6 Basic Bowling Tips and Techniques to Bowl Your Best

Bowling has tons of different techniques. Each bowler has their own particular techniques that they follow to roll the ball. But there are some basics that are universal and are followed by almost every bowler as they are mandatory to use while bowling. Do you know those basic bowling techniques? Well, if you don’t, we have got your back! As a newbie, it is important to strengthen your bowling skill from the very beginning. Hence, you really do need to learn these basics to nicely grow your bowling skill. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Bowling Tips and Techniques: 6 Secret Hacks

Are you interested to know about techniques that will help you bowl? Before you learn any special body movement or any tricks, make sure understand some basic things regarding this fine sport. This includes understanding the bowling lanes— their lengths, widths, and types. It is also paramount to know about bowling pins, bowling balls, their types, and other bowling gears that ease the gameplay.

If you’re completely new to bowling, you will have some difficulty understanding the sport if you are not aware of its terminologies or lingo. You can learn all kinds of bowling terms from a bowling glossary. While you’re at it, please get some studies done on how the scoring system of bowling works. Once you learn the bowling scoring system, learn the score-keeping method as well. If that seems a bit complicated, you can just use a bowling score calculator. Make sure you know the technique of operating that.

Is this your first time going out to bowl? Then, I’m assuming, you’re less likely to have your own bowling ball. So after you have selected your desired bowling center, time to prepare yourself for bowling. First and foremost, you need bowling shoes. Even if you play or not, the bowling centers won’t let you go near the lanes if you don’t have the bowling shoes. After that, choose the right bowling ball as per the lane condition. It is smart to go for the THS lane pattern as a beginner. By right bowling ball, I specifically mean the weight as well as the coverstock type of the ball. You can just use a bowling ball weight calculator to save yourself some trouble.

Okay, time to start bowling. This is where the main bowling techniques are used. Remember these few steps— stance/positioning, setting target, approach, armswing, and ball release. Let me elaborate.

1. Your very first activity near the bowling lane would be to pick up your ball and hold it correctly. But before you even touch the ball, my advice to you will be to do some warm-ups. Bowling requires a lot of complicated physical movement and weight carrying. So if you’re inactive for a while, make sure you do some basic bowling warm-ups first. After that grab your bowling ball. Put your ring and middle finger inside the top 2 holes and your thumb inside the bottom hole. When you’re at your stance, make sure you distribute the ball weight on your dominant hand and while you’re at it, keep an eye on where the foul line is.
2. Stance is also important for target setting. Before you start taking your steps, aim for the board or arrow on which you want your ball to roll. Note it down, you have to pay attention to aiming the marks instead of the pins. If you aim while focusing on the pins, your ball will not roll as you intended to.
3. The steps you take toward the lane stops at the foul line. Meaning, you cannot cross the foul line as you throw your bowling ball. After the steps are taken during the approach, you have to keep your body ready for arm-swing and releasing the bowling ball. Generally, bowlers take 4 steps and so should you. Based on how big or small your steps are, the number shouldn’t be more than 5.
4. arm-swing needs to be extremely careful. Your bowling ball delivery majorly depends on how you swing your arm and let go of the ball. Just swinging your bowling arm backward and then releasing it is not enough. Remember to complete the follow-through as well. Without that, a bowling armswing is never complete. Plus, a ball release without follow-through can actually harm you physically and jeopardize your shot.
5. Almost forgot to talk about the necessity of a proper knee bend during bowling. It is the catalyst for bowlers who are into power steps. A well-administered knee-bend after your steps enhances your bowling performance in several ways. By properly bending your knee, you let your arm extend outward a bit more which automatically makes the lane more open.
6. Last but not least, don’t forget to be on time. Timing is everything in bowling. When you release your bowling ball, make sure you’re not too early or too late. Just a single second of delay can ruin the entire shot. So loosen your grip from the ball right on time if you want your bowling ball to roll down the lane smoothly and hit the pins with maximum strength.

Once you’re well-aware of these simple basic bowling techniques, you are pretty much good to go. From here you’re on your own. Keep on practicing as long as you think you need to. After you get the knack of the basics, all you have to do is work on yourself to play better and improve your average. Trust me, that part is easy. It is basics that take more time. So be patient with yourself and never stop learning new bowling techniques.

Conclusion

I hope I could offer you some useful pointers before your first or next bowling match. Whatever you do, make sure you never stop having fun. It is a really fun recreational sport when you can understand the basics and techniques of bowling. So why just sit back? Go to your nearby bowling alley in your free time and have the best kind of fun.