Bowling Tips!To Improve Your Game and ScoresKeep Your Arm Swing Loose: The key to a loose arm swing is keeping your grip relaxed in the ball. Don’t squeeze fingers or thumb, keep them relaxed, especially the thumb. To have a relaxed thumb in the ball your ball has to be fitted and drilled correctly. If your thumb hole feels loose it will cause you to squeeze the ball and then muscle your swing. Inserts in the thumb and finger holes can help give you a more secure fit. If you have a large webbing at the base of your thumb adding extra bevel around the top of the thumb hole will give you a deeper more secure fit.
Use Your Body Leverage: On the last step bend your knee to get down lower to the lane and slide your foot straight towards the foul line making sure it does not turn. Think of it as sliding into a deep knee bend. Counter balance your body by moving your non-sliding leg sideways to the opposite side of your bowling arm. Make sure you keep your upper body fairly erect as you get down low to the lane. Stay Down At The Line!: I consider this more important than anything else you do. The most common error bowlers make, is pulling up at the line when the release the ball. The ball never hits the same place twice when you pull up and you lose power as well. The causes of pulling up at the line can come from muscling the arm swing, but usually more often come from trying to put lift on the release or even turn on the release, instead of just keeping your grip relaxed in the ball and just letting it naturally come off your hand as you follow through. Power and accuracy don’t come from lift or turn but from staying down at the line as you release the ball and follow through. Use your non-bowling leg to help keep you down and think stay down and you won’t pull up. Following Through The Swing: The follow through is just a continuation of the arm swing after the release. If the ball is released right your arm will unhinge at the elbow and your hand will come up to side of your face or head. If you quit on the ball and don’t follow through it means your release is weak. A weak release is caused by bad arm swing and timing during the approach.
Try The Drop Away Method: The drop away replaces the push away. In the drop away method hold the ball high up in the stance at shoulder height and take a small first step but don’t move the ball (no push away). Instead just let the ball drop down into the swing on the second step. If this feels awkward to you try sliding your foot out on the first step until you get used to it.
Bowling Is A Mental Game: Analyze your delivery and think about what you are doing when you practice. Feel your good shots as you make them and imprint it into your mind so you can repeat them. Use visualization to practice off the lanes in your mind making perfect shots.
Shoe Sliding Problems (Sticking): If you have trouble sliding buy a Dexter red slide sole and some velcro self sticking fastener. Cut red slide sole and velcro self sticking fastener the same size as rubber heel on slide shoe. Paste velcro fastener on rubber heal and fasten red slide sole.
Develop Your Own Bowling Style: There is no right way or wrong way to bowl and anything can work if you are able to repeat it often enough. Do what works best for you and feels comfortable.
Watch Professional Bowlers On TV: Watch the professional bowlers on TV and record them with your VCR. Play back the tape and watch in slow motion. Study how they do the basics to improve your own game. The women pros are great to watch because they rely on finesse over power.
