Coach, I’ve Got a Question! – December 2023

In this recurring feature, I answer questions from Bowling This Month readers. If you have questions, please leave them in the comment section below so I can address them in a future installment of Coach, I’ve Got a Question!

I am finding it hard to raise my track. Nothing I do seems to help. I can’t compete on sport shots with a spinner. Thoughts?

Raising your track can be a very challenging task, for several reasons. First, it requires you to re-learn your release movement. Second, this is one of those things where you usually need to take two steps backward before you can take three steps forward.

It’s hard to diagnose a release without video, but most of the bowlers with high axis tilt are “cheating” at the release by turning their hand early.

Check your fit

Sometimes, this is due to fit. The first thing to do whenever you are working on your game, especially as it relates to the release, is to get your grip checked. Incorrect spans or pitches will often lead to excessive grip pressure, which can cause excessive tilt. Whenever someone says, “Nothing I do seems to help,” my first inclination is to think that nothing helps because the grip won’t let you do what you’d like to do. Even if you know the proper mechanic and can do it in slow motion in a drill, once the swing and approach are added, the increased load on your hand in order to hold onto the ball forces you to squeeze, which ruins the release.

Adjusting mechanics

If the fit is good, then turning early is purely a mechanical issue from not really knowing exactly where to turn the ball or from something being off with your timing and body position. It’s hard to have a great release with other ...