Hitting A Head Pin

Learn to hit inside the pocket to score a strike every time.

By Robyn Linn Weinstein; Photography by Dirk Franke

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You can throw a perfect shot and still not get a strike. Bowling is all about how the lane treats you. Bowling alleys layer their lanes with oil to protect them from the force and impact of the ball, and to reduce friction (avoiding “bumper” bowling). Leagues use more oil than tournaments, so it all depends on how you adapt and work the lanes. Try coach Walter Ray Williams’ four-step process to hit inside the pocket.

Right-handed: To get a strike, direct your shot at pins 1 and 3. Left-handed: Pins 1 and 2.

Set up your four-step stride: Stand at the line, turn around and take four-and-a-half long strides back. This is your point of departure for your stride.

1. Hold the ball at waist level. As the left foot steps forward (right-handers), the right arm (and ball) drops down, back and behind the body. Lift the ball up to shoulder level (or as high as the head), creating an arc in the swing. The left arm pulls away from the body. Keep the elbows locked.

2. Slide all your body weight onto the left leg, pulling the body forward while the right leg swings back and to the left into a “backswing.”

3. Accelerate through the point of release, swinging the ball forward and diagonally, passing it by the left ankle.

4. Let the ball go, continuing momentum with the right arm as it lifts up and forward by the head, establishing a powerful follow-through.

The younger players today use a cupping technique—a scooping of the wrist—that curls the fingers in toward the forearm, adding more spin to the ball and power to your shot.

Broomstick Curls
The Wicked Witch of the West may be jealous of this funky contraption, but this exercise will help establish a strong position, preparing your wrists to easily “hook the ball.” Note: The pros play with a 15- or 16-pound ball.

Get a short broomstick and tie a rope with a weight (between 5 and 15 pounds) to the bottom. Slightly cup the wrist at a 5° angle up toward the forearm. Curl the wrist up and down, keeping the forearm at a 45° angle away from the floor.

Get firsthand advice from your favorite expert coaches in the September/October 2009 issue of SOBeFiT Magazine.

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