Keep Your Eyes On Your Mark And Stay Down With Your Bowling Shot

By: bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 1/19/16; Updated: 2/1/2024

Keep your eyes on your mark and stay down with your bowling shot.

One of the biggest challenges bowlers averaging between 140 and 170 make routinely is raising up at the foul line while sliding and during that critical moment when releasing the bowling ball.

Also, it is key to not peek at the pins before releasing the ball and until your ball rolls past your mark on the lane.

If these are your challenges, then resist the urge to look up at the pins or at your intended ball path before you release your ball.

Instead, stay down on your bowling shot.

Staying down with the shot means to avoid elevating your head and upper body by straightening your sliding knee while letting go of your bowling ball.

Allow yourself to relax and swing your ball to a full and complete follow through position with no upper body movement. Maintain the knee flex in your sliding step throughout your delivery.

Pulling your head up to look at the area of the lane where you know your ball will appear into sight causes you to move too much and can adversely affect your accuracy.

A reason bowlers make inaccurate deliveries is trying to help the ball by lunging with their upper body just prior to letting go of the ball.

Sometimes a bowler will pull their head back and away from the best sliding posture because of anxiety or by trying to apply too much power and speed to the delivery.

The stress related to bowling in competitive situations can also cause you to raise up during your release or to peek at the pins too soon.



Avoid thrusting your head and shoulders out past a plane at the foul line vertical to the floor.

Keeping your head and shoulders as motionless as possible.

A good goal to to practice keeping the bottom of your chin at least shoulder level with your eyes focused sharply on your sighting target during your bowling ball delivery process.