You Have to Give Something to Get Something

I frequently give lessons focused on free swing and balance. During these lessons, students often are surprised by the fact that you have to give up control to gain control. So what do I mean by this?

Imagine a rock tied to a string. I hold one end of the string in my left hand, and hold the rock taught and parallel to the ground with my right hand. If I gently let the rock go, gravity provides both the direction and the speed of the rock. If I pull the rock up to the same place and gently let go the same way, it will reach the same point, going the same direction at the same speed as it did the first time. Gravity is a wonderful thing, eh?

Now imagine that I do the same thing, except this time I “push” the rock into motion, rather than gently letting it fall. What do you think my chances are of pushing that rock into motion exactly the same way the next time?

This is what happens when you “grab” or help the ball at any point in the swing (after you initially let the ball go into the swing). Gravity is your best friend, because it will always swing the ball back and through the same way. You can never repeat the wonders of gravity by using those small arm muscles to dictate to that ball where you want it to go (and how fast).

Ok, so you’re sold on the idea that gravity can help you during the swing. How do you make it happen? Very simply, let the ball swing your arm, and not the other way around! When you drop the ball into your backswing, let gravity take the ball to the top of your backswing, and then let gravity take it forward to your release point. As you begin to attempt this, you will notice points in your swing where you can feel yourself “grab” the ball. While there may be causes for this, one remedy is to swing freely “through” those points in the swing. Eventually, you will learn to repeat a fluid, free armswing.

Also, relax every muscle in your body above the waist line, particularly the forearm and the big muscle above your neck (commonly referred to as the brain)! There are no muscles in the arm that will help you swing a bowling ball, other than maintaining a relatively straight wrist position. Only the lower body muscles should play any significant role in a bowling swing.

Finally, balance is very important. Start with a balanced stance, with evenly distributed weight across both feet, knees slightly bent, and the spine tilted forward about 10 degrees from vertical. Good balance makes it easier to swing that rock.

Practice these key points in the swing, and you will find out that when you give up control, you gain a lot of control over ball speed and direction!