Bowling Accuracy & Good Footwork

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 11/5/2012; Updated: 6/18/2023

If you are a new bowler or one without a high average and are trying seriously to develop your bowling skills, be advised that bowling accuracy goes together with good footwork.
Certainly, learning how to accurately swing and deliver your bowling ball will help improve your scores but do not discount the importance of good footwork.
Start by focusing on two important keys to good footwork; tempo and direction. Once you learn to walk your lines and control a smooth pace of your steps, your footsteps will work compatibly with your ability to deliver your bowling ball on your desired swing path toward your sighting target.
It is surprising how many bowlers will align themselves on the approach with a specific sighting target in mind and then walk in a direction other than their intended direction, making the original sighting target ineffective.
If you are a bowler who walks a very straight path to the foul line, make certain no matter where you align yourself on the approach when playing various delivery angles for strikes and for spares, that you walk the straight path at all times. You should end your approach with your sliding bowling shoe covering the same board as when you aligned your self during your stance position. It is not possible to vary your walking direction from delivery to delivery and use your chosen sighting target effectively.
If you happen to walk to the right (as a right handed bowler - opposite for left handed bowlers), then you are in danger of walking in front of your leg or hip resulting in “round-housing” your swing path to avoid the ball from colliding with your leg.
Realigning your swing while walking to the foul line is a technique which must be mastered or the results will be inaccurate deliveries.
If you walk left of your desired walking path, then you risk missing your sighting target because your slide into the foul line places you too far left of where your swing path should deliver your ball based on the amount of hook you play with a normal delivery.
Control the number of boards you drift from your starting position during your set-up and keep them to a minimum.

The challenge then, is to regulate the number of boards you drift either direction. The second challenge is to select an appropriate sighting target based on your initial alignment while accounting for the number of boards you drift while walking to the foul line.
When you arrive at the foul line and deliver your bowling ball, you must make a full follow-through swing motion so your bowling hand can easily deliver the ball toward your sighting target. If your footsteps wander left or right unpredictably, then it is extremely difficult to maintain accuracy when you have to “fish around” with your swing and bowling hand trying to save your delivery and hit your mark.
Although your arm swing is likely the most important factor in you becoming a skilled bowler, you must also develop reliable footwork so you arrive at the line and make a routine delivery accurately and consistently. The direction you walk must be controlled regardless of where you align yourself if you want to improve your shot-making and your accuracy. This strategy applies to all delivery styles of players ranging from the big-hook "Power Players" to "Straight Ball" players to "Stroker" players and o Tweener" type players. Bowling accuracy and good footwork go hand in hand.