soupy1957 wrote:What keeps the ball on your hand during the backswing? Inertia, grip, or position of the ball in relationship to the wrist?
I only mention that portion of the swing because that’s just me trying to figure it out. I suppose it could be very definitely related to a lot of different factors. My wrist pain that is.
Excellent question.
This is part opinion and part reference.
First some expert wisdom. Keep Billy Welu's aphorism "Trust is a must or your game is a bust" in mind. That is, you need an expert fitting, self discipline and trust.
http://wiki.bowlingchat.net/wiki/index. ... p_Pressure" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Don Johnson and the Norm Duke grip tests are like dipping your toes in the water to test it, then progress to a few short test swings ...
I've seen tests of grip done at USBC coaching seminars, a brave and skillful person standing behind the bowler to catch a ball lost in the swing ... I've caught a ball once, though it was not planned, it was league and a guy lost it ...
Opinions and ramblings (Trust but verify apply!)
In an ideal world, lesson #1 would incorporate the information on the above cited wiki data.
For almost everyone, their first experience with a bowling ball is a house ball.
Unless you are Tinkerbell or Magilla Gorilla, they almost never fit.
Intuitively out of self preservation we seek a ball we know will not get stuck on our fingers and pull them out of their joints. So we develop the habit of squeezing. Couple that with the fact, a ball is comparatively heavy to many objects without handles or that we pick up and carry from the bottom.
Picking up and swinging any object you can easily swing, a bottle of water, a can of peas, intuitively you will only squeeze it as much as necessary, the more the force of the swing of weight wants to loosen your grip, the more you will squeeze it. You can swing a suitcase because it has a handle and I think you will only squeeze it as much as necessary.
A well fitted bowling ball has the proper span and pitch to support a "grip" the holes keep your fingers and thumb in place, so they won't fly open. It is science and art and a bit of psychology
Riding the ball and not forcing the swing finds the ball moving fastest at the bottom of the swing. If not too tight, the ball will come off without you even thinking about it.
If you can get there, you will be pleasantly surprised with the ease and increased rpms.