A Tip For Beginner And Senior Bowlers

Updated 8/28/2020

There is a common misuse of the non-bowling arm (your balance arm and hand) often found with beginner and senior bowlers who have not received professional coaching. Often times, they will grab the sliding leg at mid-thigh level and hold the leg when sliding into the foul line and delivering the bowling ball.

If you are one of these bowlers, regardless of your age or skill level, you will quickly learn that holding the thigh of your sliding leg causes poor bowling posture and a loss of leverage and ball speed. Holding your sliding leg during your sliding step will cause you to bend from the waist too much and get your upper body into a weak position when delivering your ball.

When you set-up on the approach to begin your walk to the foul line, make sure your upper body leans forward no more than 10 or 15 degrees and that your knees remain slightly flexed. Walk to the line and deliver the ball using this same posture keeping your upper body and your head as still as possible while you deliver your bowling ball.

If you keep the bottom of your chin at shoulder level when walking and delivering your ball and do not bend from the waist to release your ball, you will maintain a good athletic position throughout your entire approach.

During your set-up on the approach, place the bowling ball in your bowling hand immediately in front of your bowling shoulder, with the center of the ball in front of the shoulder, and as close to your body as is comfortable. Use the hand of your balance arm to support the weight of the ball during your stance position and until you move the ball into the beginning of the swing cycle.

Once the ball is moved into the swing arc, quickly remove your balance hand from the ball and re-position your arm to the opposite side of your body. Your balance arm should be fully extended away from your upper body and held about waist level with your hand pointed toward the the adjacent approach and slightly ahead of your of your non-bowling shoulder.


Keeping the balance arm and hand fully extended as far away from your body as your arm allows and held about waist level, stablizes your body while you are swinging the bowling ball with your bowling arm. As you continue walking and keeping your balance arm in this position during your approach, avoid grabbing your sliding leg with the hand of your balance arm. If you grab your leg, you will collapse your upper body and bend too far forward from the waist as you slide into the foul line to deliver your ball. A sudden collapse of your upper body results in a loss of leverage and power which leads to a loss of accuracy.

Your balance arm is a useful tool serving to maintain balance and shoulder alignment to your target as you walk to the line and deliver the ball. Develop an awareness of where you place your balance arm and hand once you begin swinging the bowling ball. Maintain that balance arm positioning with respect to your shoulders throughout the entire approach and delivery process.
You will be in a solid, stable body position and will find it much easier to deliver your ball accurately and without loss of ball speed if you do not grab the thigh area of your sliding leg when you deliver the ball.