he is more loaded and has his fingers farther inside the ball at frame 1. His frame 2 looks more like what my frame 1 would look like. He uncoils more than me which is why he can generate so many more revs. My frame 2 I am more outside the ball than he is. This makes my palm probably closer to 40 degrees to the left. He is a little bit more up the back than I am. This is also because for me, my finger to thumb angle is a little bit more up and down, his is more angled. That said, we can both manipulate our shots a little. He CAN come around it more, meaning his fingers will be farther outside in frame 2 than currently, pointing his palm at a greater angle, but when he does this, he has so much angle that it hooks uncontrollably given his rev rate. He can come up the back more or less and increase or decrease tilt by changing the location of his fingers and that angle of his fingers to thumb a little at the release point. If wants to come up the back more, his fingers will stay slightly more inside the ball in frame 2, or more around it, he will come a little to the outside of the ball. He can decrease tilt by loading less and getting the finger to thumb angle less, or get more tilt by keep that angle a little greater in frame 2. I can also come up the back more by keep my hand more behind it like he does. I struggle creating that much angle between my fingers and thumb, so when I come up the back more, it has less tilt than he has. I can load more like he does, and my ball roll is closer to his, but I can't uncoil as fast as he does which lowers my revs, and I can't generate his speed, so when I load more, my ball speed is too slow. I know that is a lot of info to read, but hopefully that answers your question and makes sense. It's hard to do, which is why you have to practice over and over.

@@baldbrothersbowling thanks brother.

Thanks

Thanks

I agree, this is an art, and Blake has it down! Thanks for watching.

This is where I hope I can make you proud, 14 and learning a strong hook, wish me luck!

@@caprisun1216 go get it!!!

Technically any movement requires SOME muscle. However, when we refer to "muscling" in bowling, it's really about forcing a movement. Gravity plays a big roll in bowling, and we want to use gravity, but sometimes people will pull the ball up into a backswing, or hold it in the pushaway too long fighting against gravity, or even pulling it back down faster than what gravity is allowing. But when the ball moves from the peak to the release, gravity is pulling it downward, and if your armswing is moving at a pace similar to the ball dropping, the ball is virtually weightless. During this time, you can manipulate your wrist and get a slight elbow bend without much effort from your muscles. If the speed of your downswing is too fast or slow, bending the elbow will require muscling the ball. You also have to consider that the elbow bend he shows is very slight. Some people overdo it, which that will impact your throw because you are essentially muscling it to get THAT much bend. But an ever so slight bend is all you really need.

Short answer 'yes'. The ball is pulling down ward so pulling your arm straight. However as coach Bald suggests, it's about moving in such a way as to minimize the 'muscling'. So, to create the bend at the elbow the shoulder is dropped slightly and then just as the ball is dropping into that new lower level it it released. Maybe try getting a cheap and light ball fitted to learn or ignore me coz I'm a 2 hander with 500 rpm and no art lol

if you let the ball drop inward with the elbow close to the hip without pulling down and with your shoulder and body in the correct alignment this will happen naturally.

@@baldbrothersbowling thank you all for the response. Another question. I bought a wrist device because I was told that it would teach the feel of a firm wrist position. I have massive issues with getting out of my ball and when I put this wrist device on my thumb clears so fast that I nearly drop the ball during my swing. Does anyone know why a wrist device like a Robby rev one get my thumb out so fast?

@@tymarmaras Great questions. First, I would disagree about using a wrist brace to gain "feel" of a firm wrist as a starting point. While it does hold you firm, it actually removes some of the feel for me. I like wrist braces really only if there is an injury that requires it, or as a last resort if you struggle with other methods. The fact that you exit the thumb so quickly, you may have too loose of a thumb hole (which is my guess), and because of your wrist position now, maybe you aren't squeezing like you used to and it is exposing fact that the thumb doesn't fit right. My recommendation, even before really using a wrist brace, is to watch my video on the importance of right thumb fit. In that video, I explain how you can make sure the ball is super snug on your thumb, but you don't hinge at the middle knuckle. You hinge at the base of the thumb, keeping the thumb straight. If you do with with a tight thumb hole, you will hold on to the ball really well until you decide to release pressure. With a straight thumb, it won't stick. If you bend your thumb, it will stick. Getting a tight thumb hole and training to use your thumb this way also makes it easier to flatten your wrist more by pulling back with the thumb (not curling the ball like a dumbbell). I also address this in that video. If you get a tight thumb, hinge properly, and pull back to straighten or even cup the wrist a little, it will feel much light and be easier to do. Swing it back and forth to get a feel for having a straight wrist thru your swing. If you can do that, move on to swinging back and forth with no step drill, and then practice releasing pressure on the thumb only and rolling the ball off your hand. This can all be done with a proper fitted thumb and some practice, without the need for the brace.

Lol.