Troubleshooting Your Bowling Game – Part 2

Release and balance issues

Troubleshooting Your Bowling Game - Part 2

Two of the most common issues that can pop up in your game and ruin your night are struggling with your release and being unable to keep your balance. When you suddenly start having problems with one of these issues, you need to quickly troubleshoot the cause in order to avoid a disastrous league night or tournament block.

Remember that when talking about troubleshooting, we’re not talking about solving long-term problems. We’re instead talking about short-term fixes. When an issue becomes more permanent and consistently wrong, then a more in-depth solution is needed. That’s when you need some certified instruction and corrective drills. During competition, though, that’s not always an option and you need to diagnose the problem and correct it as quickly as possible. That’s the situation that this series of articles addresses.

(Editor’s note: This article is Part 2 of Tyrel’s Troubleshooting Your Bowling Game series. Click here to read Part 1.)

Release issues

The release is probably the hardest part of bowling to master. The timing of getting your thumb out, rotating the ball, and “unloading” to create rev rate—combined with the fact that it all happens in a split second—mean that there is plenty of opportunity for the occasional glitch. Bowlers with normally consistent releases usually encounter one of two problems: turning the hand early or “missing” the ball at the time of release.

Turning the hand early

Every so often, bowlers might find themselves suddenly turning their hand a little early, feeling like they are topping the ball. For bowlers that are used to more of a forward and “traditional” three-quarter roll on the ball, this feeling can cause some panic. The good news is that it is usually not as bad as it feels. But, the discomfort and loss of confidence that comes from this requires you to troubleshoot it as quickly as possible ...



Tyrel Rose

About Tyrel Rose

Tyrel Rose is Bowling This Month's Director of Content. He is also the Head Coach for Team Canada, with over 20 years of coaching experience. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook.