Even after reading through all of our bowling articles and honing your skills, things won’t always go 100% according to plan.
Even though every bowler naturally develops a style of his or her own, an overwhelming percentage of bowlers tend to encounter many of the same pitfalls.
To help with this phenomenon, this article will go over 5 of the most common problems beginners encounter with their bowling shot and what you need to do to avoid them. Working on these problems and fixes is a great way to make that leap into the higher level of play.
Problem #1: Improper Stance or Pushaway
A good bowling armswing is straight back and forth, like a pendulum. There are two common things many bowlers do instead, which negatively affects the results of their shot.
First, a significant percentage of bowlers to want to hold the bowling ball
If the ball is this far inside, you’re forced to move your arm sideways and back around your body for the backswing. This will throw everything out of whack.
Instead, hold the ball out to the side of your body (on the same side as your bowling hand) so you can swing straight back and forth.
Similarly, on the pushaway (the initial forward extension of your arm that goes along with the first step), many bowlers point to one side instead of straight out towards their target.
This also has a detrimental effect on the armswing because the arm has to come back sideways during the backswing.
Problem #2: Drifting With Your Feet
Other times, everything seems to be going fine with your delivery, but the ball just does not seem to be lined up right. If this is the case, you’ll want to check if you might be drifting.
Drifting means that your starting point is one board, but you end up on a different board at the foul line at the release. In other words, you have “drifted” to one side or the other.
To correct this, set yourself at your starting point and make a practice approach without the ball. Then look down and see if you end up on the same board.
You can have one of your lane mates take a look and see if you are going in a crooked pattern. Try not to look down in the middle of a shot, though, as this can mess up other areas of your delivery.
Problem #3: Too Fast on Approach and Delivery
Another big problem for a many bowlers is the speed of their approach and delivery. For some reason, everyone seems to be in a huge hurry to throw the ball!
Bowlers who make their steps too quickly to the foul line are usually off balance, rushed and they have an inconsistent release.
If you watch a professional, you will see that everything is slow and deliberate and they never unnecessarily hurry the delivery. You don’t need to run up fast to generate power, so take your time and watch your shots improve.
Problem #4: Dropping the Ball on the Release
With a perfect bowling release, the bowling ball is released just past the foul line. Many bowlers, however, mess up their timing and end up letting go too early. This results in them dropping the ball hard on the lane instead of smoothly releasing it.
To correct this, be sure you aren’t releasing the ball
You might not even be aware that you’re dropping the ball, but have a friend watch and check where it first touches the lane surface. If it is before the foul line, you know you need to work on your timing.
Problem #5: Lofting the Ball on the Release
Finally, many bowlers loft the ball out so it lands hard on the lane surface. This is a big problem because it will be nearly impossible to control.
If your bowling ball is hitting down on the lane three or more feet out past the foul line, you are getting way too much loft.
Don’t feel like you need to “throw” the ball like in other sports to generate your power; the pendulum motion and finger lift are all you need.
It’s likely you are lofting the ball because your release is too late (the opposite of #4). Be sure to remove the thumb right when your foot is sliding to the foul line and follow with your remaining two fingers a split second afterward.
Also, the problem may be that your bowling ball is improperly fitted to your hand.
This makes it tough to remove your finger at the right time, leading to excessive loft. Be sure to talk to someone at the pro shop if you think this might be the case.
(Next up: Read our guide to choosing the right bowling ball)
By keeping these 5 common bowling mistakes in mind (and most importantly, how to correct them), you can avoid these frequent pitfalls and enjoy the additional success that comes from using proper technique in your approach, arm swing and release.