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Gary LaClair, USBC Silver Level Coach:
Follow through
to you target
each shot, for strikes and spares. In all sports that use a
ball (baseball, basketball, football, etc) you follow through to
your target.
Gary LaClair, Silver Level Coach:
Looking for an easy way to add pins to your average?
Just watch your mark. Keep your eye on the mark from the start of delivery until the ball rolls over it. A 160 average bowler only watches their mark 30% of the time.
Chris LaClair, Level One Coach:
Don't run to the foul line. Keep everything in control.
Rich Warren, Bronze Level Coach:
Leverage. There are a number of aspects to the sport that one must master to become a good bowler. There is the physical game, mental game, spare shooting, lane play and equipment management. When it comes to the physical game, there, also, are many traits that define a strong player. Good timing, a solid arm swing, and sound footwork are among them. But, what every bowler should have is leverage at the foul line. Leverage means a strong body position from which to release and deliver the ball. When you watch Professional Bowlers Association and Professional Women’s Bowling Association telecasts, you see players with many different styles, but, they all arrive at the foul ine with good leverage. From the side view, leverage is the result of good timing and strong body posture at the finish. Obviously, late or early timing problems cause either excessive or weak leverage at the line. Late timing – when the body reaches the line ahead of the ball – causes a player to force the ball through the swing to help it “catch up” at release, resulting in excessive use of leverage. With early timing, the ball arrives at the line ahead of the body, and that puts the body in a weak position, resulting in reduced leverage at release. While both of these timing issues adversely affect release, good timing will put the body in the optimum position from which to consistently deliver the ball with power. Good timing is extremely important to good leverage, but equally important is good body posture at the finish. In fact, good posture from start to finish will increase leverage throughout the entire motion. What is good posture? Keeping the body upright and the shoulders behind the knees. In the stance, the shoulders should be slightly forward with about a 15 degree tilt in the spine, which is accomplished by slightly bending at the waist and flex of the knees. You should maintain this same body position throughout the approach and into the delivery with only the hips lowering at the finish. This through knee bend, not waist bend. At the finish, the shoulders should still be behind the knees, similar to the position your body should be in to properly lift a heavy box from the floor. Your shoulders would remain behind your knees while you bend the knees to lift. In bowling, you would maintain the same upper body position as in the stance, only bend the knees at the finish. The strength is in the legs, which have the biggest and strongest muscles in the body.
Rich Warren, Bronze Level Coach:
Timing. Think of timing in a 4 step approach. The hand and the foot on the same side as the ball are the synchronizing gears that should mesh (move together) early in the approach. The ball should move with the foot (right foot for a right handed bowler). As you take your 1st step the ball moves (your push away) with that step. The ball should follow the foot back behind the body on the 2nd step. This allows the ball to clear the hip on its backward motion. This is where many bowlers are confused. Many bowlers do not have the ball follow the ball side foot back behind them. They will keep the ball in front of the body too long (push away on the 2nd step) and as the ball goes back, the foot on the same side as the ball is already in its forward motion.
In a 5 step approach the ball does not move on the 1st step.
Gary LaClair, Silver Level Coach:
“Rolling” the ball knocks down more pins than “throwing” the ball. Envision sitting on the floor and rolling a ball to a small child. Bowling balls are made to react to the lanes, rolling the ball allows the ball to do the work as it was made to do
Rich Warren, Bronze Level Coach:
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.
.
Jerry Weld, Level One Coach:
Stay down, and follow through.
Gary LaClair, Silver Level Coach:
Arm Swing: Keeping a free arm swing increases your accuracy , consistency, power, and more
control.
Rich Warren, Bronze Level Coach:
The Modern Game: The key point is to keep the head inline with the ball from the setup throughout the swing and release. If you're a right handed bowler, in your setup lean/tilt right, so that your head and the ball is in a straight line. Keep this lean/tilt during your approach and at the release point.