Right Approach Bowlers Pro Shop founded 1980 by Mary & Mark Mohacsi: SINK_OR_SWIM_BOWLING_TIPS

In the stance one foot should be placed ahead of the other. Which foot is placed forward depends on two things. One - how many steps will be taken during the approach, and, two - is the bowler right or left handed. Most bowlers use a four step approach. For a right handed player, when using a four step approach, the left foot should be slightly ahead of the right foot. For a left hander, the right foot will be slightly ahead of the left.

Another common number of steps for a bowling approach is five steps. In a five-step approach, the first step is a momentum step that gets the approach started. Generally the ball is not moved during this step. When a five step approach is used for a right hander, the right foot is slightly forward and for the left hander the left is slightly ahead.

The position of the upper body now needs to be considered. The shoulders should be in line with the target area. Right-handed bowlers should have a target line off of the right shoulder towards a target - generally the arrows on the right side of the lane. Left handed bowlers should have a target on the left side of the lane.

Having a good solid stance will give you better balance during your approach to the foul line. This has been referred to as the "athletic pose." Now that our set-up is complete, we are ready to start the approach. Two more things come to mind. Safety and lane courtesy.

Concerning the safety issue, never bowl in street shoes. These could be dangerous as there is no sliding sole and they leave debris from the out of doors on the approach and cause problems for all bowlers on that lane. When picking up your bowling ball from the ball return, place your hands on each side of the ball so as not to jam your fingers. A 16 pound bowling ball coming out of the chute of the ball return can cause considerable damage to slender digits.

Lane courtesy makes common sense and is good sportsmanship. Allow the bowler on the right or left to go ahead of you if they are ready. Don't stand on the approach at the ball return waiting for your ball. Wait by standing off of the approach. Spare shooters usually have the right of way over a player shooting at all ten pins.

2ND FRAME-1st Ball

STANCE - SET UP

For all USBC Approved bowling lanes, the playing surface is 41.5 inches plus/minus 1/2 inch wide. One inch is about equal to one of the boards seen on the lane/approach. This measurement does not include the gutters, or channels, out on the playing surface of the lane.

The locator arrows/dots on the lane and on the approach are reference points for you as a bowler. On the approach, they are reference points for where one should position their feet at the start of the stance. On the lane they are reference points for targeting. Generally, arrows on the lane, and dots on the approach are positioned every five inches or boards. Used properly, these locators can assist the bowler in making adjustments in the position of their stance and targeting to increase the score.

There are seven arrows located about 15 feet past the foul line. There are 10 dots located about five feet past the foul line. These dots are not commonly used. There are seven locator dots on the approach side of the foul line. There are also two sets of locator dots at the beginning of the approach. These rows of dots can vary in number from five or seven to nine. The most common being five or seven. The center dot is always located on the center board of the lane. This board is known as the 20th board.

Now for getting ones self positioned properly on the approach in order to roll the ball toward a target. Rolling the ball consistantly requires a good stance, or set-up, as it contributes to good balance during the approach. Good balance will allow the bowler to hit the target more consistantly with less effort.

The stance is composed of five parts - feet, knees, back, shoulders and non-bowling hand. The feet should be positioned around the center dot up to and including one dot on either side of the center dot. The target is generally one, two or three arrows in from the channel. In most cases, the center arrow is never used as a target for a strike ball.

The feet should be placed one foot slightly ahead of the other and pointed in the direction of the target area. The knees should be slightly bent and relaxed. The back should be slightly bent forward from the waist. The shoulders directed towards the target area. The non-bowling hand should be ready to accept the full weight of the ball as you position yourself in the stance. Select your target by drawing an imaginary line from the head pin to your shoulder, and wherever that line crosses at the arrows, use that as your target.... and go!

2ND FRAME-2nd Ball coming soon!!!!

1ST FRAME -

KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT

The weight of the bowling ball is an important factor in knocking pins down. However, you should use a bowling ball that is comfortable for you to handle so that you can easily enjoy at least three games of competitive bowling without getting tired, but also not too light. Using a bowling ball that is too light will allow the ball to be overthrown with excessive speed, thus diminishing ones accuracy and pinfall potential.

Usually the lighter bowling balls (6-10 pounds) are for children. The middle weights (10-14 pounds) are good for most women and the heaviest orbs (14-16 pounds) good for most men.

Physical handicaps will also determine the weight of the bowling ball for a bowler. These situations must be examined on a case by case basis with the assistance of a pro shop professional.

Bowling shoes are a must!!! Attempting to bowl while wearing only socks on one's feet can lead to a serious fall and/or injury as socks do not allow for stable footing. On the other side of the coin, bowling in street shoes does give a person great footing. The down side of wearing street shoes, however, is that they may damage the lane area on the bowlers side of the foul line (aka "approach") as pebbles, tacks, gum and various other items are picked up on their soles during the course of a normal day of walking.

A little known fact is that bowling shoes not only come with leather slide soles (or universal) on both shoes, but that higher performance bowling shoes come in right-handed and left-handed versions. These models will have a slide sole on the shoe of the sliding foot and a rubber-type sole for traction on the sole of the shoe being worn on the "push" foot. This aids in balance at the release point.

Bowling shoes with universal leather soles are considered beginner shoes and tend to be stylish and trendy. These shoes tend to be worn by novice bowlers. One disadvantage of bowling shoes with this type of sole is that a final, balanced finish position cannot often be achieved. Using hand-specific (right handed or left handed) bowling shoes will aid in a more consistant release and a balanced finish position.

Knowing your equipment will help you to enjoy the sport of bowling and bowl better for longer.

No part of this piece may be duplicated or reproduced without the written approval of Mary Mohacsi or the Webmaster of this site.

www.kingofthemill.net