A bowler recently asked me how he could throw faster. He’d always been relatively slow with his shot, but he’d noticed that lately his average speed was about 1-2 mph slower than he remembered.
There are several things you can do to increase ball speed. But first, it’s important to ask whether throwing faster is actually the right strategy.
We talked about this before when we discussed the optimal ball speed for bowling. (depending on your rev rate it will lie between 15 and 19 mph.)
One important thing to understand is that controlling the ball can become more difficult if you try to throw faster. There are also a few tweaks that are sometimes recommend to increase the speed of your shot but come with some accuracy risks. These include raising the height of your backswing or increasing the speed of your swing as you come forward with your arm.
Although these seem like fairly obvious ways to increase your speed, we don’t recommend them as they can hurt your accuracy. As with any mechanical tweak, be sure to experiment with different things in your own swing and see how they affect your performance. Don’t try to fix one thing only to see a bigger problem surface.
But with that caveat in mind, there are still some situations where you will want to increase your speed. And here are some different ways we do recommend to do it.
One of the first things to think about is equipment. If you throw the same shot but with a heavier ball, you’ll automatically generate more power. Ask yourself whether you could comfortably throw a ball that’s a bit heavier.
Beyond switching up equipment, the most significant tweak you can make yourself to increase ball speed is to speed up your approach. Many suggest moving your starting position back slightly, which will naturally make your feet move faster, and result in a faster shot without as many accuracy issues.
Another principle to keep in mind is to keep your muscles–especially your legs and arms–relaxed. Tight muscles usually result in a slower paced swing, so loosening that tension is a good way to get a little speed bonus.
Although making your backswing radically higher is an accuracy risk, you can make your starting position higher by holding the ball higher than you usually do. This will result in a bigger overall swing arc which can help generate increased power.
Finally, there are also some tweaks you can make away from the alley to help improve your ball speed; namely, strength training. Doing exercises to work your arms are an obvious choice, but also understand that other muscles play an even more important role in the bowling swing. These include your legs and also your back and core muscles. A full-body workout a couple of times a week will help you generate more power in your shot, as well as provide numerous benefits for your overall fitness and well-being.
Want help formulating a bowling practice plan that will radically improve your average? Take a look at Get in the Bowling Zone.
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