Setting Your Bowling Spine Angle

By: bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 7/29/17; Updated: 2/24/2022

Establishing good posture begins by setting your bowling spine angle when taking your stance.

Body balance is directly related to accuracy on the lanes.

Balance stems from assuming an athletic body posture in your stance position on the approach.

Balance also must occur during your final two steps which affect releasing the bowling ball.

Therefore, use these two checkpoints (your stance position and your sliding posture) to monitor your ability to repeat quality deliveries.

In stance, your bowling spine angle tilt forward can be anywhere from a 10 degree forward body tilt to a 45 degree forward tilt so long as your shoulders are not leaning out in front of your knees.

Using your knees to flex downward slightly based on your physical abilities allows your large muscles in your legs to engage in your slide and release movements for developing both stability and power.

During practice time, experiment with various degrees of spine angle tilt and knee flex.

Any amount of spine angle tilt coupled with the amount of knee flex you choose throughout your approach is likely the best way to repeat good shots.

At some point your level of spine angle tilt and knee flex will feel most comfortable allowing you to retain the same tilt throughout your complete swing cycle and release posture.

Everybody has different physical game capabilities. It is advised to find your own level of safe spine angle posture where you can bowl your best.

Another factor is your bowling shoulder. Dropping your bowling shoulder can vary from one inch to about 6 inches based on how much your release technique allows you to hook your bowling ball.



As a generalization, the closer to level you keep your shoulders while you walk, swing, and release your ball, the straighter up the lane you will release the ball.

Dropping your bowling shoulder more than an inch allows your forward swing path to release your ball from an inside to outside delivery angle convenient when hooking the ball considerably or for playing angles inside the fourth arrow.

Avoid using extreme amounts of spine angle tilt and dropping your bowling shoulder so you can retain balance and accuracy.

Setting your bowling spine angle properly and comfortably leads to good body balance throughout your approach and at the critical moment you release your bowling ball.