How to Use Your Hand to Control Your Bowling Ball

No matter whether you are a beginner bowler tentatively rolling the bowling ball down the center of the lane or a seasoned veteran cranking a hook that travels across 15 boards, where your hands end up after your release a bowling ball plays a big part in how successful that toss will be. In bowling, the thumb controls the release point of the ball, but the fingers control the speed and the angle at which the bowling ball travels down the lane. Learning the proper placement of your hands and fingers (and thumb) requires practice and repetition.

Instructions

    • 1

      Select the right ball for your bowling game. For example, someone who wants to throw a lot of hook with their ball should opt for a slightly lighter ball than someone who throws a straight ball. Hook bowlers generate much of the power in their throw from the hook itself, while straight bowlers generate speed and power from the ball itself, along with arm speed. Choose a ball with comfortable finger and thumb holes properly spaced apart -- holes that are too large or too far apart will result in more dropped throws at the foul line.

    • 2

      Grip the ball properly in pre-release mode. Hold the ball close to your body with the top of the ball aligned with your neck and you non-throwing hand cradling the ball from the side. Face your index and middle fingers toward the pins with your thumb in front of you as it sits in the thumb hole.

    • 3

      Release your thumb on the down stroke immediately before approaching foul line. Keep your fingers are in proper position to push and angle the ball down the line for your style of bowling. For example, hook bowlers should rotate their fingers approximately 2 inches and end up with a handshake-looking motion with their thumb pointing straight up as the follow-through on the throw. Straight bowlers should, after their thumb releases from the ball, have their thumb come to a slight angle as the ring finger, middle finger and index finger form a "W" that ends up pointing down the lane on the swing's release.