Bowling Tips for Beginners

From Adviceopedia

Bowling tips for beginners come in handy for those who fear public humiliation at the bowling alley. Just like in baseball and several other sports, bowling takes practice and the proper alignment of the body to become a good player.

Bowling Tips for Beginners

Don't Buy a Bowling Ball

Even if you plan to start bowling frequently or hope to join a bowling league, there's no need to rush out and buy a bowling ball. Try a few balls at the bowling alley to see which weight feels best before you purchase one. You may need to change bowling balls until you find the right comfortable weight. After you've bowled enough to know your needs and preferences, you can check out the Bowling Ball Selector. The same thing goes for bowling shoes. You can rent them at the bowling alley instead of investing a lot of money in a pair of your own.

Choose the Right Ball

In the beginning, just pick up several balls to see which ones feel like they're the correct weight and which ones fit your hand best. The most common bowling ball is the ten-pin ball, which has three holes, one for your thumb, ring finger and middle finger. Be sure to remove any rings that could slip off and get lost or interfere with your bowling success.

Keep Your Body in Line

If you work out, you've probably heard the phrase, "Keep your hips square." Bowling is no different. You want your body aligned as you approach the line. If you're right-handed, you want your right foot behind you when you get ready to release the ball. If you're left-handed, keep your left foot behind you. This will prevent you from hitting your leg with the ball as you extend your arm to release. Bring your arm up past your hip and swing it forward, releasing the ball at a controlled pace. You don't want to throw the ball as hard as you can. Keep your arm straight instead of crossing it in front of your body, and keep your head and shoulders level while facing the pins.

Don't Rush

Don't feel pressured to just run up the lane and lob your ball at the pins, hoping for the best. You want to make sure your body is lined up correctly and that you're standing in the right spot. At the bowling alley, it's common courtesy to let bowlers who are at their lanes before you to take their turn first. Instead of running, walk up to the line and think through your movements to knock over as many pins as possible.

Shift Your Approach

By paying attention to what the ball is doing when you bowl, you may be able to perfect your stance and hit more pins. You may also want to change the place where you're standing in front of the lane as you release the ball. Where you need to stand will depend on which pins are left as well as the ball's tendency to veer right or left. This is one of the hardest bowling tips for beginners to grasp since it's based on the ball and the bowler's ability. It takes trial and error to learn which marks are your best for bowling. If your ball tends to veer left, start slightly to the right of center. If it veers to the right, start left of center. Similarly, if you are trying to hit a few remaining pins in a corner, move to the opposite side of the lane before taking your shot. For example, if there are two pins left standing in the back left corner, then move to the right of center to take your shot and go for a diagonal.

Practice to Learn

As you can see there are quite a few nuances to this sport and it will take time and practice for you to develop your personal bowling style. With these tips in mind, you can feel confident that you'll be off to a great start!