GLC’s “Out of 5 Stars” Rating…

Appeal: 4.25 Length: 3.75 Back End: 4.25

All balls were equipped with Turbo Insert products including the #1 selling interchangeable thumb insert, Switch Grip. For details on their premium line of insert products and accessories, visit www.turbogrips.com

Last week I talked about how to properly hook a bowling ball. This week I would like to talk about your arm swing and some common flaws that people have that cause inconsistencies in there release. 

Often when bowlers try to hook a bowling ball they try to use their arm to make this happen. When you try to use your arm, your wrist and hand, your arm will swing away from your body. This is where the term “chicken wing” came from in the sport. If your elbow turns away from your body then your arm swing is not properly in line with your target.  This will cause your shot to be inaccurate. I have a couple tips to help keep your arm swing closer to your body on delivery, and help you become more consistent. What happens when you become more consistent?  You produce higher scores. Don’t we all want higher scores? I know I do. So keep reading and find out how.  

First let’s look at your starting position. You should have your bowling arm close to your body in your starting position. Why would you make an extra motion to physically take your arm swing away from your body? You really shouldn’t do more then you have to. The first tip sounds simple just start with your bowling arm closer to your body in your starting position. The second tip will be an oldie but a goodie. Back in the day a lot of teaching pros used to tuck a towel in your armpit at your starting position. The goal was to not have that towel fall from your body until you released your bowling ball. This teaching aid still works today. So your second tip is to either visualize a towel under your arm pit or you can actually take a towel and place it under your arm pit when you go out to practice.  

Using these simple tips can keep your swing inline and become more consistent. Go ahead and try these tips and let me know what has worked and, if it has improved your consistency. Trust me these simple things will greatly improve your game I have done them myself and used them in my coaching sessions. So remember, eat the chicken wings, don’t use them in bowling. Oh yea and by all means do not eat those wings with the same hand you bowl with. See you next week, same time, and same place. Oh and if you are not on our email list, you need to sign up to see the special sales we will be running this holiday season.  

T.J. Yeip is the Manager and Lead Technical Advisor for GLC Bowling. You can email him directly at Thomas.yeip@glcbowling.com

Most bowlers want to go out and have a good time with friends or loved ones. They want to enjoy the time they spend when they are in the bowling center. Even recreational bowlers want to be able to knock more pins down. They always see the guys on T.V. that hook a bowling ball and they try to do the same thing. But how many of them know exactly how to do this?  Many people really have no clue how to hook the bowling ball. They try various ways to achieve this. This week’s tip is for those bowlers who want to truly understand how to create the hook on the bowling ball the right way. 

Making a bowling ball hook means that you have a bowling ball that changes directions from its intended initial path back to the pins. Why do bowlers want to hook a bowling ball?  Because it’s cool, right?  Well I will give you that, it does look cool when you can bring a bowling ball back to the pins in a big motion.  The real reason bowler’s hook a bowling ball is simply for better pin carry.  Pin carry will increase with a bowling ball that hooks. When you hook a bowling ball you create what they call entry angle.  Entry angle is the amount in degrees that a bowling ball enters the pocket.  Creating a bowling ball that has entry angle will create the bowling ball to enter the pocket at such and angle that pins move around more.  By having pins that move around more, you have a higher chance of knocking more pins down on your first ball.  There are lot of technical means to make a bowling ball that hooks that I won’t get into this week. This week I am trying to keep things simple. You all remember the K.I.S.S. method. “Keep It Simple S*****”   

Now you know the basics of why you want a bowling ball to hook, the next question should be, “How do I hook a bowling ball?”  Today’s new equipment has some major contributions to help you get the hook. Today’ new equipment has much softer, more porous cover stocks on the bowling balls. This act’s like the tires on your car. The more tread you have, the better your tires grab the road. Bowling balls do not hook all by themselves.  It doesn’t matter if you have the strongest bowling ball on today’s market, if you can not deliver the bowling ball correctly it won’t work. Does your car turn without you using the steering wheel? So let’s talk about how you can “steer” you bowling ball correctly. If you hold the bowling ball in your starting position, with your palm facing up towards the ceiling, and release it the same way the bowling ball will not have any side rotation and result in a bowling ball that will go straight. So now imagine you are making a left hand turn with your car. You have to turn your steering wheel to the left correct? The same applies to a bowling ball. If you are a Right Handed Bowler you need to make the bowling ball turn left.  By starting with your hand in a neutral position, directly under the bowling ball, upon your delivery you make a left turn with your hand, will you create rotation on a bowling ball!  Yes you will.  

So let’s recap with this week’s tip. No bowling ball will hook by itself. The bowler must create side rotation on a bowling ball to create the bowling ball to hook. Now I do want to stress that when you try this, you do not turn the “steering wheel” with your entire arm. Make sure that upon release you only turn with your bowling hand. By using your entire arm, you will let your bowling elbow move away from your body, and cause you to “top” the bowling ball.  By creating the bowling ball to spin like a top, you have affected the amount the bowling ball will actually hook. I will explain all that in next weeks tip: Chicken wings are for eating, not bowling.  

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

Week in and week out I talk about team work, spare shooting, body position, spare shooting (yes I said it twice) but this week I would like to find out if you are prepared for all the little things that you need to be more consistent and have a little edge when bowling. I would like to talk about the accessories that you have in your bag, or not in your bag, that will help you through a league night or tournament. 

Some things that all bowlers should have in there bag, whether they use it all the time or not, is important to how successful you can be. Let’s start with some basics. Every bowler should at least have a dry grip or a puff ball. This keeps the bowlers hands free from perspiration and allows a better more consistent feel to your grip.  

Every bowler should have bowlers tape. This is tape that is inserted inside the gripping holes to help with creating the right feel to your hand. Bowlers tape can come in different sizes and textures. There is white textured tape for more grip, and black smooth tape for a smoother feel. Either tape style can be used depending on the feel that the bowler likes. Personally I like the white tape because it gives me a little bit rougher feel and makes me feel like I am more secure in the bowling ball.  Some people will say that they do not need tape.  Really! So those bowler’s hands never change? 

Let’s think about that for a second. When your hands get cold, what happens? Doesn’t the cold weather shrink your hands? I know you can tell just by wearing your rings on your fingers that when it gets cold the ring fits looser on your hand. So doesn’t it make sense that your hand won’t fit in the ball the same way?  I think it does. Let’s look at another scenario, if your warm doesn’t your hand swell more?  By utilizing tape you can make your hand fit according to how your body changes.  Let’s look at another view point; if you consume any food that is high in salt, your body will retain more water creating some swelling.  

Another important thing to have in your bag is a towel to wipe off the oil that collects on your bowling ball.  The best towels to use in my opinion are of a micro fiber material. These absorb more oil than a traditional towel which helps maintain the ball reaction on the lane. Let us think about what happens when a bowling ball travels down the lane. The bowling ball will pick up the oil that is applied to the lane surface as it travels down the lane. The bowling ball rolls in a specific part called your track. This is where the most contact or friction will occur from the ball traveling down the lane.  When you have friction you have hook, so if you roll a bowling ball that has oil already on the ball surface will you have the same amount of friction to the lane as you did before?  Here are a few more things that you should consider having in your bag. 

• Liquid Skin protection (In case you open a cut or open a blister on your bowling hand)
• Rosin bag (If you like to create more tackiness to your hand)
• Crazy glue (if you use grips, one should happen to come out)
• Wire Brush (To help keep the bottom of your bowling sole clean or if you need less slide)
• Shoe covers (To avoid stepping in any type of liquid while your walking around the bowling center)
• A small piece of smooth dry wall screen (This can be used to slightly open your gripping holes)
• Ball Cleaner (To clean your bowling ball after your bowling session)

These are a few simple things that you as a bowler should have in your bowling bag at all times. They may not be used all the time, but it is just like the Boy Scout motto “Always be prepared” Plus you have all those neat little extra pockets on your bowling bag so you might as well use them. Don’t forget to visit us on Facebook and our Myspace pages, and you can follow us on Twitter.  

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.