Bowling Fundametals And Bowling Basics

There is no such thing as a "perfect bowler." By this, I mean that there is no one bowler who does every one of the fundamentals exactly right every time. Some stars have a very high back swing, some take a zigzag approach to the foul line, and still others use no slide.

Yet they succeed, because they have learned to overcome the otherwise bad effects of such procedures and to integrate the "fault" into their game so smoothly that it remains only a style that sets them apart from other bowlers.

Many persons have asked me about the easy way to become a star bowler. I can't help but smile when that question is put to me. When I think back over all the time I spent (and am still spending) in practice, I know, along with every other star, that there is no "easy way" to bowling stardom.

With a little practice, almost any bowler, man or woman, can roll a fairly good game. That's what makes the sport so enjoyable. Even the dubs on occasion get a thrill out of a 200-plus score—a thrill that is intensified because the big game usually comes as a surprise.

But consistently high scores are not the result of hope or accident. They are rolled because the bowler has attained a high degree of tenpin skill—skill based on a thorough knowledge and application of the fundamentals of bowling form. Unless the bowler has mastered the fundamentals, he/she will never achieve top rank as a pin master.

Mastery of the fundamentals requires knowing what they are, a desire to make them a natural part of your bowling form, and a willingness to practice until your approach to the foul line is a well co-ordinated glide, and your delivery of the ball is a grooved swing with a smooth follow-through.

Let's examine the fundamentals one by one.

• Bowling safety
• Fit of the bowling ball
• Holding bowling ball
• Starting bowling position
• Bowling foot work
• Bowling push away
• Bowling timing
• Bowling follow through
• Bowling control and consistency