9 Tips to Improve Your Bowling Game & Score

Are your bowling scores an indicator of your improvement? It’s true, you can check your scores from time to time, to see if you are improving, but this cannot show you how you did it. Maybe you have improved some aspects related to the sport itself, and not other aspects that are equally important. You should consider some important factors that describe the physical and physiological attributes of a good bowler: exceptional hand/eye coordination and balance, good flexibility (upper and lower body), good strength (upper and lower body), good aerobic fitness and low body fat. Try to establish your ability in each of these aspects by making use of fitness tests.

Bowling Tip #1 - Keep Your Arm Swing Loose
Keep your grip relaxed in the ball. Don’t squeeze your fingers or thumb. Your ball must be fitted
and drilled correctly so that you can have a relaxed thumb. A loose thumb hole will make you
squeeze the ball and muscle your swing. Try placing a large webbing at the base of your thumb by
adding extra bevel around the top of the thumb hole. This will give you a more secure fit.

Bowling Tip #2 - Use Your Lower Body Leverage
Bend your knee to get lower to the lane on the last step. Then slide your foot towards the foul line,
but make sure it doesn’t run. This is very similar to sliding into a deep-knee bend. Move your other
leg sideways to the opposite side of your bowling arm and make sure you keep your torso erect
while getting down to the lane.

Bowling Tip #3 - Finish Up Close To The Foul Line
The distance between the delivery line and you should be of about 6 inches if you want to have an
optimal release. This means that the ball is lofted a small distance over the foul line before it
makes contact with the lane. Thus, the ball gets further down the lane and it preserves energy
when hitting the pins. Finishing too far from the foul line means you’ll have to move closer to it
when you start in the stance.

Bowling Tip #4 - Relax Thumb, Come Through Ball
Overlifting or turning the ball during release will only cause muscling and misdirection of your arm
swing. What you do is relax your thumb and come cleanly through the ball as you release it and
follow through Keep your eyes focused on your target! You want a strong release? Finish up close
to the foul line and make sure you have good lower body leverage!

Bowling Tip #5 - Bowling Is A Mental Game
Carefully analyze your delivery. Think about what you are doing when you practice. Define your
good shots and repeat them over and over until they are imprinted in your mind. Visualize the
lanes in your mind and practice those perfect shots of yours!

Bowling Tip #6 - The Drop Away Method
This method replaces the push away, so you should hold the ball up in the distance at shoulder
level. Then take a small first step but don't move the ball (don’t push it away). Simply let it drop
down into the swing on the second step.

Bowling Tip #7 - Shoe Sliding Problems (Sticking)
A Dexter red slide sole and some Velcro self-sticking fastener should solve the problem of sliding.
To do this, cut the red slide sole and the Velcro self sticking fastener the exact size as the rubber
heel on your slide shoe. Then paste the Velcro fastener on the rubber heal and fasten the red slide
sole.

Bowling Tip #8 - Elaborate Your Own Bowling Style
Do whatever you think helps you improve your game and gives you the highest scores. Anything
can work!

Bowling Tip #9 - Watch Professional Bowlers on TV
Your game will improve by studying the styles of professional bowlers on TV or VCR.

Go back to "The Ultimate Bowling Guide"