Welcome back bowlers!! I hope everyone is excited about the new bowling season that’s fast approaching, or you have already started, like I have.  Maybe you still want to be out on the golf course and you’re not ready to hit the maple just yet.  That’s o.k.  

This week I want to talk about your arm swing and how to help correct a couple flaws or bad habits that you might have.   Ultimately I am here to share my knowledge of the sport and my experiences in the great sport of bowling. This week’s tip is about keeping a free loose arm swing and its benefits.  We are also going to touch on the issues you can have when you don’t keep a free arm swing.  

Let me define what I mean by having a free arm swing. There is this thing that we all deal with on a daily basis; it’s called gravity. What is gravity? Gravity is the natural force of attraction exerted by a celestial body, such as Earth, upon objects at or near its surface, tending to draw them toward the center of the body. Ok enough of the physics 101. How does gravity affect your delivery?  When a bowler starts their approach and the first motion to generate an arm swing, gravity is pulling that object closer to the ground.  When and object, like a bowling ball is started into a descending motion it will gravitate back to the original spot from which it came.  Did I lose you?  When a bowler starts their approach they must also start their arm swing.  Either on the first step, if you use a four step approach or your second step if you use a five step approach. The weight of the bowling ball will start your arm in a decent from the starting position and end up in what is called your back swing.  When your bowling ball has reached its highest point gravity takes over again and brings your arm swing back towards the original starting position, or in this instance your swing reaches your release point.  

Still with me!  Let’s talk about what happens when you use muscle or resistance in your arm swing.  If you want to be the muscle and feel like you have to take the bowling ball back to your back swing, then you are also using muscle to bring the ball back to you release point.  Now when you use muscle or resistance are you going to be able to keep that object (bowling ball) on the same exact path as it went back and bring it forward?  Think about that for a second.  The answer is not all the time.  So my first tip is don’t muscle the arm swing! 

Let’s look at what happens when we use our friend gravity.  If you let gravity take the bowling ball back to your back swing then you must let gravity bring it back forward to your release point.  In that last sentence did it seem like that would be easier on your body?  How about consistency?  If you let gravity take the bowling ball back and let it bring the swing back forward wouldn’t you be more consistent?  Not to mention that by doing this you have eliminated an outside force that can alter this muscle!  

How do you work on letting gravity do its intended job?  The first tip; simply put your non bowling hand under the bowling ball at your starting position.  By doing this you have taken the weight of the bowling ball off your bowling hand and arm, and transferred that weight to the opposite hand.  Once you start to make your approach imagine that your non bowling hand is a trap door. Once you move that hand away from the bottom of the bowling ball the weight of the bowling ball will take your arm swing back into your back swing.  What happens next?  Gravity comes into play again and starts your bowling ball on it’s decent back to your release and finish position. Pretty simple huh?  

Let’s recap on how to achieve and practice a free arm swing.

1. Put the weight of the bowling ball in the non bowling hand.

2. Once you start your approach move that hand from underneath the bowling ball.

3. Visualize the trap door.

4. Let gravity take over. 

Until next week, I bid you good bowling, high scores, and I look forward to reading all your comments and questions on this tip, or any other tips that I have posted in the past. Remember you can always email your questions to me as well. Tune in next week to learn more about bowling balls and what bowling ball drillings can do to enhance your game. 

T.J. Yeip is the Manager of GLC Bowling and the Lead Technical Advisor. He is an IBPSIA Advanced Certified Member and former PBA member. You can email your questions to him personally at thomas.yeip@glcbowling.com

Fundamentals, the basics of bowling, the things you might need to look at to excel in today’s sport of bowling. This week’s tip deals with one of the fundamentals of bowling, the release.  How many different releases do you use in your bowling game?  Did you know that there are different releases and that each one will alter the way your bowling ball reacts on the lanes?  This week I will cover three different releases and the affects of each of them. Hopefully you can use these simple tips to sharpen your bowling game this season. 

The first release I would like to talk about is you current starting release, or your benchmark release.  Some of you might use a cupped wrist, or a more standard straight wrist.  Either one will work.  We also call this you’re A game release. Personally for me, my A game release is one where I start my starting position with my wrist cupped underneath the bowling ball.  Most of the power players that you see will also use this release.  Now I’m not saying my game is a power game, but this is my comfort zone.  By using this release you can create more side rotation on your bowling ball upon delivery.  By creating more rotation, you can create more movement of your bowling ball on the lanes.  This release is also great to use when you encounter heavier or longer oil patterns and can help in creating more back end reaction on the lanes.  

The second type of release will be the straight wrist release. This is achieved by keeping your hand and wrist parallel to the floor in your starting position. This release, in my personal game, is considered my B game release.  When you use this type of release you create less rotation then with the cupped wrist, thereby creating a little less side rotation to your bowling ball.  By creating less side rotation, your bowling ball will not have as much back end reaction as with the cupped wrist.  The straight release is a good release to use when you encounter more of the medium lane conditions and will help you control the amount of hook in the back end of the lanes, as well as making a more predictable ball reaction when your bowling ball exits the end of the lane pattern.  

The third release is the weak or broken wrist release. This is the weakest release you can use, and will generate the least amount of side rotation to your bowling ball.  This release is where you would tilt your wrist down towards the floor.  If you need a clear picture of this, think of the second release we mentioned, and lower your fingers down towards the floor.  As I mentioned, this release will produce the straightest ball reaction, and the least amount of side rotation on a bowling ball. This release is used when you encounter extremely dry lane conditions.  You may also use the weak wrist release when shooting at your corner pins.  

So let’s recap this weeks tip, your release will affect ball reaction, and having at least two different types in your game, will help you attack certain lane conditions.  Let me also point out that you need to keep these releases in the same position upon delivery.  If you alter that, you have not achieved what you were trying to do.  For example, if you start with a cupped wrist at your starting position, and then end up with a weak wrist position upon delivery, what is going to happen to your ball reaction?  It won’t be what you intended it to be.  So remember, watch what your bowling ball is doing on the lanes, and adjust your wrist position according to what you see.  If you see too much hook, weaken the wrist position.  Not enough hook?  Well then adjust your wrist position. Or you can buy a new bowling ball. I always have to plug sales. Well I look forward to all your comments and questions. 

T.J. Yeip is the Manager of GLC Bowling and the Lead Technical Advisor. He is an IBPSIA Advanced Certified Member and former PBA member. You can email your questions to him personally at thomas.yeip@glcbowling.com

The bowling season is fast approaching and the majority of you will need to start dusting off those bowling balls and start to put the golf clubs away.  I know, I know, you don’t want summer to end.  Heck here in the Midwest we want to hold on to that warm weather as long as we can before we start to see that evil white snowfall.  Can you tell I don’t like winter?  With the bowling season coming up so soon, we need to start practicing.  I can hear some of you saying, “Practice, who needs that?” Well the truth is we all need it.  When you do go out to practice, what exactly should you be practicing?  This week I want to help you out with giving you a couple ideas of what to practice on, and how that can help you prepare for the bowling season. 

Practice is sometimes a scary word.  Some of you might say that you will work out your flaws during your league games.  Some of you will delay the inevitable until absolutely necessary.  Some of you will actually go out and practice.  Heck some of you might have been practicing during the summer.  Whichever person you are, I ask you this question; what have you been working on?  Have you been working on your footwork?  How about your release?  Maybe you have been working on your spare game.  Maybe the answer for you is all of the above. Which ever it is, I will try and help give you some tips that you should be working on during practice.  

When going out to your local bowling center to practice you need to have a game plan, or a plan of attack.  I know for myself, when I was bowling professionally I worked a lot on my spare shooting.  Spare shooting is a vital part of becoming a better bowler.  A couple tips you might think about if you plan on going out to practice spares are really quite simple.  First, only bring in one ball and the ball you would use for spares (if you have one).  Second, DON’T KEEP SCORE!! Your score during practice means as much as hitting a hole in one when you are the only person on the course. It doesn’t count towards anything!

First thing I do is stretch.  No different than any physical activity you need to stretch and warm up.  Next, start throwing some shots to loosen you up.  Once you’re loose start shooting at the corner pin. My old coach, rest his soul, used to make me shoot at a full rack of pins and only try to take out the corner pins. So for example, for a right handed bowler, shoot at the 10 pin.  Only take off the ten pin on a full rack. If you have done that, try and repeat the same thing, and this time make sure you don’t touch any other pin left standing.  Try to do this ten times in succession. If you start a streak and mess up, you go back to zero.  Once you have completed this practice drill, it’s now time to shoot the other corner pin.  

When practicing your release the number one rule is very simple. DON’T WORRY ABOUT WHAT THE PINS DO!!  What do I mean by that? When you are trying to work on your release, you shouldn’t think about anything else except your release.  If you are trying to stay more up the back of the ball, or behind the ball more, then why should you worry if you knocked down 7 pins?  Again, practice is exactly that, PRACTICE.  

Try this. If you need to stay more behind the ball let your ring finger feel like it’s pointing up on your follow through. Now if you are trying to maybe create more side rotation with your release, to try and create more backend reaction, simply take your hand at your starting position, which is probably directly under the bowling ball, and tilt it.  What I mean by tilting your hand is turn your hand so that your pinky finger turns in closer to your body. Let’s visualize this better.  If your hand is directly under your bowling ball, it will be pointing to 12 o’clock. Now take that idea and picture your pinky finger more in relation to 10 o’clock. That’s what I mean by tilting it. Now take this feeling and apply it to your release. This will alter your bowling balls rotation, there by creating the desired ball motion.  

So let’s recap, in practice, don’t worry about your scores. Don’t worry about how many pins you knock down. Only focus on what you intend to practice on. Make good shots, and scores will come. Try my tips and see how you do this season.  As always I look forward to any comments or questions you may have good or bad. Either way, I know your reading this. Take care, bowl great, and by all means let’s have fun with bowling, and practice. T.J. Yeip is the manager of GLC Bowling and a certified Advanced IBPSIA member. You can email your comments or questions directly to him at Thomas.yeip@glcbowling,com.

In past few weeks I have been writing about the bowling ball. The fit, the finish, the drilling, even where to throw the ball.  Just as important to your game as the bowling ball, is the fact that you need great footwork.  I don’t mean timing, although you may see an article on that again soon.  What I am talking about is your shoes.  This week I want to cover some tips on how to pick out and purchase the right pair of bowling shoes. 

As a Pro shop operator and coach, I see a lot of people that that tend to sacrifice their balance and form because of there shoes.  Bowling shoes are designed for you to slide and maintain your balance through your delivery.  If you have improper balance, this causes errant shots.  Not having the proper amount of slide and braking ability, can lead to muscle strains, pulls, or worse.

Bowling shoes used to be made with leather soles to help you slide.  Today we have new materials and designs to help aid in your slide and balance.  Bowling shoes can either have sliding soles on both shoes (universal), or one shoe will be equipped with a slide and the other will be a push off shoe.  The hybrid shoes are designed to aid your power step or the last step in your approach before you slide.  They also improve your balance and power.  

If you’re a once a week recreational bowler then the universal shoes will be just fine.  In these tough financial times these shoes are normally more affordable and will do the job you are looking for.  If you’re a more competitive bowler, then you may need to think about buying a pair of shoes that have one traction sole, and one slide sole..  These shoes are specific to the hand you bowl with, and tend to run a little higher in price than the universal shoes. You need to make sure that when you are looking for shoes that you make it a point to tell your local Pro Shop operator which hand you bowl with.  

There are also shoes that have removable or interchangeable sliding soles. These shoes are designed for the more advanced player that may bowl in several different bowling centers.  They allow you to actually adjust the amount of slide based on the material of the approach. These tend to be the highest priced shoes on the market.   

With this brief intro to what types of shoes are out there, you still can’t forget one thing:  They have to look good on you!  Well with all this said, why should you look into purchasing a new pair this year?  It’s simple, balance and consistency and overall protection of yourself.  If you do not maintain a certain amount of slide during your delivery, you can adversely affect your release, targeting, and physically injure yourself.  Bowling shoes that do not give you proper slide, will cause your body to stop more abruptly thereby putting further strain on your knees and lower back.  How many of you complain about your back or knee being sore after league?  One reason might be your shoes!  

So let’s recap.  If you are not sliding properly and are always sore after bowling, then go into your local Pro Shop and pick out a new pair of shoes.  Please note that when you go out and try your new shoes take a few practice approaches without a bowling ball to test them out.  You need to give your shoes a test drive.  Some shoes may need to be broken in at first.  Of course make sure you purchase within your game and budget.  You don’t need t most expensive pair.  One more thing, look at the bottoms of your bowling shoes.  If you see that they have built up foreign materials on them, or water spots, then it’s time to part with them.  If you see they are looking pretty bad, and you don’t want to spend the extra money on bowling shoes, take a clean wire brush and clean off the soles.  Make sure that you run the brush heel to toe and not across the side.  Going across will clean them too, but they will also ensure your shoes to have less slide.  I hope to see all of you with new bowling shoes this season. 

T.J. Yeip is the Manager of GLC Bowling and the Lead Technical Advisor. He is an IBPSIA Advanced Certified Member and former PBA member. You can email your questions to him personally at thomas.yeip@glcbowling.com