Bowling Tips & Advice | Corner Bowling Shop Blog

14 May 2012, Seeing Your Bowling Ball Path, Bowling Tips And Advice

Anyone who has been bowling for a while will know the feeling of releasing what you thought was a great shot and have the ball do nothing, maybe even end up in a split. Your problem was not the release but where the ball was put on the lane. You must remember that there are many ways for the bowling ball to hit the pocket. This is a game of angles and the consistent high average bowler is the one who can adjust the ball to the lane and keep the ball entering the pocket at the correct angle. To do this, you need at least two spots. First is the spot you aim for when putting the ball down on the lane. This can be the arrows, the foul line or the dots that are 7.5 feet from the foul line. To really know where the ball is going a good bowler will know where his/her feet are when they approach the foul line, where the ball is as it passes the dots, the arrorws and also at the breakpoint. The breakpoint is the toughest to use. This is the point down the lane where the ball changes direction and turns toward the pocket. Problem is, very few lanes have markers for the breakpoint and it is always changing. As lane conditions change, your breakpoint will also change. The bowler that figures this out has a huge advantage over everyone else.

As you bowl, watch the path of the ball. If it does not take the path you intended, you know how to adjust the line. If you are in a slump, these techniques may be able to help pull you out!!!

16 April 2012, Senior Bowling, Bowling Tips and Advice

As we approach our senior years, we may want to get back into the sport of bowling or just continue. There are some tips to help seniors bowl, have fun and score well. First, take a look at your bowling attire. It should be loose fitting and short sleeved to allow freedom of movement. If you are just getting back into the game, a house ball may be a good choice. A conventional grip is recommended for seniors and with house balls, you can experiment with the weight. If you select a ball that is too light you are giving up a lot of hitting power and your swing may flatten out. You want the weight to allow you to feel good after the third game. If you are using your own equipment and was drilled years ago, it probably needs to be re-drilled. It is recommended that seniors use wrist supports to prevent ligament or tendon problems. If so, you should wear it when your ball is being re-fitted or drilled from scratch. If you have continued grip problems, you might want to drill a fourth finger hole. This may help grip the ball. Realizing that as we age we cannot bend as we used to , stretching exercises are recommended. Wearing back or knee supports may also prevent injury. Just remember your arm swing should be straight, natural and in line with your target pin. Using lane marks such as arrows or dots may help if the eyesight is not as good as it once was.

The bottom line is that there is no reason why seniors cannot bowl, be competitive, have loads of fun and leave the younger players wondering how they did it!!!

19 March 2012, Accessories (Part IV), Tips and Advice

This post will complete our journey through the accessories the well prepared bowler should have in the bag. Lets start with disks, soles and heels. If your bowling shoes have interchangeable disks, soles or heels, you will want to have an assortment ready to adapt to the conditions. Skin patch is recommended to fix those skin abraisions and open sores caused by the ball not fitting properly or just changes in the weather which can cause your hand and fingers to swell or shrink. Carrying slugs and inserts is also a great idea. If your hand and fingers swell or shrink, different sizes may be needed to restore your feel of the bowling ball. If you do your own ball maintenance, a bevel knife is required. You will need it to smooth burrs and work out thumbholes. Be sure your pro has taught you the touch of using a bevel knife before you work on your ball!!! Matchbook covers are used as shim material in the thumbhole inserts. Just have your pro glue only the insert sides. Slide the matchbook cover in the back (thumbnail side) or front if your fingers are shrinking. Doing your own maintenance may also require a bevel sander to smooth the holes and bevel edges. Bevel sanders require practice to get just the right feel. Abrasive pads to use with the bevel sander will also be needed in your accesory kit. They come in colors signifying texture. Black is most textured with green, red and white pads have progressively less texture.

Being prepared takes planning and some expense is involved. Exactly the things you need will be determined over time by the bowler’s own experiences. Those items listed in the four posts will be the minimum. Most end up with more!!!

20 February, Accessories (Part III), Bowling Tips and Advice

Continuing our discussion of Bowling Accessories, this post will look at shoe covers, hand conditioners, rosin bags and sewing kits. We cannot stress this enough—Bowling Shoe Protectors are a must for any bowler. These inexpensive items can prevent you from falling on your face at the foul line because you left the bowler area and got some water, gum or other dirt on the slide sole of your bowling shoes. If this has ever happened to you, there is no more to say. They come in many bright colors and designs: get a pair.

Hand Conditioners for a bowler are to keep the hand dry. It is next to impossible to repeat shots with moist hands and fingers. Hand conditoners are usually in a bag and fit easily in the hand. There should never be any residue left on the hand. The feel of the ball should never change. Once you begin league night, tournaments or just practise, your release hand should never touch anything other than the ball. High fiving teammates could get you into trouble, after all you have no idea where that hand has been!!! Don’t eat or drink with that hand either. Rosin Bags are another way to keep the hand dry. By far the most popular way to help with grip security, there are other products. If you use a powder, be careful. If you interfere with another bowler, this is illegal. You must keep control of the powders. According to the rules, if you get any foreign substance, including powders, on the bowling ball, it must be removed before putting the ball in play. Just be careful.

A Sewing Kit sounds unlikely to have in your bag but when you need one, you need it bad and in a hurry. Popping buttons or zippers are examples of fixes that need to be made now, in the middle of a tournament. Bet you never thought of that did you???

The whole idea of these accessories is to reduce stress levels. If you are prepared, you can have boatloads more fun bowling.

16 January 2012, Accessories (part II), Bowling Tips And Advice

This post continues the discussion of bowling accessories and other items that bowlers require. There are some things to remember. Powders such as baby powder or pro slide to make your shoes slide could be illegal. While perfectly ok for thumbholes, if the powder alters the footwork of another player it is not allowed, (Rule 12, Defacing the Approach).

Towels are another necessary accessory. 16×24 towels are easy to carry and really work well for bowling. The ball surface should be kept clean to allow the ball to work as advertised when it was purchased. The towel should be kept clean. It does not help to use a dirty towel and put more dirt and grease on the ball. That grey towel that used to be white is not very effective. Microfiber towels are great for cleaning but hang up on every little thing. Terry towels are also popular. Using the towel in the pre-shot routine should be the same for every shot. It affects your rhythm and can provide time to recover from a bad break or enjoy a great shot. It keeps you centered.

Bowlers should keep spare shoelaces in the bag just in case. Be sure they are the proper length; the eyes go through the shoe holes and are the right color! Pro shops don’t always carry laces and sometimes are not open.