Bowling How To's & Coaching Tips, Bowling Tips & Coaching Articles, Coaching Corner with John Gaines, Physical Game Tips
Better Balance at the Foul Line – By John Gaines
Ways To Keep Your Balance While Bowling And Not Fall Off Your Shot
Are you having issues falling off to one side at the foul line or hopping at the end of your approach to keep your balance? Hopefully a couple of these tips will help you.
Having A Good Bowling Stance Is The Key
Believe it or not, your starting position of your body or stance can greatly affect your finish position. The stance should be comfortable and easy to get into. There shouldn’t be a whole lot of gyrations or thinking to get into the proper stance. The shoulders and spine angle should be just slightly forward, but no more than 15 degrees. Knees should be slightly bent. Your weight should be evenly divided on your feet and not have too much weight on your heals or toes.
Do Not Hunch Over To Much In Your Bowling Approach
As you start your approach, the spine angle and shoulders should remain quiet and steady. Do not allow your shoulders to get too far out in front of you. You should really feel like your shoulders remain over your hips. This gives you a solid center of gravity and makes you use your big leg muscles.
Increase The Speed Gradually Of Your Bowling Approach
Your approach should start out slow allowing for a gradual increase in tempo. You will sometimes hear the phrase “your feet are too fast”. Your feet really can’t be too fast. This is a sport and all sports, to create power and leverage which comes from the legs, requires you to accelerate. There is no doubt that you don’t want to run to the line. But you do have to accelerate to create proper leverage using the legs.
How To Have A Nice Proper Slide Into Your Bowling Ball Release Point
As you get to your last step or slide, you should have some knee bend. It doesn’t take as much as most people think. You don’t have to get really close to the floor. Just a simple comfortable knee bend is all it takes. You also don’t want to drop way down at the last second. Just a gradual soft knee bend is great. Try and keep those shoulders and head somewhat steady. Don’t raise up or pull the shoulders back. This is usually caused by not having your chin just over your sliding knee at release.
Where Should My Trail Leg Be At The Foul Line
The last tip would be better use of your trail leg or non-sliding leg. If your trail leg is up in the air, it’s because your spine angle is too far forward and is acting like a balance beam so that you don’t fall forward. If your trail leg gets too close to your body, it is because your are pulling your shoulders back and standing up too much.
More Articles BelowClick Here For More Coaching Advice
John Gaines – From the Pro Shop to Team USA to the USBC Bowling Hall of Fame
The Iconic Lodge Lanes USBC Open Championships Bowling Team If you have ever bowled the [...]
1 Comment
May
900 Global Tour Rep Day 5 & 6 – The USBC Masters
Being The 900 Global Tour Rep Day 5 & 6 – The USBC Masters By [...]
Apr
900 Global Tour Rep Day 4 – The USBC Masters
Tour Rep USBC Masters Syracuse, NY 2018: [addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] Day 4 Today is known as [...]
Apr
900 Global Tour Rep Day 3 – The USBC Masters
Global 900 Tour Rep USBC Masters Syracuse, NY 2018: [addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] Day 3 Today is [...]
Apr
900 Global Tour Rep Day 2 – The USBC Masters
900 Global Tour Rep USBC Masters Syracuse, NY 2018: [addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] Day 2 Today starts [...]
Apr
Tour Repping USBC Masters Day 1
Tour Rep USBC Masters Syracuse, NY 2018: Day 1 Today was practice session for A, [...]
Apr
The Coach To The Pro Bowlers In Competition – PBA Tour Rep
Tour Reps Are Another Set Of Eyes For The Pros [addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] If you follow [...]
3 Comments
Apr
Better Balance at the Foul Line – By John Gaines
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] Ways To Keep Your Balance While Bowling And Not Fall Off Your Shot [...]
1 Comment
Jun
A Simple Tip For Making The 10 Pin or 7 Pin In Bowling By John Gaines
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] A Simple Tip For Knocking Down The 10 Pin Or 7 Pin There [...]
2 Comments
Jun
30 Days To Becoming A Better Bowler By John Gaines
30 Days Or Practicing To Improve Your Bowling Scores I know, it sounds like one [...]
4 Comments
Jun
Changing Bowling Ball Surface Is The Easiest Way To Change Bowling Ball Motion By John Gaines
Bowling Ball Surface Is 70% Of The Balls Reaction Having issues hitting the pocket with [...]
Jun
How To Read An Oil Pattern When Bowling
Importance Of Knowing The Oil Pattern Before Bowling The Different Well Known Oil Patterns PBA [...]
Apr
Achieve Your Bowling Goals With A Solid Practice Plan
If You Want Higher Bowling Scores Create A Practice Plan [addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] Most of us [...]
2 Comments
Mar
Creating the Simple and Effective Bowling Ball Arsenal Part 3 By John Gaines
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] Part three of my blog series deals with choosing bowling balls. Now that [...]
3 Comments
Nov
Creating the Simple and Effective Bowling Ball Arsenal Part 1 By John Gaines
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] How To Make A Great Bowling Ball Arsenal Simplified Are you confused by [...]
2 Comments
Oct
Finger Inserts & Thumb Slugs Explained
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] Today in the Coaching Corner, we take a look at finger inserts [...]
3 Comments
Jul
The Impact of Bowling Ball Surface Adjustments
How Different Surfaces Will Make The Bowling Ball React Differently Today, we’ll visit the subject [...]
2 Comments
Jun
The Slide And Finish Position – Building Proper Bowling Technique And An Ideal Bowling Approach
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] Last Part of a Great Approach In Bowling – The Finish Position & [...]
1 Comment
Jan
The Timing Spot – Building Proper Bowling Technique And An Ideal Bowling Approach
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] How To Improve Your Timing By Knowing Your Timing Spot One of the [...]
1 Comment
Jan
The Bowling Pivot Step – Building Proper Bowling Technique And An Ideal Bowling Approach
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] The Pivot Step In Bowling Is Incredibly Important For A Solid Delivery The [...]
1 Comment
Jan
Second Step of the Approach – Building Proper Bowling Technique And An Ideal Bowling Approach
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] So We Discussed The Bowling Stance, The First Step & The Push Away [...]
Jan
The First Step and Pushaway – Building Proper Bowling Technique And An Ideal Bowling Approach
[addthis tool=”addthis_inline_share_toolbox”] How To Do The Pushaway And First Step In Bowling The next installment [...]
3 Comments
Jan
The Stance – Building Proper Bowling Technique And An Ideal Bowling Approach
Step By Step On How To Create Ideal Body Positioning For Bowling Over the next [...]
3 Comments
Dec
High Performance Bowling Balls Explained By John Gaines
Bowling Ball Terminology And What It All Means This is a difficult subject to explain [...]
8 Comments
Dec
Balls
Shoes
Bags
Accessories
Apparel
Deals
I enjoyed your narrative. Easy to read and understand and not too long.
I am a season League Bowler of over 20 years (now a Senior) and in the last year I have developed a rather annoying trait of spinning the ball on the bottom. Not all the time, but a very high percentage, which does not alway allow the Ball to roll out.
I have tried a various amounts of techniques, from changing Speed, stance, tilt on the ball. Whilst I fix it one day, the next it is back to normal. The concentration level is not as good as it should be. I feel I am pulling the ball down and releasing too early. Fair accurate hitting the mark, pull the odd shot – which I understand is late timing.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. It is hard to try and analyse yourself bowling.