Adjusting Bowling Grip Pressure

Most bowlers are not aware that they can become more dynamic with their bowling stroke by adjusting the most minor mechanics. One of these simple changes that can often lead to dramatic results is the bowling grip pressure. Depending on the way you hold the ball and how hard you press with your fingers, you can do a lot to affect the path your ball takes to find the pocket. Certain players benefit from paying closer attention to their bowling grip pressure and experimenting with different degrees of pressure. That’s why Kim Terrell-Kearney and Ken Yokobosky discuss the importance of finding the proper bowling grip pressure for your specific game. After we talk about the effect pressure can have on your grip, two of our bowlers demonstrate how they adjust their grip on the ball to maximize what they see on the lane.

How does bowling grip pressure affect your stroke?

To show you what happens when you increase or decrease your bowling grip pressure, we send two demonstrators out on the lane and compare the reactions of each of their throws. You’ll notice something interesting happens when you tighten your bowling ball grip and opt to attack the pocket from a different angle. It can be difficult when you first start tinkering with your bowling grip pressure to tell what the lane conditions call for, but the initial step is deciding you need to make a change to accommodate.

Once you’ve figured out whether you should tighten or weaken your bowling grip to adapt to lane conditions, it takes practice to find your particular limits and feel more comfortable adjusting your grip. Trust us, this is an underrated component of proper bowling technique; if you can make the right adjustment to your bowling grip pressure at the perfect time, you can set yourself up to thrive in those clutch moments and improve as a player overall.