There’s something about how the pro bowlers bowl makes the sport more interesting than it already is. We know many pro bowlers and each bowler has their individual bowling style. In the past few years, the pro bowlers the bowling industry talked about most are Jason Belmonte, Kyle Troupe, Jesper Svensson, and so on. What do they all have in common? Yes, you have guessed it right! They play with both of their hands. And, yes, this is basically what two-handed bowling is. So how to bowl two-handed? What are the techniques? Let me tell you about it all.
Two-Handed Bowling Techniques
There are several steps of two-handed bowling and yes, it is different than the usual bowling techniques. Here is a breakdown for that—
Stance
Just so we are clear, two-handed bowlers are not ambidextrous. So using your dominant hand, cradle the front part of the ball. This promotes stability and support during the backswing. When you begin to push the ball forward, the non-dominant hand will add support. Just by holding the ball with both of your hands, you are gonna enjoy the extra control you’ll have.
Before you start moving forward to throw the ball, it is important to ensure that you are in the correct form. Keep your knees relaxed and slightly bent. Make sure you have your feet on the right boards for better aiming. Don’t keep your spine completely straight, keep it tilt at about 5 degrees while you’re holding onto the ball.
Approach
To master the art of two-handed bowling, make sure you have a good pace during the approach. You will be needing only 4-5 steps before you release the ball. All of your steps have to be the same except the last one. On your last step, you will have to make a slide-skip combination— which is basically just walking but you gotta use the footwork of skipping every other time, as opposed to pushing off. Indeed, your final step will be crucial. But remember, it will help you avoid face-planting on the floor. Most importantly, it will generate more spin and power.
What’s challenging for newbies is to be precise with time during the approach. During this phase, you need to shift the ball’s weight to your dominant hand and use the non-dominant hand for better support and control.
Grip
You actually have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to gripping. As you may know, there are several styles of gripping out your bowling ball in two-handed throwing. Many professional bowlers use their thumb with their grip while the others forgo the thumb. So what do they do instead? They opt for a specific grip where a player completely envelops the bowling ball in one hand. Put some thoughts to the position of your non-dominant hand on the bowling ball, and think of the consequences— what kind of ball reaction you will see when it gets on the surface.
Armswing
Generating momentum during your backswing is the key to two-handed bowling. Instead of the pendulum-like armswing, you should do it differently in two-handed bowling. So, just keep your non-dominant hand on your bowling ball as long as the ball is not out of your hand and released. During this arm movement, your elbow is going to uncork right before you launch your bowling ball. This motion will boost the ball’s speed and revolutions as it goes down the lane.
Release
The release is much different than one-handed bowling. In a two-handed throw, the ball release is supposed to happen next to your ankle. This produces leverage and as a result, more power— and that is exactly what you need for this kind of ball throw. Make sure you are not trying to generate more spin with your non-dominant hand at this point. Prevent your non-dominant hand from pushing the ball too hard. Honestly, this may jeopardize the shot. The spin that you need will come naturally as long as your stance, armswing, and release were done accurately.
Do two-handed bowlers slide?
It’s true that one-handed bowlers tend to slide more than two-handed bowlers. Does that mean they don’t slide? Well, it’s more of a combination of slide and skip. Most double-handed bowlers actually have decent slides. Similar to one-handed bowling, in a two-handed throw, the footwork and timing cooperate, but precision is important. I have seen many bowlers that play with both of their hands don’t slide. What I will recommend you to do is see what you’re comfortable with. You may or may not slide during two-handed bowling. See what’s best for you.
Why do people bowl two-handed?
It is a common misconception among many bowlers that two-handed bowling generates more power than regular one-handed bowling. In reality, two-handed bowling has nothing to do with power generation. Bowlers often go for this method of bowling to smooth out their transition of the bowling ball and to get a more balanced strike. Indeed, it takes lots of practice, time, and patience. But once you get the knack of two-handed bowling, you won’t be able to go back playing with one hand. Why so? Well, think of all the advantages.
If you bowl using both of your hands effectively, it will be worth all the patience and time because the payoff will be amazing. Throwing your bowling ball with both hands will help you significantly as it generates more hook. This method also increases the ability of your ball to curve on shots that seem controversial. This is why some people literally swear by two-handed bowling.
Conclusion
There you go, my fellow bowlers! Two-handed bowling is possibly the best way to bowl if you can make the best out of it. In the end, it’s up to youryour bowling style, your skill-set, and your bowling method. Let me give you a fair warning though. If you already think you have a decent bowling average, no need to suddenly switch to two-handed bowling. It will mess up your entire bowling style. Adios amigos!
