Armswing, Armswing, Armswing

Get your game's foundation rolling; fluidly executing all four elements of a proper motion helps you knock down more pins—with less effort - The Coach's Corner

John Jowdy - John Jowdy is a member of the ABC and PBA Halls of Fame. Author of the book "Bowling Execution".

THE PRIMARY FUNDAMENTAL component of proper bowling execution is the armswing. It is crucial for attaining rhythm, accuracy, and balance.

Armswings can be categorized in three ways: free, semi-controlled, and fully controlled. Each armswing has been practiced and implemented with success. However, in my estimation, based on more than 50 years of study and observation of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game, odds favor those who possess free and unimpeded armswings. Consequently, I am an advocate of the free armswing.

My suggestions are based on techniques that have been tested and proven on the PBA tour. They are universal in nature and adopted and implemented into an individual's own style. They don't necessarily require radical changes in a bowler's game.

Of course, PBA oil patterns do not resemble your normal "house" conditions. The PBA's break points vary from week to week, sometimes from game to game. There is far greater emphasis on quality shots that require speed control and hand positioning. The ability to alter angles is paramount not only from day to day but, on many occasions, lane to lane.

Many amateurs jumping to the "big show" encounter extreme difficulties during their baptism of fire. While other major sports often produce rookies who can make an immediate impact in their professional careers, it is a rarity in professional bowling.

During the early years of the PBA, a free armswing was the trademark of such outstanding players as Tom Hennessey, Dick Weber, Billy Welu, Dick Ritger, Wayne Zahn, Jim Stefanich, Dave Davis, George Pappas, Don Johnson, and others whose names grace the ABC Hall of Fame.

Today, players like Mike Aulby, Chris Barnes, Parker Bohn III, Norm Duke, Amleto Monacelli, David Ozio, Brian Voss, Pete Weber, and Walter Ray Williams Jr. all use free armswings. Not surprisingly, they are all members of the PBA Hall of Fame (the only exception is Barnes, who will be a virtual cinch when he becomes eligible).

An ideal free armswing can be broken down into four movements: ball position, pushaway, backswing, and forward swing.

BALL POSITION

The ball should be positioned in a comfort zone, preferably around waist high. There is no set pattern, but lowering or raising the ball can be a determining factor in controlling speed.

The starting position of the ball is irrelevant. Nevertheless, it should be nested in a comfortable area, with the weight supported by the non-bowling hand. This will eliminate any strain, pressure, or tension on the forearm. The grip should be firm and the arm from the wrist to the shoulder point should be free of any restriction. This is a delicate balance that can be mastered only with continuous practice.

Imagine detaching the arm from the shoulder. Drill a hole into the arm, place a set of ball bearings around the hole, insert a rod through the ann, and re-attach it to the shoulder. The arm should swing back and forth on ball bearings via the ball weight. This is what it means to have a free swing.

PUSHAWAY

The pushaway is the key to a free armswing. It is the launching pad for proper delivery, the trigger for creating the pendulum swing. The key to a free armswing is permitting the ball to control the entire arm through gravitational force into the backswing and down through the forward swing, until the ball reaches the flat plane of the downswing. At this juncture, the hand and wrist should be positioned to accelerate through the shot.

With the weight of the ball nested in the non-bowling hand, begin the pushaway in a curling or arcing manner. The pushaway should be soft and gentle, preferably extended. As the ball reaches the peak of the pushaway, disengage all muscles, transfer the ball weight to the shoulder point, and have the ball descend using its own weight.

Do not tilt forward in the pushaway. Doing so will not only impair the free-fall of the ball, but it also will create a pull into the backswing, destroy the pendulum effect, heighten the backswing, and possibly initiate a pull in the forward swing. An ideal pushaway, with shoulders erect, will allow the ball to drop freely and swing to a natural height.

BACKSWING

The height of the swing must be determined by the momentum created by the weight of the ball--which is the key to consistency. The arm acts as a pendulum; the ball is propelled by weight. The weight, swinging back and forth, never changes. If the ball weighs 16 pounds, it will reach a certain peak at the top of the backswing, time after time. The weight doesn't reduce to 15, 14, or 13 pounds. Executing a pendulum swing is the key to consistency, but by the same token, the path of the ball becomes higher or lower only if the pushaway varies.

The ideal backswing should be about shoulder high, no more than eight to 12 inches higher. Tilting in the pushaway will increase the height of the backswing and, in many cases, create an early armswing. An early armswing will normally place the release point beyond the strongest leverage area and result in releasing the ball on the upswing, a no-no with modem, high-powered bowling balls.

The backswing becomes critical at the start of the forward swing, particularly for bowlers with unusually wide hips. Such bowlers normally wrap the ball behind their buttocks, necessitating a realignment of the arm into the forward swing. This tendency can be modified by holding the ball parallel to the outside body line, which permits the ball to clear the hips in a straight backswing. Another proven method would be pushing the ball to the left (for righthanders, opposite for lefties) and dropping it in an outside-inside path (a half-figure-eight movement), then inward into a straight line.

A correct backswing can be likened to a successful golfer's swing: muscle-free, with arms extended, taken back in a gentle, smooth fashion. Good golfers never pull their clubs vigorously into the backswing.

FORWARD SWING

The forward swing is the culmination of an ideal armswing. It requires undying patience and must be executed without a trace of anxiety, particularly at its beginning. The forward swing should not be forced. The top of the backswing must act as the dropoff point--imagine the arm and ball as a crane and wrecking ball employed by demolition crews. The ball should fall in a downward slope from its own weight and descend powered only by its own momentum.

Forcing the ball through the downswing can prove catastrophic. It will create imbalance at the release because the exertion impedes rhythm. It also can induce an early turn of the hand at the release point, and hinder and inhibit a clean, smooth follow-through. More often than not, this results in pulling a shot.

A free armswing affords hand acceleration as the forward swing reaches a flat plane. At this point of the delivery, the hand--only the hand--should accelerate outward, through the ball and into the lane.

This release, coupled with a proper pushaway and a fluid and free armswing, can result in near-perfect shot execution.

Only a free armswing equips you to execute at the highest level. With patience and practice, you can master it and become a better bowler.