Well, we all have a natural set of physical abilities. I think you are getting at the question, what are some ways to make the most of those abilities?
No matter what I do, I will never be able to throw the ball like some of the big time crankers. I have however, found ways to maximize my abilities.
1. Make sure you have a properly fitted ball, including pitch selection for fingers and thumb. I was at 1/4 reverse pitch and 1/4 palm in the thumb and the ball "felt" good because I didn't know anything different. I know now that I was constantly squeezing the bejeazus out of the ball and I would drop it and come over the top of it way too often. I then switched gradually over time to 1/4 forward and 1/8 away in the thumb. Topping problem solved. Dropping problem solved. Squeezing problem solved. This is what worked for me.
2. Throw the proper weight. When I started bowling, I thought I needed to throw 16 lbs because it would give the most pin action. I never considered that because I had broked my wrist in my teens, it could possibly be a little weaker. I switched to 15s and it did make a difference in the revs I was able to achieve.
3. If you are into it, do strength training for your wrist using a grip device of some sort. This will give you the strength you need in the wrist and forearm to get into the "max revs" position.
4. Consider using a wrist support of some kind, if you are having trouble with the above. This is what I do. I can bowl without a support, get decent revs, and all that, but it is extremely painful because of my previous wrist injury. This helps me bowl wrist-pain free.
5. Remember that revs aren't everything. You can always slow the ball down if you want to see it cover more boards- this is a good ability develop, especially if you want to bowl on tougher patterns.
As far as the side roll vs. forward roll question, for me it works like this: to achieve more forward roll, I keep my hand under/behind the ball from start to finish, and for side roll I keep my hand on the side of the ball from start to finish. Takes practice, but it works for me. Your mileage may vary. Hope this helps.
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-SawFreak~
Predicting my next opponent runs into a BUZZSAW!~
Proud original member-
F.O.S.