How To Learn About Bowling Footwork

Accuracy is linked to good bowling footwork. Knowing how to learn about bowling footwork is one step toward improvement because proper footwork is the core of a solid foundation and transportation mechanism to the foul line. How to learn about bowling footwork begins by focusing on important keys which will help you sharpen your skills.

In keeping things simple since you are learning about fundamentals of bowling and are relatively new to the game are or just now beginning to learn to bowl, let's zoom in on three components of good footwork and ask you to practice with these keys in mind:

1. Length of Steps – Taking steps which match your normal walking stride usually produces a consistent approach to the foul line. The strategy is to not bounce or lose balance during your approach so you can make consistent and precise deliveries. Establishing the correct length of stride in your steps is essential so you achieve a solid footwork foundation from which to bowl.  For instance, bowlers 6 feet in height and using a four step approach will typically cover about 11-12 feet plus perhaps 6 inches more allowing for the slide.

Since the set of guides or dots at the mid-point on the approach measure 12 feet from the foul line, then a 6 foot tall bowler using a four step approach will likely be positioned on or near the these dots on the approach floor. If you are shorter than 6 feet and do not have a long walking stride, then position yourself closer to the foul line, perhaps 10 - 11 feet from the line.

Naturally, bowlers using five steps should allow more distance from the foul line accordingly. By the way and very importantly, try and make sure you finish with your sliding foot only 6 inches or less from the foul line and your toe of your bowling shoe pointed straight down the lane.

2. Tempo - The pace of your steps should be slow enough to produce a smooth walking motion to the foul line with a slight heel-to-toe action leading into the slide step and with a slight amount of knee flex to avoid being stiff-legged and losing balance. The heel-to-toe walking motion matches most people's normal walking method. Each step should match in pace with the previous and be uniform in length or close to uniform in length as to prevent loss of balance.

The slide step should glide into the approach evenly with all of your weight transferred onto the slide step.  The momentum built from the first steps should enable you to slide smoothly and to maintain balance when releasing the bowling ball. Hastening the slide step or pushing off too quickly from the step before the slide can cause a thrusting action into the foul line which usually causes a hurried and possible ineffective release of the bowling ball. It is important to maintain the same pace each step and for each delivery.

3. Direction – An extremely important key to accuracy and to good footwork is the direction you walk to the foul line. It cannot be emphasized enough how vital walking your lines is to achieving a target-seeking arm-swing and accuracy in your deliveries. A good objective is to walk very straight to the line as to end on the same board with your sliding foot as where your foot was positioned originally in your set-up position.  The straight-line walking technique works extremely well for bowlers of all skill levels as is certainly a good method to learn when beginning bowling.

Regardless of where you position yourself laterally on the approach for spares or for a strike ball delivery, it is a good goal to not drift away from where you began. Try making steps which are placed in front of the previous positioning of each step and very near the center line of your body to maintain balance and result in an effectively straight path with your footwork to the line. Visualize the tight-rope acrobat in a circus arena moving carefully down the wire if you wish for an example of an athlete with good footwork and balance.  Each step is measured in length and directly under the center of the body for maximum balance, as is a gymnast on the balance beam, as another example. Try to limit your overall drift from your starting position on the approach to about two boards so your arm-swing will produce a high degree of accurate deliveries providing you have good alignment and good swing fundamentals.

These three key elements will help you establish good bowling footwork. It is always recommended to consult with a certified bowling instructor or a local bowling professional when learning fundamentals to help you improve your game.

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