Bowling Tips And Hints
For our Younger Bowlers HERE
To Improve Your Game And Scores
1. Keep Your Arm Swing Loose
A loose swing equals a straight accurate swing. The key to a loose arm swing is a relaxed grip in the ball and a relaxed hand and wrist. Don't squeeze fingers or thumb and don't firm your hand or wrist as this will cause muscle tension and a tight swing. Keep your wrist straight, don't bend it in or out. Make sure your ball is drilled to fit just right so you can keep your grip in it relaxed, inserts can help with this. A loose arm swing keeps your ball online, gives you more accuracy hitting your target and also more ball speed.
2. Don't Rush Your Push Aaway
Rushing your push away or drop away step is a good way to get out of time. When you push the ball out on the first step do it slow and easy. Taking an extra timing step before you start the pushaway will also help to keep you from rushing. If you use the drop away start, step out slow and easy before the ball drops down into the back swing to keep from rushing the dropaway.
3. Use Your Legs For Leverage
50% of your power comes from your legs, which create leverage when you release the ball and follow through. On your last step slide into a deep knee bend to get the ball down low to the lane and move your non-sliding leg to the opposite side of your body to clear your hip away from your arm swing.
4. Firm Your Hand At The Release A split second after you complete your last step (slide step) your ball should be lined up with your slide foot. This is the point of release, and in order to have a powerful release you must firm and contract your hand, finger and wrist muscles at this point right before the release. This is difficult to learn as it is mainly a mental function and you only have a split second to do it. On the physical side using a rubber squeeze ball or spring loaded hand exerciser will help build hand, finger and wrist strength.
5. Follow Through Your Arm Swing
On your last step slide into a deep knee bend to get the ball down low to the lane, let your arm swing extend outwards towards your target and follow through by unlocking your arm at the elbow and bringing your hand up to your face with your thumb pointing up. Keep your slide knee bent and stay down low as you follow through. If you pull up when you follow through that means you are "lifting up" on the ball instead of just coming through it.
6. Use High Quality Bowling Shoes
Many bowlers underestimate the importance of using high quality bowling shoes. They can make a huge difference in helping your game. Dexter and Linds make the best bowling shoes. If you have trouble sliding have a shoe repair sand down the front half of the rubber heel, of the slide shoe, at a downwards angle to make them slide better.
7. Develop Your Own Bowling Style
There is no right or wrong way to bowl and anything can work if you are able to repeat it often enough. Do what works for you and feels the most comfortable. Often times you may have to do something to compensate for a flaw in your game. Some of the greatest bowlers had very unorthodox styles such as Don Carter with his bent arm swing.
8. Develop A Good Mental Game
Analyze your shots and think about what you are doing when you practice. Use visualization on and off the lanes, imagine yourself making great shots. Feel your good shots when you make them and imprint it into your mind so that you can repeat them again.
9. Spare Tip - Make Your Spares!
Relax when you go for spares. Many bowlers tense up when they go for spares and miss them. Using a plastic ball and throwing the ball straight at the pins is generally the accepted way to go for spares.
10. Watch Pro Bowlers On TV
Watch the pros bowl on TV and record them with your VCR. Play back the tape and watch in it slow motion. Study their technique to improve your game. |