Other than bowling, I grew up fencing and did it for around seven years. One of the biggest lessons I learned from that was just how important footwork can be when trying to achieve something involving momentum and aiming. When I started applying this to my bowling mindset rather than just trying to break my opponent's defenses to score a hit, I noticed immediate benefits. It adds a whole new dimension of consistency, as well as adjustability.
- There are 39 boards on every lane, and there are 7 arrows as well. Each arrow marks a distance of 5 boards. On the edge of the lane, 7 dots correspond to each arrow.
- I have a question for you, what is your favorite part about bowling? I find myself asking this same question pretty often, and my answer is always changing. One of the most frequent answers I settle on, however, is how there are countless small adjustments you can make that even just one of, can drastically affect your shot. Part of the fun of bowling is being able to experiment as much as you want and see the payoff of it immediately. And then, you get to do it again as much as you want. That can be a double-edged sword at times though, primarily at two key times in your bowling life.
- The first is when you’re first getting started. While experimentation is the most important part of learning how to bowl since it is a very individualized process, it can also be overwhelming to have so many options for things to change. Do you adjust your approach, your release, your target, the ball you're using, and the speed, how much do you change any of those at a time? The possibilities go on and on. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to think of it like a fancy microscope. Start with the super broad tuning lens, working mostly on the fundamentals. When you can consistently replicate something that’s working well, make changes that get more specific and smaller. If you notice for instance that you’re able to get a consistent hook on the ball, but it keeps going 5 boards further left than you want it to be, rather than changing anything huge like the release, start by taking one more shot right, and so forth.
- HINT = If you “miss” to the left, step right. If you “miss” to the right, step left. Repeat as needed until you hit the target.
- The second is when you're trying to achieve a specific goal, such as hitting a hard spare or breaking a high score (and eventually getting a perfect game). My biggest piece of advice for this one is to embrace the vast possibilities of variability but to think of them more like a toolbox. As you get more practiced and experienced, you’ll start to get a sort of intuitive sense of what to do at certain times. If you know that if your ball hooks in a different arc if you release it with a different grip, and you know that the pins left standing will require you to hit it at a specific point to achieve the spare, then you can put two and two together and take starting position and ball speed into effect too. Bowling is as much about learning yourself as it is about hitting the pins, and when you do one you learn more about the other.
- The first is when you’re first getting started. While experimentation is the most important part of learning how to bowl since it is a very individualized process, it can also be overwhelming to have so many options for things to change. Do you adjust your approach, your release, your target, the ball you're using, and the speed, how much do you change any of those at a time? The possibilities go on and on. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to think of it like a fancy microscope. Start with the super broad tuning lens, working mostly on the fundamentals. When you can consistently replicate something that’s working well, make changes that get more specific and smaller. If you notice for instance that you’re able to get a consistent hook on the ball, but it keeps going 5 boards further left than you want it to be, rather than changing anything huge like the release, start by taking one more shot right, and so forth.
- To get back on topic, I’m going to explain the footwork that works best for me, and also explain how you can make adjustments to it until you’re left with what works best for you.
- To start off with let's measure distance. One of the BIGGEST mistakes I see people making when bowling, is walking up to the end of the lane, stop, and then start swinging. This allows for zero momentum, and a complete loss of balance.
- Without holding any balls, stand at the first set of dots, and count how many steps (while pretending you're bowling) it takes you to reach the end of the approach (without crossing over the foul line)
- Once you determine how many steps it is, you should aim to adjust so that you have 4 steps. For me, that’s just four steps from the first row of dots, and my stride takes me to the end. You may have to start closer or take longer strides however much is needed to reach that.
- Some people prefer 3 steps, or 2. These I personally tend to do very rarely and only if I’m using a new ball that hooks too strong and I’m trying to find a way to get adjusted to it. Starting closer makes me have to go slower, which lowers the momentum and rev I produce
- Rev is the amount of revolutions of the bowling ball per minute. A high rev is spinning a lot down the lane and tends to have a more dramatic and punchier hook/pinfall, while a low rev tends to have less hook and a smoother action. That's not to say either is an absolute, that's just a good entry level explanation for now.
- Some people prefer 3 steps, or 2. These I personally tend to do very rarely and only if I’m using a new ball that hooks too strong and I’m trying to find a way to get adjusted to it. Starting closer makes me have to go slower, which lowers the momentum and rev I produce
- If you are bowling a straight shot stand in line with either the left-most or the right-most dot, and throw towards the center pin (I’ll go more in-depth to this in a later post)
- If you are hooking, you’ll have to do some experimenting to see what works for you/your equipment but start with standing on the leftmost dot and aiming for the 3rd arrow. It may seem counterintuitive to aim by targeting the arrows.
- My next post will go much further in depth about this! Until then just keep practicing, and let me know how it goes:)
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