Practice Smart – At Home

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You're a competitive bowler. In order to improve, you practice a lot. But in this time of shelter-in-place, bowling centers are closed. You’re stuck at home. End of story? Not at all. Just practice at home.

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You can work on your stance, making sure you’re consistent in where you position your ball, your hand position, your shoulder orientation, and so forth.

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One of the easiest things to work on at home is your pushaway—the point where you take your first step* and push the ball out, away from your body. Your goal is to have your ball and your first step finish at the same time.

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You can groove your swing in your yard. This means you stand in place, with your shoulders open, and swing your ball back and forth. Keep your ball close to your body, as if you’re bowling. Your goal here is to use gravity and momentum--not muscle-- to move the ball. My first coach told me to think of my bowling arm as a piece of wet spaghetti with a ball on the end.

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If you have an old ball and some space in your yard, work on different releases, or on correcting your release. Do you come around the ball too early at release? Focus on keeping your wrist stationary until your thumb is out of the ball. Want to improve your rev rate? Spend time working on that. 

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You get the point. There are many aspects of your game that do not depend on your being at a bowling center. Practicing at home is a great way to help your bowling and put your time to good use.

 

*This assumes you take four steps. If you’re a five-step bowler, the first step mentioned here is your second step.