Lofting the Ball

Typical left-to-right bowling adjustments are critical to staying dangerous during league. But what if your ball is hooking too early into the pins?  It may be time to put some loft on your shot.

Before we begin talking about what loft is, let’s briefly cover what it’s not. Loft is not chucking your ball 20 feet down the lane with enough altitude to hit someone in the chest (You could end up paying for lane repairs or worse).  Loft is creating a split second of hang time before your ball hits the lane.  If you’re hooking too early, loft will help your ball get down the lane and create more angle into the pins. The following clip breaks it down:
 


Practice, Practice, Practice…
 
Below is a great way to help you get more comfortable with controlling your loft:

• Place a towel about 12 inches past the foul line
• As you deliver the ball, make sure to get the ball over the towel.  You will need to use less knee bend when lofting the ball.
• If you continue to hit the towel, move the towel a little closer to you until you get the feel of lofting the ball.

Make sure to practice this on your own and not during league or tournament competition. Remember, this is just another tool to add to your game and a little bit of loft goes a long way!