Do a one-step approach on the lanes. Unlike the football drill or rolling a ball into the pillows, this will feel more like "real" bowling:
1) Stand about 2-3 feet from the foul line
2) Hold the ball a little lower than you normally do, and make sure to bend your knees a little. You want to be in a comfortable, athletic position.
3) Put 75-80% of your body weight on your non-slide foot.
4) Push the ball away, and let it fall back. DO NOT FORCE IT BACK. Let gravity take the ball -- all the speed you need will be generated this way.
5) At the apex of your backswing, transfer your body weight to your slide foot and slide as smoothly as possible. The ball should be coming down now. Wait for it, and when it passes your ankle, focus on your thumb coming out, and your fingers rotating around the ball. This part of the drill is incredibly important if it is to have any value to you. It's about generating a feel for the release and building total body awareness, so you are responsible for focusing on those aspects while doing it.
6) Hold your position at the foul line until the ball hits the pins. Take notice of everything -- were you balanced? Did you release the ball properly? How much axis rotation did you get? On the next shot, can you vary that axis rotation?
Hope this drill helps. IMHO, it's the best drill out there...but that's just me. Not only will it improve your release, it will also make you incredibly aware of how your body works while bowling. In turn, this will help you know why shots are good/poor/etc...which is something many people struggle with these days.
More info on the one-step...is soon to appear in the JUNE BJI!
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