Tips on the Bowling Approach and Delivery Release

The professionals on television make the bowling approach and delivery release look easy. Anyone who has played the game will tell you that it is not nearly as easy as it looks. Learning to properly deliver the ball down the alley will not only improve your scores, it will also lower your chance of injury. Take the time to practice your delivery and get it as smooth as you can.

  1. Steps

    • Approaching the line is a matter of timing and balance. The most common approach used in bowling is the four-step approach, according to Bob Strickland, writing on the Complete Bowling Index website. The best way to line up your four-step approach is to walk back four full steps from the foul line and then look to see what marker you are closest to on the approach. Start at that marker, and slide to the line on your fourth step. With practice, it will become smoother for you.

    Velocity

    • Maintaining good ball velocity on your delivery release is important for several reasons. First, a good, even tempo will help you avoid injury to your shoulder or elbow. A good tempo also helps insure that you always release the ball at the proper point in your follow-through. Finally, a consistent ball velocity allows you to get into a rhythm that will make scoring easier.

    Eyes on the Pins

    • A bowler on approach sets her eyes on the pin she wants to hit, and then maintains that gaze until the ball hits the pins. Visualizing your shot is important in bowling because it gives you a mental model to use as a guide. When you envision your approach and release while focusing on the pin that you want to take out first, you are giving yourself a template to follow for all of your future shots.

    Use the Lane

    • The dots and arrows on the lane are there to help you line up your shot and score better. You should use those tools to your advantage as often as you can. Experiment with the arrows to determine which one to follow to get strikes. If you throw a straight ball, then releasing between the head arrow and the next arrow over would be helpful. If you throw a curve, you will have to experiment until you find the right arrow for your delivery.