Bowling Release Techniques: 5 Things You Should Try

Bowling can be a technical sport that requires a great deal of skill. At times, it is nearly as much about being lucky as it is about being skilled. If you own the right bowling equipment, the only other thing that you need is to know the proper techniques.

Bowlers’ release techniques are considered the general standard, and you can select the one that works best for you. It is critical to master one or more of these releases to master the art of bowling. 

Some of the best techniques you can have in your bowling arsenal are the 5-6-7 hand technique, the skid, push style, and finger position techniques.

We are optimistic that you will be ready to compete with your colleagues over a pitcher of beer after a few hours of practice! So, before you begin bowling, we have compiled a list of releases to which you can refer.

Things You Should Try Out When It Comes To Bowlers Release Techniques

Bowlers’ release techniques have become quite important today as everyone wants to get the most revs out of their balls. A proper bowling release could be the perfect tool in anyone’s bowling arsenal.

These techniques are supposed to make a game of bowling easier to control. So without further ado, let us talk about how using different hand positions can make you release better and improve your score.

The Finger Inside Position

The Finger Inside bowlers’ release position garners the maximum number of revolutions or revs, as its popular name.

This technique involves keeping the lift fingers inside and the thumb completely outside the ball. You need to maintain this grip throughout the downswing. Upon reaching the foot area, the ball needs turning by removing the thumb.

When you follow through after the first roll, the lift, a finger can follow your arm swing. It would cause the ball to go up and, as a result, impart maximum possible turns or revs.

If the bowling lanes happen to be oily, this is a technique that can work wonders. But if the lanes are dry, then the ball will begin to hit a bit higher. The higher hits would, in turn, leave corner pins, stone 9s, or worse.

There is a way to reduce this back-end reaction too. You have to soften your hand and return to the initial neutral finger position.

The Neutral Finger Position

The Neutral Finger position is a technique that will bring about medium revs as opposed to high revs like the Finger Inside position. This technique comes in handy when you hit fewer pins and do not require as much brunt force.

To reduce the ball turn, you need to move the hand close to the ball’s center. All this time, the fingers have to be in a neutral position behind the ball. It would reduce the area, and the time taken to impart turns on the ball will be slightly delayed.

The result is there will be fewer revs on the ball. When it comes to the later stage of the game, this is a great strategy to follow. It also works well when it comes to light oil patterns.

When using this technique, keep in mind that you would not carry the pins correctly if you do not exert the same speed and lift to the ball. 

Therefore, you have to keep changing the position of your fingers outside the ball and everything else how it was from the beginning. If you require lesser turns, you can always move the fingers to the external finger position too.

The Outside Finger Position

The Outside Finger position generates the least amount of turns and the lowest revs. The technique is pretty basic but immensely works when it comes to the very last point of the game when you have to hit only a couple of pins to score the next high.

The release will help place the lift to put an increased forward roll on the ball. It would produce very minimal revs simultaneously, allowing the ball to react relatively less when it comes on the back end.

When the lanes tend to be extremely dry, minimum revs are supposed to make way for the longest straight path, with the least amount of turn on the ball to ensure it meets its target instead of skidding off.

Other Rev Control Techniques To Try Out

One of the most important things when it comes to bowling is ball speed. If you have control over the turn pace, you will be able to ace the game in an unparalleled manner. The key to controlling the ball speed is by controlling the number of revs.

The bottom line is that if the lanes tend to be more on the oily side, the ball needs to be moved at a slow pace to give it some time to react accordingly. But when it comes to dry lanes, it needs to be the exact opposite.

The catch is that it is far easier to gain control of your hands turning the ball than it is to maintain the speed of the ball at all times.

The 5-6-7 Hand Position Technique

The 5-6-7 technique is for bringing in the most amounts of revs. Here, the finger positions need to be similar to that of a clock dial. The most vital work will have to be with your fingers at the 5 o’clock position. 

Another finger will follow this at the 6 o’clock position and the last finger at the 7 o’clock position. Of all three, the 7 o’clock place will be having the fewest number of revs. 

This technique also helps control the controlling hook and the skid and push of the back.

The release needs to take place by starting around the ankle or foot while swinging. After that, maintain a similar ball speed and keep using the same 5-6-7 marks for targeting your shots.

The Spin Motion Technique

The Spin Motion technique is for increasing or decreasing the gross amount of revs, and in turn, the spin motion itself. It will cause the ball to change its path of action and strike a second time.

This technique also makes it easier to maintain the finger positions throughout the spin, lifting fingers at 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock. 

It gives a steady control over revs, but you need to turn your hand inside a bit more if you need more. As a result, you will be able to add some turn and hit the ball, too, if necessary. Similarly, if you turn your hand outside, it will reduce the revs and soften the turns.

The goal of the Spin Motion technique is to nail it and get it done and dusted right after the first release push. The second push uses the spin motion and decreases the number of revs in the whole process.

So, if you use more spins or fewer spins, it increases or decreases the revs accordingly. It will cause the ball to change its course to start striking again, making all the positions easy to maintain.

The Skid And Push Technique

There will be times when some amount of oil will carry itself down from all of the bowling. The downside is that this will inevitably affect the back-end reaction of your push. 

It is a possibility you should always keep in mind and use the Skid and Push technique to overcome it when it does happen.

When the ball goes sliding down the lane while it is in the oil is called a skid. When it comes out of the oil, it is called a push, and you can cause these to collaborate if you want to. 

If you increase the skid, it brings more push and, subsequently, delayed back-end response down the way.

This technique is relatively easy to master compared to all the others listed. You may come to enjoy using hand position to improve your game after some practice. All you need to do is use a little finger to assist you. 

Spreading your little finger far from the lift fingers decreases the revs, and tucking the little finger on top of the lift fingers increases the revs. This technique effectively adds a more robust finish by adding in a couple of more revs or vice versa, as required.

Final Words

Bowling is an excellent way to unwind after a long day at work by yourself or with a couple of friends. It can also be an equally fantastic idea for a date where you can impress the other person with your extraordinary bowlers’ release abilities. 

To accomplish this, you must first commit to one of these techniques and then practice relentlessly. Your ultimate goal should be to have fun while playing the game, which you can do with any release of your choice. 

Now that we have listed out the most bowlers’ release techniques that you can easily incorporate into your existing routine, what is holding you back now? Increase your revs and score by heading to your nearest bowling alley!