bowling question

[Fish Man]

i have been getting into bowling slowly over the past year or so and was wondering if anybody can clear this up for me. while at a school team meeeting today i was told by somone that how i hold the ball is wrong and that i cant do it,others told me its fine.i hold the ball with my two middle fingers in the holes but leave my thumb out and do just fine,however when i bowl the way i was told to i cannot keep it out of the gutter,if anyone on here bowls or knows the answer can you clear this up for me.

[Jimzee]

Bowl the way that is comfortable for you.  My brother bowls in a league and uses three balls most of the time.  When he has a cleanup throw, he will stick only one finger in his cleanup ball to make it spin sideways to offset his natural curve he throws.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I've bowled in a few leagues in the past and I bowl the same way you do with my strike ball.  Never been told it's illegal.

[Daniel My Brother]

A lot of guys throw with just the 2 fingers when they're getting started because it's the easiest way to get a lot of rotation and power, and as a result they throw more strikes. The problem is that it is harder to pick up spares on the right side, especially the 10 pin, without your thumb in the ball, and you will struggle to bowl high games consistently.

Is it impossible to be a good bowler with just 2 fingers? No, but you will be miles ahead if you get a decent ball that fits your style, is drilled properly, and includes your thumb.

Good luck!

[grimlin]

My boy does the same thing,he bowls a 200 easy that way.He can make that ball spin in ways i didn't know about.He bowls tournaments as well.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Dude, you just admitted that you bowl,...on a public forum!!  ;D  J/K, Eric bowls, I bust him up about it every chance I get,lol.

[MALTESE FALCON]

Years ago, I knew a guy that used his four fingers and no thumb. He was a 200 average bowler. It's all about how you are comfortable.

Falcon

[frogtog]

My son uses his thumb only. I can't see how he does it. He will start on the left side of the isle and the ball will curve to the right like it's going into the gutter

then come back for a strike. As for me I use both hands. I just walk up and roll the ball straight down the middle, and I do pretty  good most of the time. ;D So what ever makes you happy is what you go with.

[Catt]

It was said that Earl Anthony would never make it as a Pro because of his style; 10 Professional Major Titles (6 PBA National Championships, 2 Firestone Tournament of Champions, and 2 ABC Masters Champions) are the most by any bowler. Anthony also won seven PBA Senior Tour titles for 48 total PBA Tour titles.

[Daniel My Brother]

You mentioned that you're bowling for your school team, so I just wanted to make one more point.

Bowling alleys have always oiled their lanes to protect them, but about 20 years ago they discovered that if they put more oil in the center of the lanes, and less on the outside boards, scores improved. They call this blocking'. Blocking combined with new drilling techniques and softer, more reactive balls led to higher scores. Bowlers who threw a big hook could now miss their mark by 5 or 6 boards and still strike.

It used to be that a 200 average was almost unheard of. Nowadays it's fairly common.

So how does this apply to you? It was around this same time that I noticed a lot of guys using the no thumb approach, and for good reason. The thumb only helps you throw with accuracy, and with blocked' lanes and more reactive balls, accuracy wasn't all that necessary to score big.  The poor thumb took a backseat.

So why do I have a problem with the no thumb approach?  I'll give you 3 reasons.

1. No two bowling alleys are alike, and lane conditions change constantly. If you're bowling a tournament and the lanes start to dry out, you will struggle to keep your ball right of the head pin.

2. You will always have to work harder to pick up the 10 pin.

3. If you get to a point where you're bowling in more serious tournaments, you will notice that the alleys are more evenly oiled (not blocked).  On those lanes, power, angle, AND ACCURACY are the keys. That's when most big hooking 200 average bowlers turn into 160 bowlers.

Of course this is just bowling, and it's certainly your choice. But please know that bowling, like fishing, is something you can do for the rest of your life and the habits you develop now will stay with you for a very long time.

Best of Luck,

DMB

[Fisher of Men]

You mentioned that you're bowling for your school team, so I just wanted to make one more point.

Bowling alleys have always oiled their lanes to protect them, but about 20 years ago they discovered that if they put more oil in the center of the lanes, and less on the outside boards, scores improved. They call this blocking'. Blocking combined with new drilling techniques and softer, more reactive balls led to higher scores. Bowlers who threw a big hook could now miss their mark by 5 or 6 boards and still strike.

It used to be that a 200 average was almost unheard of. Nowadays it's fairly common.

So how does this apply to you? It was around this same time that I noticed a lot of guys using the no thumb approach, and for good reason. The thumb only helps you throw with accuracy, and with blocked' lanes and more reactive balls, accuracy wasn't all that necessary to score big. The poor thumb took a backseat.

So why do I have a problem with the no thumb approach? I'll give you 3 reasons.

1. No two bowling alleys are alike, and lane conditions change constantly. If you're bowling a tournament and the lanes start to dry out, you will struggle to keep your ball right of the head pin.

2. You will always have to work harder to pick up the 10 pin.

3. If you get to a point where you're bowling in more serious tournaments, you will notice that the alleys are more evenly oiled (not blocked). On those lanes, power, angle, AND ACCURACY are the keys. That's when most big hooking 200 average bowlers turn into 160 bowlers.

Of course this is just bowling, and it's certainly your choice. But please know that bowling, like fishing, is something you can do for the rest of your life and the habits you develop now will stay with you for a very long time.

Best of Luck,

DMB

I never knew bowling could be so technical!  Maybe that's why I've always stunk at it.  

[Fish Man]

I think i finally solved my problem tonight. We went bowling and i expiramented to see what was comfortable and found a way that works and i am able to consistantly get a good score with it. My frieds got a kick outta it tho cause it is kinda strange looking but i guess if it helps me get better ill have to live with it