Technique ‘BASICALLY,
YOU’RE OPEN- ING THE BODY TOWARD YOUR
TARGET AND LET- TING THE BODY WALK AROUND THE BALL,
INSTEAD HAVING
YOUR SWING GET IN THE WAY OF
YOUR BALL-SIDE LEG.’
pins, simply line your heels along the foul line and take four-and-a- half steps (normal steps — not too long, not too short) away from the foul line. Pivot 180 degrees and face the lanes. This is the starting position for your four-step deliv- ery. Now, get into your stance. Your feet should
be side-by-side but stag- gered, with the ball-side foot several inches be- hind the non-ball-side foot. This will open the body a bit to allow the swing to come down alongside the body. Basi- cally, you’re opening the body toward your target
MOMENTUM SHIFT: Team USA star Tommy Jones demonstrates a sequence of steps. As he takes his first two steps, he drops the ball and starts to move into his backswing. Steps three and four (middle photo) include the top of the backswing and a gathering of power before he moves into his fifth and final slide step and release.
and letting the body walk around the ball, in- stead having your swing get in the way of your ball-side leg. A slight knee bend
lowers your center of gravity and gives you better balance. It also presets the knee bend for the finish position. Your body pos-
ture should be tilted slightly forward, so that the body’s weight is over
the balls of the feet. It’s an athletic pose, which makes it easier to gener- ate speed. Unlike older
coaching techniques, it’s natural for the bowling shoulder to be slightly lower than the non- bowling shoulder. Af- ter all, you’re holding a heavy object! There are three di-
mensions to ball position — left and right, up and
down, and close or away from the body. Position the ball in your hands be- tween the bowling shoul- der and the chin. Position it at your beltline, with the forearm and bicep at approximately a 90-de- gree angle, and hold the ball several inches away from your body so that it’s balanced comfortably. Step One (The Push-
away): During the first step, the ball-side foot
13 USBOWLER MARCH 2011
steps forward as the ball is pushed out away from the body. Make sure that the shape of the swing is out and down, rounding into the downswing. Steps Two and
Three: These are the downswing and the top of the backswing. You’re keeping your swing direction in line with the target path. These tend to be the quicker tempo steps. During the second
step, the non-ball-side foot moves forward as the ball arcs down. The non-ball hand should leave the ball at the be- ginning of this step. At the end of the step, the ball should be slightly behind the ball-side leg. The third step is with the ball-side foot starting to move forward as the ball arcs to the top of the backswing. The final step is the
slide step. That is where the balance comes to- gether. The non-ball- side foot slides toward the foul line while the trail leg sweeps behind, finding a balance to ac- commodate the extra momentum generated by the delivery of the ball. Naturally, the follow
LIFESTYLE AND BOWLING TECHNIQUES TO MAKE YOU A BETTER BOWLER
‘THE FINAL STEP IS THE SLIDE STEP, AND THIS IS WHERE THE BALANCE COMES TOGETHER.’
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