Bowl With Your Natural Tempo

By: bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 3/18/17; Updated: 1/16/21

Your bowling swing and steps must work together to develop good timing. The best way to accomplish good timing is to bowl with your natural tempo.

Although there are reasonable limits to any physical movement in sports, it is always to your advantage to bowl using your natural walking pace. The same is true for your swing pace.

Match them both and your timing is good. Not only will your timing be good, it will repeat consistently because you are not forcing your steps or your swing to move too quickly or too slowly.

You will always be faced with the tendencies to move too fast or too slowly when you get nervous. Every bowler gets nervous on occasion during meaningful competition.

If you develop a reliable pre-shot routine, as example, you can easily be prepared to bowl at your natural tempo.

During this routine, you will take a moment before stepping onto the approach for any given shot and visualize how you wish to deliver the bowling ball and where your aim point will be located.

This visualization process helps you organize your thoughts and feel the tempo you wish to walk and swing your bowling ball.

You must get your steps and body working in sync. You don’t want to be too swing-oriented because then you underuse your body, your legs more specifically. Using your legs properly generates the power, leverage, and accuracy every bowler seeks.

Practice your approach tempo. Swinging in tempo allows for your hand and body to arrive in a good position at the bottom of your forward swing arc ready to make an effective release.

It also lets you arrive at the line with your body in a well balanced posture for accurate deliveries.

The main thing is not to get tied up with mechanics by forcing your steps or swing. If you do, you get robotic by trying to create a perfect move which, in turn, just creates tension.

Tension is the enemy of the bowling swing.

Using your natural tempo of steps and swing movements is the cure for any amount of tension. Try not to rush your steps or your swing. This will cause the "flow" of your approach to be off.

During your pre-shot routine, allow just enough time to breath in and out slowly and relax your legs, neck, and arm muscles. In establishing this routine, you reduce tension or anxiety and prepare for making your natural tempo steps and swing motion. In your pre-shot routine, you can plan your work and then when you step onto the approach to take your stance, you will be ready to work your plan. Your pre-shot routine is a vital part of bowling success.

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