Two-handed bowling has been very trendy for the last few years and all thanks to the best bowler on the planet Jason Belmonte. But, the question arises will two-handed bowling replace one-handed bowling, is two-handed bowling better? Many pro bowlers even shifted from one-handed to two-handed, but should you do the same too?
In this article, I am going to compare both of these techniques and will talk about some similarities and some of the differences, and at the end, I will also tell you which one is easier and better.
What is One-Handed Bowling?
One-handed bowling is the traditional way of bowling where you bowl with your single hand with your thumb at the bottom of the bowl (for control & accuracy), many people don’t bowl with your thumb but most of the pro-one-handers bowl with their thumb on the bowl.
What Is Two-Handed Bowling?
Two-handed bowling refers to bowling with both of your hands, in this technique bowlers place their dominant hand under the bowl and the other hand on the top (instead of their thumb), then they bring the ball behind their body, tilt their spine and then release the bowl.
Two-handed bowlers basically use their second hand instead of the thumb, their hand under the equator of the bowl gives the bowl better control on the release which increases the accuracy of the throw. This support of the second hand also prevents the dropping of the ball.
Two-handed bowling requires the bowler’s body to be more flexible which helps to increase the speed and spin of the ball which ultimately increases the power of the shot.
Many people believe that in two-handed bowling, bowlers use both of their hands for release which gives power to the shot but that’s not the case.
Two-handed bowlers use only one hand for the release, the second hand provides lateral support.
Similarities Between One-Handed & Two-Handed Bowling
One-handed and two-handed bowling, both look very different but in reality, there are a lot of similarities between them.
There are many main points and the key factors that make a one-handed bowler as good as they are translates to the two-handed game.
it will not be wrong to say that two-handed bowling is derived from one-handed bowling only and that’s the reason the fundamentals of two-handed bowling are the same as one-handed bowling.
Differences Between One-Handed & Two-Handed Bowling
One key difference would obviously be the Arm Swing, your other hand is going to be on the bowl but the timing of the arm swing will be a little later than the usual bowling, the biggest difference would be the body positioning, you’ll have to be open and natural in one-handed but in two-handed you will need to add your second hand with you which will make your body position a little bit more complicated.
Two-handers also have their spine tilted forward that basically helps to give more power to the throw.
Lastly, two-handed bowling requires the bowler’s body to be more flexible which is the main reason not all bowlers use this technique. Body positioning is the toughest part of two-handed bowling.
Benefits Of One-Handed Bowling
- You can move your body freely
- Easier to Master
- Lesser complexions
- Can Become Consistent After Some Practice
Benefits Of Two-Handed Bowling
- More Rotations/Spins
- Better Control
- Increased Speed
- More Power
- Better Accuracy
What’s Better Two-Handed Bowling Or One-Handed Bowling?
In two-handed bowling, your throws have more power, more revs, more speed, better accuracy but consistency is a big problem in two-handed bowling. On the other hand, in one-handed bowling, you will be able to throw bowls more freely and once you learn the basics, your throws will start getting consistent.
With so many advantages of two-handed bowling over one-handed bowling, it will not be wrong to say that it is better than one-handed bowling but it is a controversial topic and this conclusion is all based on my opinion.
But, that doesn’t mean people can’t bowl successfully one-handed, in fact, there are a lot more one-handed bowlers in the PBA than two-handed bowlers. One-handed bowlers are more consistent than two-handed bowlers and this can’t be neglected.
What’s Easier Two-Handed Bowling or One-Handed Bowling?
Learning the basics and just simply starting with two-handed bowling is easier than one-handed bowling but mastering the two-handed approach is way harder than you may think of. You will have to learn body positioning and the flexibility to master this approach, which is tougher than one-handed bowling.
Two-handed bowling will seem easier at first, but you will struggle a lot with consistency until and unless you master the approach after some rounds. It has more complexities than one-handed bowling.
Should You Bowl With One Hand or Two Hands?
As I have already mentioned above that Two-handed bowling is better than one-handed bowling, I will recommend shifting to two-handed bowling for most people but if you are not that serious about your game, then you can still go one-handed.
If you have done one-handed bowling only in your entire life, then you must give two-handed bowling a try, it is really a great bowling technique and is really amazing. Just watch one tutorial I’ve mentioned below and then you’re good to go.
Although two-handed bowling is better than one-handed bowling, this doesn’t mean that if you go bowling for the first time and you start two-handed, you will instantly start scoring 200+ every time.
If you don’t know the basics and the key points of one-handed bowling, you cannot do well two-handed as well.
As I mentioned earlier as well, there are a lot of similarities between one-handed and two-handed bowling, so first you gotta learn those main points and then try to learn two-handed bowling.
Let me know what you think of it in the comments, as this is a controversial topic and so more and more opinions are needed on such topic.
