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Founder — Danny Speranza

Ball on Line with the Target

The ball should always stay on line towards the target for maximum accuracy. This cannot be over stated.

• The keys here will be:
  • Push the ball towards the target
  • No muscle (loose arm swing)
  • Long and flat at the bottom of the downswing

The arm swing should always be square, or at 90 degrees, to the shoulder. The push away goes straight out at a 90-degree angle to the shoulder, and the push away has to be in the direction of the target. The ball has to start in line with the shoulder and the target. The ball should not be held in the center of the body in the stance. This would force the ball to be curved around the bowler’s body in order to get next to the body and into the backswing.

If the target is not straight down the lane, move the feet to point towards the target. The goal is for the shoulders to end up perpendicular to the direction of the target. Now, the push away can be at a 90-degree angle to the shoulders and naturally go towards the target. Start by pointing the feet just inside the target since they should end up in this same position. Hold the ball in the starting position. Look down at the bowling arm and see if it is at a 90-degree angle to the body. If not, then move it to 90 degrees. Now look along the direction of the arm and see if it is pointed towards the target. If not, then move the feet to get the arm swing on line with the target and maintain the 90-degree angle between the body and the bowling arm. With this technique, the bowler only has to learn one shot and then rotate their feet and body to throw the ball in different directions. This makes shooting at spares the same as throwing a strike ball. The arm holding the ball is pointed at the pins to be spared and the body is perpendicular to the arm holding the ball. The feet just have to point in the direction of the ball path, which is at the pins to be spared.

Concentrate on pushing the ball towards the target.

The arm swing has to start in the direction towards the target and remain there. Concentrate on pushing the ball towards the target. If this happens, the ball will be on line and will naturally drop straight back and forth, remaining on line with the target. The goal is to use no muscles in the arm swing. The ball is pushed towards the target and the arm should act like a string; and therefore, it does not change the direction of the ball. The ball will swing back and return by itself in the correct direction, at the bottom of the downswing. Then, the secret is to wait as long as possible, to rotate the hand around the ball at the bottom of the downswing to create hook.

Gravity will make the ball fall from the top of the backswing. It does not require muscles in the arm. Do not try to apply rotation to the ball until it gets between the back and front leg. When it gets to the side of the leg, then accelerate the hand around the outside of the ball to turn the ball for added rotation. The bottom of the downswing should be long and flat.

Accuracy is maximized by allowing the ball to drop from the top of the backswing due to gravity, instead of pulling down quickly using muscles in the arm. The hand should feel like it is at the bottom of the downswing for as long as possible and traveling just above the approach. This will help keep the ball on line with the target. If the arm drops down at a steep angle and back up at a steep angle, it is called “hitting up on the ball”. This will create additional ball rotation, resulting in more hook, but it is difficult to be consistent from shot to shot. Therefore, hitting up on the ball is not recommended for maximum accuracy.

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