hitting up or "fingering" the ball at release.

In the old days hittig up or lifting up at release point was the norm. But now, many

coaches teach not to do this at release. Rather to let the ball roll off the hand.

But again, there are those who still believe in this method of hitting up.

It's just interesting to know what you guys/gals think.....

To hit up or not to hit up....or do both.....

sorry im confused. but im really interested in this topic. I myself am not sure what type of bowler i am now. I know that i get my thumb out first then my fingers last and i do a finger lift wit my fingers. i also do the cock/uncock stuff for sport shots etc. so what would i be considered??? i thought old school way was to throw a hand shake or something like that.

I'd go more extreme than that with a V or U to a side ways J with the long portion the 'follow thru' and not follow up

well maybe i am imagining this wrong. what do you guys mean by hitting up?? like for example sean rash style, is that not hitting up? his finger is lifting the balls to spin. or is hitting up like cupping the ball then uncupping like yoyo.

Im also confused by the other guy said about swing being a v or u or j. are we talking about bending the elbow now.

Ken De Beasto,

 A lot of how the shape is created is about the timing of the release.  " Hitting up" on the ball simply means that you have learned a "late" release timing, and are imparting the revolutions to the ball AFTER it has reached the bottom of the swing and has started back up.

 Ever played any slow pitch softball?  Imagine the difference in the pitchers release it would take to go from a high arcing pitch, to literally rolling the ball across the plate.  In the high arcing pitch, he would stay with the ball longer, and release it on the upswing, and in the rolling pitch, he would release it sooner, before he got into the upswing.

 Back in the day, hitting up on the ball was not such a no-no. Balls weren't nearly as strong, and weren't going to greatly magnify little release inconsistencies the way reactive resin balls can. Back then missing it just a bit, or grabbing a handful, was the difference in a light swisher and a solid flush strike. Now days, it can be the difference between a washout and a runaway Brooklyn shot.


 Throwing my old Black Hammer, you could leave a 5-7 or an 8-10 at anytime if you didn't "get all of it" at the bottom of the swing. That is one of the reasons it is hard for us "old school" guys to adjust to the modern release. Everything about it feels "weak and wrong" because that is the way we used to throw "bad" shots and leave unmakeable spares that ruined good games. What is taught today as "good" and acceptable ( such as forward tilt or dropping your shoulder) was drilled into us as "bad" and un-acceptable, because it created "weak" shots back then. With those older balls, you needed all the leverage you could get.

Good explanations Jugger & Rico. Many "old-schoolers" were never able to make this
important transition in release styles, including some HOF PBA members. I was fortunate enough to have taken several lessons in years past with John Jowdy and Bill Hall. Both were very big on the importance of creating that flat spot at release.
Just Rico calls it the "j" . Bill Hall similarly categorized it as a "long-shank fishhook"
shape, with the shank parallel to the lane surface. What was especially interesting was Jowdy's comment to me that he always taught this type of release, even in the pre-resin days. He said that in those days, bowlers indeed, had to provide extra "hit" at the release but he felt that in those days, the "hitting" motion was more effective
when it was directed parallel to the lane surface. He said Earl Anthony always liked to imagine that his hand was "goosing" the ball all the way down the lane, chasing
it with his hand.

In addition, Bill Hall believes that by creating that flat spot with the hand, you allow
your thumb more time to efficiently exit the ball and allow the fingers to impart
maximum rotation. In contrast, with the "v" shape release, the thumb has to
exit right at the bottom of the "v" to produce similar results---not much margin for error.
I used to really hit up on the ball and I had major problems making the transition.
Bill used to tell me to, "be soft, create that little flat spot at release and get out of the ball's way!"  It really does work.
 

True. Asher did it very well, too.

Ok once again sorry imma rookie still trying picture this. So the old school way is to finger lift the ball with a late release thus causing something like lofting??? or am i picturing it wrong still. still not sure what you guys mean by j, v swings looks like a swing to me back n forth haha.

vid of me bowling a while back not sure if imma oldschool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnosNPt-kt0