Tips for Throwing Fingertip Balls in Bowling

Bowling is a challenging and exciting game that requires strength, accuracy and excellent decision-making abilities. People can bowl with their friends for fun or in professional competitions or amateur leagues. There are multiple ways to grip the bowling ball. While some people prefer to hold the ball using the conventional grip, with the fingers stuck completely inside the holes, others prefer the fingertip grip.

  1. Fingers

    • To throw a fingertip ball on the bowling lanes, first stick your thumb entirely inside the thumb hole as far as the thumb can go. Then place the index and middle finger in their respective finger holes. However, instead of placing your fingers all the way inside the holes, only stick the tips of your fingers in the holes. Thus, the only parts of the fingers that should be in the holes are the upper-third parts that range from the very tips to the first joints or knuckles. The rest of the fingers should be loose and outside the holes. This enables you to create more power and exercise more control over the ball.

    Swing

    • Because maintaining the fingertip grip can be difficult with one hand and the ball held upright, when you hold the ball upward to prepare to swing back for a roll, brace and support the ball with your other hand to keep it balanced and to prevent it from falling. When you swing back with your main hand to generate power, maintain your grip on the ball by using your thumb and the palm of your hand during the entire backswing motion. If you gently squeeze with your thumb and palm as the ball lifts into the air, the ball should remain secure and straight.

    Release

    • Releasing the ball correctly is essential to rolling an effective fingertip ball. As you swing your arm forward, the palm should be behind and underneath the ball. While swinging forward, release your thumb from the ball. Then release your fingers. The thumbs and fingers must be released separately. By releasing your thumb first and your fingers just after, the finger release can create lift on the ball, which adds spin so it can strike the pins with more force.

    Spin

    • By using the fingertip grip, you can also put more spin on the ball to strike all of the pins at the right angle or to knock down one loose pin for a spare. To create spin, just before you release the ball from your fingers, turn your hand to the side opposite of the direction in which you want the ball to drift. For instance, if you are a right-hander and you want the ball to move from the right side of the lane to the left, turn your hand to the right just before releasing the ball.