If you're one of those
folks who bend your elbow too early in the follow
through or would like to project the ball further down
the lane on certain conditions, try this. Hold your arm
down by your side. You'll see a crease on the inside of
your elbow where the elbow bends. Think of leading the
shot (your hand and ball) with this part of your elbow.
You cannot biomechanically do this, of course, unless
your elbow bends the opposite way of everyone else's!
What's important is that you think lead with your elbow.
Just feel like you are trying to have this crease of
your elbow leading your hand toward the target. It will
be very difficult to bend your elbow if the crease is
going toward the target!
Bowling Tip #7
Once you've found your
strike line, don't line up for your perfect strike shot.
You're not perfect, why line up like you are? Try moving
one board left with your feet. Yes, I really mean it.
Line up left of perfect. That way you'll have room to be
a little light and maybe even miss slightly right.
Either way you're probably still in the hole and if you
don't carry, have most likely left yourself a makeable
spare.
Bowling Tip #8
When does the ball begin
its motion? At the same time as your first step? Just
before? Just after? If you get to the foul line
leveraged and in balance and can deliver the ball the
way you want, it doesn't matter how you start. What
matters is that you KNOW how you start since that is
what enables you to have such a good finish. Things that
are wrong at the foul line seldom go wrong at the foul
line. Something in your delivery process causes it to be
wrong at the foul line. Start at the beginning to fix
it. This is true regardless of where it FEELS like it
went wrong. Something wrong in the middle of your
approach is usually compensating for whatever was wrong
in the beginning. Get a bad start and you spend the rest
of the approach trying to make up for it.
Bowling Tip #9
Your first step is the
most important one you take. Don't ignore it or take it
for granted. Learn exactly what you do with this first
step. When you get in trouble or don't feel quite right,
start here with your fix-it methodology. Perhaps you
slide it and you've started being a little more heel-toe
than normal. Maybe you are normally heel-toe but you've
inexplicably started being much more heel-toe. Maybe
you've unconsciously shortened it or lengthened it.
Whatever the case, if you know what it does and what it
feels like when it's right, you'll be able to fix it
when it's wrong.
Bowling Tip #10
You won't believe this tip
but it works for a lot of different folks. If you're not
sliding as much as you'd like and you are sure it's not
the approaches or your shoes that are the problem,
tighten the entire lace on your sliding shoe. If you're
sliding too much, loosen it!
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Bowling Tip #11
A 'tight' shot can mean
many things. Most of the time, we feel a shot is tight
when the lanes are oily (thus the phrase 'the lanes are
tight'). Actually, a shot is tight whenever you feel you
don't have much room for error. When faced with this
feeling or perception, try moving your bowling shoulder
about 2°-3° forward; not both shoulders, not your body,
not the ball in your stance - just your bowling
shoulder. This will help you keep the ball on line and
avoid leaking it further right than you intended and is
not enough of a shoulder-closed position to cause you to
pull the ball.
Bowling Tip #12
To really improve your
consistency, try this: close your eyes after your second
step. Once you close your eyes the imprint on your mind
will be of whatever you saw last - in other words, your
target! It becomes your whole focus and you'll be
pleasantly surprised how easy it is to hit it. After
you've let the ball go, open your eyes. You'll see the
ball roll right over that target. When you are used to
the feeling of closing your eyes and you accept you're
not going to step off the edge of the flat earth, you'll
be able to concentrate on other things. You can really
FEEL your armswing or release or cadence or slide or
power step or whatever you have chosen to concentrate on
for that shot. A very eye-closing experience!
Bowling Tip #13
Always pick up your ball
from the ball return with both hands. Picking up your
ball using your grip holes fatigues the hand
unnecessarily and can cause excessive swelling.
Bowling Tip #14
The difficult skills
needed for bowling must be acquired through learning and
continued practice over a long period of time. The
mechanics of the sport are complex and diverse.
Dedicated players will find they peak after several
years and often find they are still improving after
their "prime" athletic years. That's why bowling is
truly a lifetime sport.
Bowling Tip #15
Solid 8 pins, ringing 10
pins, and swishing 7-10's are just as much a part of the
game as Brooklyn strikes, messenger pins or rolling the
bucket for a strike. Don't get crazy over it! Over the
long haul the player who makes the best shots will win.
It's just that the 'long haul' is not always a league
night...
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Bowling Tip #16
Always be ready to bowl
when it is your turn. If you're not, it disturbs the
rhythm and pacing of the game for everyone including
those leagues which follow you. It is usually true that
the longer in between shots, the more inconsistent you
become. A good rule to follow is that when the pins are
ready, so are you!
Bowling Tip #17
Hold your position at the line until the ball leaves
the pin deck. This does not mean that you should look
like the Statue of Liberty but that all of your body is
still after you have delivered the ball EXCEPT your
bowling arm. It is swinging back and forth and will
eventually stop without your help. Several good things
happen when you do this:
- You don't miss any of your great shots because
you get to stay at the foul line and watch them.
- It builds the discipline of keeping your balance
at the line and thus helping you make your shots
repeatable.
- If you're falling off your shots, you won't be
completing them to the best of your ability because
you get too concerned about not falling down and
therefore cut your shot off short. Balance at the
line is critical to a well-executed and consistent
delivery.
- Pins tend to fall more when they feel your icy
stare.
Bowling Tip #18
You will often find a new
strike line throwing your 2 pin or your 3 pin shot.
Don't ignore your ball reaction in this part of the
lane. It could be a real strike mine!
Bowling Tip #19
Throwing a ball that is
too light for you is just as hurtful to your game as
throwing a ball that is too heavy. A ball which is too
light will allow you to do things you shouldn't. A ball
which is too heavy will prevent you from doing things
you should. I don’t think that ‘10% of your body weight’
thing is valid. I believe that ball weight is determined
by athleticism. If I have a 150 lb person who is 5 feet
tall and a 150 lb person who is 6 feet tall, I have two
very different individuals when it comes to athleticism
and strength. 10% might work for one but not the other
and no, they don't make 18 lb balls! For kids, some
believe that the majority of the population can bowl
their age – a seven-pound ball if they are seven years
old or an 11-pound ball if they’re 11 years old.
Remember there will always be the exception…
Bowling Tip #20
Try to make your approach
as smooth and fluid as possible - no roboty moves or
herky-jerky looks. Don't walk like you are stepping over
rose bushes! You also, however, cannot sacrifice form
for results. There are no style points in bowling. It's
just easier to do it more consistently if you keep it
simple. The more moving parts you have, the more
complicated the fix when something goes wrong.
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Bowling Tip #21
Don't start your approach
like you're burning rubber from a stoplight. That first
step should be smooth and easy and therefore simple to
repeat. It is the most important step you take. Make
sure it's right and the rest of the approach can just
flow.
Bowling Tip #22
It is usually best to line
up in your starting stance with your sliding foot. It’s
the one that finishes at the foul line and therefore the
important one in terms of body alignment. Make it a part
of your pre-shot routine that when you step up on the
approach to take your starting stance, you slide your
sliding foot onto your starting board. If you have
stepped in anything wet or have something on the bottom
of your shoe, you want to know that now, not up at the
foul line. If you don’t get in this habit and do step in
something, you might find yourself recovering
consciousness out by the arrows! Don’t take the chance
of sticking at the foul line and hurting yourself (which
you can do whether you fall or not).
Bowling Tip #23
Your trailing leg is
important as well. If you kick it with some vigor behind
you, it can tend to open up your hips and causes you to
face away from your objective. If it goes too far in the
direction you moved it and you don't bend your sliding
knee enough, you'll be forced to stand up at the foul
line to avoid injuring your sliding knee, as it is not a
rotating joint. It only bends, not rotates. Your
trailing knee can be further laterally if your sliding
knee is more bent. Otherwise, you could have that
'pretzel' look at the foul line!
Bowling Tip #24
Keep your trailing foot on
the ground. A good finish position would have your
trailing knee behind your sliding knee and separated by
6"-8" at about a 45º angle to your body. This will
provide you with a very stable and balanced position. If
your trailing knee is closer to your sliding knee than
that, it's difficult to keep your balance. Think of a
tripod. With the legs together, it topples. Spread them
apart a bit and your tripod becomes very stable. Spread
them too far apart...
Bowling Tip #25
More hook does not mean
more strikes. You must have the proper angle, speed, and
rotation to carry a strike. If any of these components
is off by a millimeter, a 1/2 mph, or half a revolution,
your carry percentage goes down. Don't be fooled into
thinking more speed or more hook will do more to the
pins. When a round object (the ball) hits a round object
(the belly of the pin), funny things can happen...
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Bowling Tip #26
Replace your finger grips
whenever they become worn. Some people do that about
every 60 games and some much more often. When they are
worn, they won't afford you that same good feel you had
when they were new. Use yellow (the first color the
human eye notices) or white or some light color that you
can easily see rolling down the lane. This will help you
to watch the roll of the ball and learn how different
releases can affect ball roll and therefore pin action.
Bowling Tip #27
You will not ever be able to release the ball in a
consistent and effective manner if it doesn't fit.
Bowling is not supposed to hurt. A ball properly fitted
to your hand will not cause injury. If you only bowl
once a week, you might not notice that your fit is
incorrect. But what happens once a year when you go to
the state or city tournament and you bowl six games in a
day? If your hand, fingers, or shoulders are sore, get
your fit checked by an IBPSIA Certified Pro Shop
Technician. An improperly fitted ball can cause severe
tendon damage in your fingers and elbow.
Remember that the ball is supposed to swing your arm.
Your arm does not swing the ball. If your ball doesn't
fit right, you tend to squeeze it so you don't drop it
or to muscle the ball instead of allowing it to
free-fall into your swing. These compensations for a bad
fit can cause shoulder problems and prevent a consistent
execution of the shot. There can be pain on the inside
of the elbow or the outside of the elbow or down the
forearm or in the wrist. This is both frustrating and
painful and it doesn't have to be that way if the ball
fits your hand like it should.
Remember that the ball is
supposed to swing your arm. Your arm does not swing the
ball. If your ball doesn't fit right, you tend to
squeeze it so you don't drop it or to muscle the ball
instead of allowing it to free-fall into your swing.
These compensations for a bad fit can cause shoulder
problems and prevent a consistent execution of the shot.
There can be pain on the inside of the elbow or the
outside of the elbow or down the forearm or in the
wrist. This is both frustrating and painful and it
doesn't have to be that way if the ball fits your hand
like it should.
Bowling Tip #28
Bowling etiquette is
important to your enjoyment of the sport as well as
others enjoyment. Don't ever put your hand in another
person's ball. The feel of the bowling ball on the hand
is a very personal thing as well as part of great
execution. You wouldn't want someone who uses rosin or
slick powder to put his or her hand in your ball and
leave a residue.
Bowling Tip #29
If it's not your towel,
don't touch it. No telling what's on it that could get
on your hand.
Bowling Tip #30
When your ball comes back,
don't reach onto the ball return to get it until the
folks on either side of you have started their approach.
They can see that movement peripherally and it can be
very distracting.
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Bowling Tip #31
When someone on either
side of you is ready to begin their approach, don't
rerack. Wait until they have delivered their shot to
press the reset button. The pins being reset are in
their line of vision.
Bowling Tip #32
Put your hand in your ball to make sure it fits
today. Some people swell as they bowl and some shrink.
There is never a reason to make bad shots thinking that
as soon as you swell up your thumb will fit and
everything will be wonderful. You've gotten a bad read
off those shots and wasted your effort. Tape is much
much cheaper than playing the wrong shot. If it's cold
outside, your thumb is probably small and you might need
to add tape until it swells. If it's hot and humid, your
thumb might be big today. Remember that your thumb size
can change but your thumbhole cannot. The size of the
thumbhole is easily regulated with tape. Since we can
never afford to give shots away and normally your
opponent is not going to wait for you to figure it out,
it seems a good plan to put a piece of tape in, make
good shots, get a good read, swell up and take the tape
out.
Another important loosen
up technique in to put your hand all the way in the ball
and swing it back and forth three or four times. Your
thumb feels one way in a ball not in motion and entirely
another in the swing. Don't let the first time your
shoulder feels the weight of the ball to be when you
mean it. Your first shot should be about ¼ speed. By
about the 5th or 6th shot you should be up to full
speed. No athlete in any sport starts out at full speed.
That's what warming up is all about, gradually allowing
your body to get into the athletics of your sport. (I've
often thought I could have a lucrative part-time job
throwing everyone's first three shots.)
Bowling Tip #33
I see this constantly and wish I didn't see it at
all, ever. It causes so many problems - poor roll,
squeezing the ball, killing the shot, dropping the ball,
no backswing, grunting at the foul line, etc. Unless you
are making a rather sophisticated adjustment, you should
always put your thumb completely in the ball. Sometimes
people are afraid of sticking in the ball and don't put
their thumb all the way in. Your hand was measured by
your pro shop professional and your span gauged with
your thumb all the way in. If you don't put it all the
way in, you won't be able to free swing the ball, will
have to control it, and the pins always know when your
armswing is tight. I understand that a very common
reason for not putting the thumb all the way in the ball
is that you can't because you are so stretched. That's
another article.
Put your fingers into the
ball first and then your thumb. Putting your thumb in
first will usually have you feeling like the ball was
drilled for someone else! Super tip - This sometimes
works well for straightening the ball out for your spare
shots.
Bowling Tip #34
I see this constantly and
wish I didn't see it at all, ever. It causes so many
problems - poor roll, squeezing the ball, killing the
shot, dropping the ball, no backswing, grunting at the
foul line, etc. Unless you are making a rather
sophisticated adjustment, you should always put your
thumb completely in the ball. Sometimes people are
afraid of sticking in the ball and don't put their thumb
all the way in. Your hand was measured by your pro shop
professional and your span gauged with your thumb all
the way in. If you don't put it all the way in, you
won't be able to free swing the ball, will have to
control it, and the pins always know when your armswing
is tight. I understand that a very common reason for not
putting the thumb all the way in the ball is that you
can't because you are so stretched. That's another
article.
Bowling Tip #35
Bowling is a sport. You
are an athlete involved in this sport even if you only
do it recreationally. Proper stretching and warming up
before you bowl will help prevent injury. There a few
stretches you can do before you ever throw your first
ball that will help prevent injury.
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Bowling Tip #36
Grab your right ankle with
your right hand and pull your foot up behind you until
you touch your hip. Now do the same with your left hand
and your left ankle. In addition to this, some people
also stretch differently by grabbing the right ankle
with the left hand and the left ankle with the right
hand.
Bowling Tip #37
Hold on to a seat or table
if you need to and stretch your right leg out behind you
keeping your heel on the floor to stretch your
hamstring. Don't bounce and don't try and stretch until
you hurt. Just feel it pull slightly. Repeat with your
other leg.
Bowling Tip #38
Before you put your wrist
brace on, stretch your arm out in front of you and pull
your fingers back keeping your wrist and elbow straight.
Also pull the hand down with your wrist and elbow
straight. This stretches the tendons you'll be using in
bowling and helps loosen them up as well as stretching
the wrist.
Bowling Tip #39
Put your right hand on your left elbow and push the
elbow up by your head keeping it bent. Then move your
upper arm across your throat and push gently on the
elbow toward your back. Repeat with other arm. This will
loosen up your shoulder muscles.
These few stretches take
about 30 seconds and can really help prevent injury.
Check with your doctor before you do any stretching
exercises, even these simple ones.
Bowling Tip #40
The ball should contact
the lane as though it were an airplane landing. Cramming
the ball INTO the lane instead of laying it ONTO the
lane creates a very poor and inconsistent roll besides
causing lane damage. That's why knee bend is so
important. You've got to get your body into a position
to lay the ball down. The more upright you are, the
higher the position of the ball for delivery. Banging
the ball on the lane is loud, embarrassing, and kills
the roll. Other than that, it's a good idea.
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Bowling Tip #41
Make sure your stance is
comfortable and will allow you the easiest position from
which to start your approach. A comfortable athletic
stance includes the knees flexed 4" or so, the spine
tilted slightly forward by moving the hips back, and the
ball held close to the body with your bowling arm never
outside of your bowling shoulder.
Bowling Tip #42
There is a big difference
between being in control and being in charge. If you
alphabetize your canned goods, you're probably an
over-controller. We've all had bosses who were
controllers. You felt like no matter what you did the
scrutiny would be ominous. You tried to be perfect in
everything you did. You checked and rechecked your work
to avoid being wrong and you were always uptight when
your work was being reviewed.
Bowling Tip #43
If you've ever had a boss
who was in charge, you know the difference. Your
creative juices would flow, your work output was
greater, the quality of your work superior. When the
boss reviewed it, the suggestions for improvement, if
any, were just that - suggestions, not criticisms. In
bowling, if you are controlling, you are uptight and
will cause your efforts to fail. You try too hard to be
perfect, to look great, to hit your target exactly. And
it never works! But, if you are in charge, your approach
flows, your swing is free and natural, and your accuracy
incredible. Be in charge, not in control!!
Bowling Tip #44
Tucking the pinky of your bowling hand to the first
knuckle can cause the ball to hook a little more. When
you first try this, it might feel as if you're going to
drop the ball. Keep after it. You'll learn to do it and
find that it gives you an alternative ball reaction. You
might want to wear an adhesive bandage across that
knuckle for a while as a callous might develop. Keep in
mind this is an adjustment. If your ball is hooking too
much or too soon, untuck! You also might want to untuck
it on your spare shots.
One caution here about
tucking the pinky. With some people, tucking the pinky
can put strain on the ring finger. If you try this and
notice your ring finger beginning to hurt, either have
your pro shop professional shorten the ring finger span
very slightly (for instance, by 16ths until the pain
stops) or stop tucking. The added hook potential is not
worth an injury.
Bowling Tip #45
Opening and closing your
shoulder can indeed generate more speed but it certainly
can cause some unique problems and complications to your
game as well. If you don't get it closed in time, the
ball is late in the swing. If you close it too early,
you'll pull the ball. It's much easier to just have
'free' swing and one less thing to worry about in your
timing mechanisms.
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Bowling Tip #46
To help keep your wrist
firm, try pressing the tip of the index finger of your
bowling hand hard against the ball. This will keep your
wrist firm without tightening up your whole arm.
Bowling Tip #47
Your non-bowling arm is almost as important as your
bowling one. It helps provide balance. Your non-bowling
hand and arm come off the ball at the end of the push
off and should go out to the side of your body to help
offset the extra weight you have on the bowling side of
your body. If you don't get that arm out to the side for
balance, you'll tend to fall off the shot. Having this
arm even with your body or slightly behind your torso
with your hand waist high or higher and about 18" or so
from your body will provide the counter-balance you
need. 'Textbook' says not behind your body. Tell this to
WRW Jr. or to Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, both of whom have
their non-bowling arm about 90º to their back at the
finish position. Do what works!
Another very important
component of the non-bowling arm is the position of the
thumb. If your thumb is up at delivery, there could be a
tendency to roll the shoulder forward. It is usually
more effective to have the thumb down. Check which one
you do and then try it the other way. You will find
turning the thumb up or down can give you some options
you didn't know you had!
Bowling Tip #48
If you want to get the
ball into an earlier roll than normal, target the dots,
which are 7' out on the lane rather than the arrows. The
first time you try this you might feel like these dots
are right in your face by the time you get to the foul
line. They're not, of course, but it is how you feel. Be
careful not to allow your head and torso to go down when
learning to look at the dots. Your head and shoulders
must still say up.
Bowling Tip #49
If you want to get the ball into an earlier roll than
normal, target the dots, which are 7' out on the lane
rather than the arrows. The first time you try this you
might feel like these dots are right in your face by the
time you get to the foul line. They're not, of course,
but it is how you feel. Be careful not to allow your
head and torso to go down when learning to look at the
dots. Your head and shoulders must still say up.
Some people have success learning this by pretending
they are looking at their target through the bottom of
their glasses (regardless of whether you wear any or not
although it doesn't work very well if you wear
bifocals!) or that they have a glass of water on their
head they cannot spill.
To get more comfortable
looking at the dots, try looking a foot or so in front
(closer to you) of the arrows for a few shots. Then go
two more feet and two more feet until you are
comfortable looking at the dots. Although these dots are
not on the same boards as the arrows, they are still
great targeting aids and are generally used when you
need to get the ball rolling earlier or when you need to
decrease the distance you put the ball out onto the
lane. The dots are on 3, 5, 8, 11, 14, 26, 29, 32, 35,
and 37. So if your target is the second arrow, you might
want to look one right of the fourth dot. That is, of
course, if you are trying to lay the ball down on 10 and
be at 10 at the arrows. If you're trying to swing 10,
you might want to look at the fourth dot. That would put
your laydown point on 11½ or 12. The ball would be on 11
at the dots and 10 at the arrows, etc.
Bowling Tip #50
It is more important that you practice frequently
than that you practice for long periods of time. Thirty
minutes a day will get you closer to your long-term
goals faster than 2½ hours on Sunday. Take breaks while
you practice, at least a minute every ten. Get a drink
or sit down and plan your next few minutes. Just step
away and get a different perspective.
Practice tasks in segments. Mindless, undirected
practice is unproductive. Never keep score in practice.
If you're keeping score, winning matters. If winning
matters, you're not practicing. Have specific goals you
want to accomplish in your practice sessions. Five
minutes on the feel of a good push off, five minutes on
follow through and you don't think about your push off
in the follow through time slot. Your foundation must be
built on the bricks of individual components - strong
and linked together with repetition and muscle memory.
We don't want a foundation built on sand that will
crumble under the slightest pressure.
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