Any Bowling Tips, Please?

I am going Bowling this afternoon, and I am looking for some good bowling tips!

I found one, saying that wearing a certain type of white tape on your thumbs is good for handling or control.

I also haven’t bowled in a couple of years, so I am pumping up my arm, pretending with to have a ball… does this help some?

Please, any and all tips!

B man had great tips on finding the right ball. However, I’m gonna assume you have your own ball/shoes already, just your a little "out of touch", as you sounded like you were a regular bowler in the past. maybe i’m getting the wrong impression idk.

Anyways, bowling is like riding a bicycle. You never forget. Although there might have been changes/newer technology added to the game (such as the tape), the basic approach/delivery never changes. Once you get back into the swing (pun intended) of things, you’ll be doing great. One thing I would recommend though is getting a new ball. If you’ve been out of the loop for a few years, there has been major changes in the balls on the market. what was considered "high performance" 5 or so years ago, is maybe mid-range now. I really recommend the black widow series by hammer, only cuz I personally throw the black widow bite, and I luv it… Of course there are several other equally great balls to choose from, and what works for me, may not work for you. talk to your local pro shop to help narrow down the choices.

Once you’ve upgraded your ball, and probly your shoes after all those years, just practice, practice, practice. At first it will be frustrating, as I can attest when I used to take summers off, and the first few weeks in the fall were rough. I can only imagine taking years instead of just months away from the game. Main reason I still bowl in the summer is so I don’t lose that edge. I do promise though after a few weeks, it will just start to click though, and you’ll be averaging more towards where you left off.

A few general tips (although everyone’s different. again what works for me/MOST others, will not work for EVERYONE):

1) Do not "force" or overhook the ball. Very few people can do that with consistent accuracy. If you release your ball with your thumb point left, it should have a very natural hook to it. If you want a bit more of a hook, try adding a bit more "lift" to it, but don’t overdo it.
Which brings me to another point….

2) I’ve seen way too many guys try to bowl thumbless. Stop being a show-off and learn to bowl proper. Believe it or not, what you thought was such a "great" average, will get even better. I promise you.

3) General rule of thumb. If your balls moving left (Jersey/Brooklyn as us NY’s call it. I think every area has it’s own name), you move your feet left. I never like to move more than a board at a time. sometimes even a 1/2 or a 1/4 of a board makes a HUGE difference. If your ball is moving right (or the Atlantic as I personally call it), you need to move right. Usually better to adjust your feet than your mark. Not sure why, it’s just the advice I’ve always been taught, and it works for me. Experiment and see what works for you. Some people do better changing mark, and not their feet, or even changing both.

4) Sometimes it also helps to slow down/speed up the ball. I try to do everything else possible before doing this, cuz it’s hard to change your speed consistently. It’s better to go your natural speed (slower is usually better though) and adjust other parts of your game.

5) I should have said this first. Always make sure your following through. It’s so simple, yet it really makes a huge difference. Basically you want to pretend to be shaking hands with the pins, your hand should end up by your ear.

6) Back to point 5: Sometimes if your consistently leaving the 10 pin, it’s a good idea to start 1/2 step back from where you normally start. 7 pin — foward, if you allow yourself a bit of a buffer before the foul line, and you have enough room to adjust. I’m not sure why this works, it just does.

7) Spare shooting: Some people have a separate "spare" plastic ball w/ no hook. Others like me learned to adjust with their regular strike ball. I used to carry my spare ball, until someone gave me the following tip, then I realized I don’t need it and that it was actually hurting my game since it had a slightly different weight/feel to it, and it was just another aspect you have to adjust to. Anyways, if you use your regular strike ball, while your gripping the ball, your pointer and pinky should be closed to your other fingers, if that makes sense. In other words, don’t spread them out, keep your fingers together. That will kill the hook, and eliminate another ball from your bag!! Anyways, regardless of what ball you use, always keep your thumb up and aim straight and hard at the pin(s). Also, i personally like to shoot for the splits (hey anyone can get lucky, I might as well try). However, sometimes it’s best to take your 1 sure pin, than try to hit left/right for the split and miss completely. Use your judgement based on how close the game is, and how difficult of a split it is.

Ball maintenance. You wanna keep your ball as oil free as possible as it will ensure a longer life of your ball before it’s "tracked out". Always clean your ball after every bowling session. I personally like the Black Magic, I think it’s by Ebonite. Works great, like "magic" haha…. ALso maybe once a month its a good idea to "bleed" the oil out of the ball by either leaving it by a heater (be careful not to overheat) or leaving it outside in the sun works great also. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, your local pro shop can do it. Don’t forget to also periodically get ball resurfaced as needed.

I really don’t feel like typing this all out again, as it all got cut off for some reason, but again the only other advice i can really give is practice, practice, practice.

Also if it really has been a "long" while since you’ve been on the lanes a refresher lesson or 2 may not be out of the question.. Good luck and keep on rolling

Learn Ten Pin Bowling And Get Bowling Tips on How to Bowl Strikes here