Although bowling is an indoor game, you still need to work out and warm up before you jump to play bowling. I got to know from the internet that many of you still aren’t aware of exercises for bowlers. Whether you’re a beginner or pro, teen or adult, or a senior player you need to exercise. Yes, there’s no alternative to that.
The muscles of your arms, fingers, lower back, hips, legs, etc. stays active while you play. Plus, carrying down a 14-15lbs ball and throwing it with the proper force to roll down the sixty feet lanes aren’t easy tasks. Therefore, appropriate physical exercise is needed for every bowler.
Now you might be wondering if exercising will improve your overall game. Well, absolutely yes! Regular strength training will improve your balance, motor skills, synchronization, speed, endurance, etc. Moreover, you won’t even have to go to the gym. You can simply do these exercises all at home. So take a look at the most important bowling exercises-
Workouts for Bowlers To Improve Stamina:
There are many exercises for bowlers which will improve your bowling. Bowling requires the movement of various parts of the body. So you can do the following exercises.
Stretching
First and foremost, stretching. Without the needed flexibility, you can tear up tissues, get sprains, or even serious injuries. When you’re stretching, please focus on your lower and upper back, legs, shoulders, arms, and wrists. Some of the best stretching exercises are:
Lunges Exercises:
Place one foot in front of the other, and then drop your body straight down. Do 10 repetitions this way and then switch legs and do the same. Just go up and down and not forward, and keep your knees behind your toes every time. This will strengthen your weak legs. This exercise is applicable to everyone, but senior bowlers need to be extra careful.
Overhead Stretch:
Extend your arms with elbows straight. Then interlock your fingers and keep your back and neck straight. You can also bend one of your elbows and place the palm behind your neck, grab your bent elbow with your free hand. Repeat the process by switching hands. This will stretch your abdomen, shoulders, and upper back.
Cross Stretches:
This is one of the most common stretching processes. Place one hand on the opposite shoulder. Keep your involved arm’s elbow at the same level as your shoulder. Use your free hand to grab the elbow and pull your whole arm horizontally. You’ll feel a stretch on your shoulder and hold it for at least 20seconds for each arm. This will boost up the range of motion of your shoulder and cancel out stiffness or tightness in your arm muscle. Applicable for both young and senior players.
Wrist Extension and Flexion:
Bring your arm in front of your body and keep your fingers downward. Then grasp your fingers with the other hand and stretch out the top of your hand. This is your wrist extension. Doing this will prevent elbow, shoulder, and wrist injuries. Now you can place the throwing arm upward and place your other hand’s fingers on this hand’s finger. This will stretch your wrist and forearm.
Cardio Exercises
Do you know cardiovascular exercises can help minimize fatigue? For medium to softcore cardiovascular exercise you can swim, row on the rowing machine, machine running, cycle, or even power-walk. Seniors can make cardio very useful to remain healthy and energetic during bowling gameplay or even when you’re resting. Cardio will also help you to get rid of the weakness in the muscles and prepare your body for a long-time bowling game.
Arm Swing
You already know that you need to swing your arm when you release the bowling ball on the lane. You can practice this at home, or just before your game. Stand straight and swing both of your arms in a big circular motion. You can do 10 forward and 10 backward. This is effective for all kinds of players.
Arm Balance
You know how important to balance arm for throwing bowling ball. You can try this Chaturanga Dandasana, Downward Facing Dog, Plank and Dolphin exercises for proper arm balance.
Squats
Split squats and goblet squats are the most useful in the case of bowling. Although goblet squats should not be done by senior or teen players as that is quite difficult. For goblet squats, you need to use a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell. You need to hold your bell tight and spread your legs wider to do this exercise. Doing this will tone up your muscles and increase your arm strength.
Weight Lifting
Carrying the heavy bowling ball is no joke. Without proper handling and gripping, you can drop the bowling ball and it can fall on your feet and toes. You can also injure your fingers and wrists. This is why you need to practice weight lifting. For beginners, start from 5lbs and then slowly move up to your ball weight or higher. But don’t jump to heavier weights and this will cause more damage to your muscle.
Push-ups
Push-ups are very beneficial for bowlers. This exercise helps to improve your body’s overall motor skills and endurance. This strengthens up your legs, arms, and shoulders. Remember to keep your head straight. Try to do this 20-30 times consecutively. Senior bowling players can skip this exercise.
Modified Bicycle Crunch
Doing this will help you achieve balance over your body. Keep your shoulders lifted off the floor pulling your neck while moving your legs in the running motion in the air. This also works as a leg exercise which helps your leg slide during your ball release and keeps your body steady so that you don’t fall or slip on the lanes.
Running or Jogging
Running is also a good exercise if you are a bowler. You can put on your running shoes and go for a run. This will boost up your stability, balance, and physical body strength. If you are running only to improve your bowling skill, I would recommend running on smooth surfaces, like roads and parks. Both senior and adult bowlers should do this.
Thumb Exercises
When you carry your ball, it creates pressure on your thumb. The more the ball weighs, the more pressure it creates on your finger. To relieve this pressure you have to do some finger exercises.
Conclusion
Bowling itself is a good physical exercise. But to be good in that, these exercises for bowlers are mandatory. Without this physical training, you cannot improve your bowling skill, let alone being free of injuries. Therefore, we recommend you to exercise these regularly so there is no chance you’ll be defeated by your opponent for a simple physical injury. And, most importantly, don’t forget to have fun when you play bowling. Good Luck!