QuestionQUESTION: My son has gotten to be more into bowling, and bowls with me on my team. He is right handed and insists for now to bowl backup (he is a righty). He stands around the first arrow on the left side of the lane and attempts to throw it down the boards backup-hooking to the left side pocket. He has a new 14 lb Swagga ball drilled for a lefty.
Trouble is, he often misses way right. When he does that I see him opening his shoulders right of target and the swing now goes right.
I think this error is a result of trying to get the bowling hand to the left side of the ball. I often see some looping in his down swing where his bowling arm is attempting to perform a clockwise motion to get on the side of the ball. He says he is not trying to do that but it seems to occur to me.
To me, the fact the elbow restricts the right arm from turning very far clockwise, causing him to realign the body in attempt to release on the left side of the ball.
Not finding much on "How To Bowl With A Backup" is there anything unique that he needs to know about proper technique for backup bowling? It would seem that good timing, proper grip, good balance at the line remain the same.
How should the bowling arm swing during a backup delivery? Shouldn't the arm go back and forth relatively straight and shouldn't any significant rotation be restricted as much as possible to the hand and wrist? I would think any clockwise rotation should be minimized.
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ANSWER: Bill, like you, I have not seen any literature on backup bowling. Before my book, I never saw much on bowling or bowling adjustments.
In my opinion, and after 20 years of researching why people throw backup balls, I came to the conclusion there was a physical and mental aspect driving the action. First physical, because of poor fit, or not enough follow up to ensure the bowler could get out of the ball properly. Second, mentally because of the language that is often used in bowling that "you should let your arm swing freely through the release." When bowlers truly learn to bowl in the beginning they must "mechanically" remember how to hold their hand through the release point. Mentally, some bowlers can be brain washed into thinking this release just occurs naturally.
A good release takes control and then retraining to get it to flow freely, like we are use to seeing many bowlers of our time, and the past. Case in point, if I wanted to throw a full roller, a back up ball, two handed, a helicopter release, a 3/4 roll, or a spinning release. I would have to train my hand to be stable and then mentally and physically move in those directions until it became muscle memory I could repeat.
Preferring to throw the back up ball is not a bad thing, however, if there is a ball fit issue that keeps your son from progressing because he is just trying to get out of the ball without injuring his thumb, then it needs to be addressed.
Another thing that comes to mind is your son's ability to sight his targets. If he is opposite eye dominant he may be focusing on one spot while unknowingly throwing 3 to 4 boards right of the intended target.
In my new book True Bowler Adjustments, I yell to the roof tops, "the lanes do not care if you have only one way to release the ball!" So having the back up ball release and the forward roll or 3/4 roll in his arsenal one day can be a blessing for him.
In summary Bill, I don't know of literature that describes good techniques for back up bowling. However, as a coach of back up bowlers, they are unique for sure. They can spin the ball or forward roll the ball from the left side. Everything is pretty much the same. The biggest issue is targeting and matching up the correct ball with the lane conditions.
The swagga is a great ball, I have seen it on low volume oil performing like a beast! It really grabs the mid lane.
If the ball is constantly fall off his hand and going right, a fit check would be required. This would definitely involve asking your son what he feels prior to release, or what he "does not" feel prior to release. Not being able to carry the ball through the release is not something we can see. It's truly about what he feels. For example: Is one finger really loose at release that he can't feel?
I don't want to be negative here, but if he is opposite eye dominant, he could be missing his targets that way. Some correction, is that he could look further down lane to help with targeting.
My take on the matter Bill. Train the hand. Whether it is back up ball, end-over-end, or whatever. In the end the body will learn the motion and make it smoother over time. Above all, the ball fit needs to be investigated so you know that he is just not throwing the ball because that is the only way he can get out of it without hurting himself. Best wishes!
-Coach Gary
Las Vegas, NV.
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (It's a great book!)
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you for the very thoughtful response.
One thing I need to clarify. Others have said the ball falls off the hand but I don't think that happens always. When he misses right, it is because of his arm swing and shoulder position I am pretty sure.
To check his grip I have had him hold the ball down at his side with his hand and arm relaxed, no knuckling of the thumb or fingers. The ball does not fall off his hand. The pro shop driller also checked his grip by having him pull the thumb out while having the fingers inserted.
Answer
www.TrueBowlerAdjustme
You are very welcomed Bill, if you are sure it's his arm swing that is causing the miss the easy thing to do is to watch the push off. The theory goes that if a bowler is missing to the outside of a target, then most likely they are pushing to the inside too much. Likewise, if he is aggressively pushing to much to the inside, the bowler will swing quite a bit to the outside of their target. Prime time is keeping the swing within a 4 inch groove. Having a certified coach look at his game is the best thing to do if he is willing to work on it.
Checking the grip is great. However, it is about the "feel" or lack of "feel" at release. Some bowlers are vocal at providing information to improve their game, some lack the aggressiveness to truly take control to solve nagging issues. In today's game the ability to solve issues within our game only slows our progress toward becoming a force to be reckoned with on the lanes.
The best of luck to the two of you...
-Coach Gary
Las Vegas, NV.
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (It's a great book!)
