I want to address one of the most common mistakes most bowlers face. Fast feet is a big problem most bowlers deal with, fast feet is when your feet are ahead of the swing during or at the end of the approach. When bowlers are faced with fast feet, they usually lose their balance a bit and roll sideways at the end of the approach.

Fast feet also cause errors in other areas of the bowler’s game, such as dropping the shoulders, the inability to stay down on the shot, and balance on the free throw line once the ball has gone, and an inconsistent pitch.

Here are some ways you can solve the plague of quick feet, oops, I meant problem.

The big mistake: poor ball placement

Listen carefully when I say that good ball placement is absolutely necessary, fast feet are related to poor key step placement. Another mistake is pushing the ball up from a waist-high position.

How to fix it: When the heel of your foot hits the ground during your step, try to time your ball placement.

The big mistake: Shoulders too far forward

When the shoulders are too far forward, the waist bends too much and the knees don’t bend enough, causing the ball to hit the court too soon, leading to a loss of leverage and a feeling of imbalance during the approach.

How to fix it: Your shoulders should be square and your knees should be slightly bent. As you start to get closer, your knees should gradually bend (though not too much) and your waist should be slightly bent forward.

Rule of thumb: The deeper your knee bends, the less you need to bend forward at the waist.

The Big Mistake: Steps Too Long

When you take your steps, each one is as slow as molasses (just kidding, I hope they’re not that slow). Holding the steps too long makes the swing float during the approach, which means you won’t get power behind the ball.

Rule of thumb: If you’re taking a five-step approach, the second step is crucial, so you definitely want to keep an eye on the length of that step.

How to fix it: Since I’m playing the role of the bowling mechanic in this section, I want to help you fix this problem. Take a normal walking step and all other steps will fall into place, during the five-step approach the first step is for momentum and is usually shorter than a normal key step.

The big mistake: tiptoeing

This is a very common problem, I knock over a chair every time I see someone tiptoeing during the approach, well maybe it doesn’t bother me that much but I think you get the point. When he tiptoes, he has too much speed on the approach, his shoulders will be too far forward and he will lose too much leverage.

How to fix it: To avoid tiptoeing, place your heel first and toes last on each step, this results in a much smoother approach. By walking this way, you can slow down the entire approach.

Rule of thumb: Since you build momentum from the back-and-forth motion of your feet, your leverage will also increase.

The Big Mistake: Muscular Arm Swing

Most of the bowlers I deal with think that having all their muscles flexed during the swing will give them more power when they release the ball. I’m here to tell you that flexing your arms during arm swings won’t increase your throwing ability, but it will probably win you a bodybuilding contest or an arm wrestling contest if you’re lucky. A muscular arm movement can also lead to injury, such as pain in the arm, shoulder, or wrist.

How to fix it: When you swing the ball, it should come off your shoulder with a minimal amount of muscle flex. If this seems difficult, practice relaxing your arm and simply swing it back and forth without a ball in your hand. Your goal here is to get the arm as relaxed as possible. Doing this allows the weight of the ball to direct the swing through the approach.

Well there you have it folks, the most common mistakes faced by most bowlers who are always wondering why they can’t consistently throw a strike or why their game isn’t improving. My auto shop just gave you the solution: It’s to go out and bowl the right way.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *