As a person who doesn't get much lift on the ball, some of my friends say I should get a ball that hooks more, but I feel the problem lies in my approach. I've been bowling for three years. Any suggestions? - Peter Lahti, Auburn, Wash.

THE PROBLEM may lie in your first step and your pushaway. Many bowlers take an overly large first step and start the pushaway a tad early. This pushes the shoulders forward during the approach so that the bowler tries to catch up to the armswing in the approach. You should shorten the first step and make sure the pushaway is not initiated until the first step is taken. This will allow you to keep your shoulders back throughout the approach and put your body in a stronger position from which to release the ball. If you work on these fundamentals, I assure you that you will get more lift on the ball and improve the power of your release.

In over 20 years of bowling, I've gone through all the changes in bowling balls. I throw a medium amount of hook and like the hitting power of the reactives, but they're hard for me to control. It seems I get a lot of strikes, but they just hook out of control when I get a little slow. How can I regain my former control and still have that hit power? - Marek Thompson, Vancouver, B.C.

I RECENTLY had the opportunity to watch a number of bowlers who had just purchased the new Pro-Active resin balls. These balls seem to have plenty of hook, but have a much more even-hooking action than the reactive resins and do not over-react to the wet and dry areas of the lane. My recommendation is to consult with your pro shop operator, to come up with a weight configuration that will fit your game and give you the control and hit power you want.

On both the men's and women's Pro Tours, it seems most of the bowlers have white thumb holes even though they throw different colored bowling balls. Is this something new or is there a reason? - Mildred Fox, Roswell, N.M.

WHAT YOU are actually seeing are thumb inserts or thumb slugs. Most professional and high-average bowlers use a number of different bowling balls. To achieve a consistent release from ball to ball, they will use a thumb slug or thumb inserts manufactured from the same material. This gives the bowler the same feeling in every ball. I highly recommend thumb inserts for high- average bowlers who use a number of balls.

My new pair of bowling shoes is exactly like the last pair that I bought two years ago. The new pair, however, does not give me as much slide as the old pair. Can you give me any reasons for this? - Bonnie Saxton, Alpine, Texas

BOWLERS WHO like to slide a lot should always sand the edge of the heel so that it is rounded instead of squared. This will help your sliding ability on the new shoes. Additionally, I would recommend that you purchase a wire brush to clean the heels regularly to maintain a consistent slide.

I throw a fairly straight shot that tracks about 1Ú2-inch from my finger holes and about 11Ú2 inches from the thumb hole. A few of my friends say that this roll is not very good. Can you give me any suggestions to change the roll on the ball? - Quyen Luong, San Francisco, Calif.

FIRST, THIS type of roll does not create a lot of hook, but it usually allows the bowler to have superior accuracy. Such greats as Earl Anthony and Walter Ray Williams Jr. have rolls similar to yours. If, however, you are convinced that you must change your roll, a few changes in your thumb pitch and a change in the ball weights can help you achieve the change. Have your pro shop operator increase the amount of palm pitch in the ball, and also drill your ball with more finger and side weight. Have one of your balls plugged and redrilled with these changes in mind. In this way, you can experiment with the new changes and see if you like the new reaction. Your pro shop operator can help you with these changes.

Mike McGrath is a PBA and ABC Hall of Famer. Send your questions to him c/o Bowlers Journal International, 122 South Michigan, Suite 1506, Chicago, IL 60603.