If you’re a casual bowler in Hampton, VA, you probably don’t spend a whole lot of time at the lanes honing your skills. But if you want to impress your friends the next time you go out bowling together, you’re going to need to put in a bit of practice to improve your skills. You don’t have to shoot to become a 300 bowler, but there are some steps you can follow that will help you get consistently higher scores and bowl a respectable game, even at infrequent outings.

Here are a few tips for you to consider as you work to become a better bowler.

Find the right grip for you

Different bowlers will find different grips more comfortable than others. The conventional grip involves the middle and ring fingers being put into the ball to the second joint and the thumb in the third hole. This provides a very firm, reliable grasp of the ball and greater control over its direction. This is the best grip for beginners who want to be able to reliably roll the ball straight down the lane.

For more experienced bowlers, the fingertip grip is probably the way to go, as it provides more control over the angle of the ball. The ball gets released with a hook, so you can control the spin. You only place the tips of your middle and ring fingers into the ball.

Be careful of what you’re doing with your feet

Beginning bowlers are probably much more concerned about what they’re doing with their hand and arm than what they’re doing with their feet, but footwork is important for consistency and quality. A lot of bowlers tend to get “fast feet,” but really all you need to do is be deliberate. A four-step or five-step delivery is more than sufficient to get the ball out and rolling down the lane in the direction you want it to go.

Keep your shoulders back

It’s not uncommon for people to keep their shoulders too far forward while making their approach with the ball. Doing this can cause you to bend more at the waist than necessary, and not bend enough at the knees. This means the ball will reach the lane too early, and you’ll lose some leverage and have a bit of an unbalanced feel. Keep your shoulders back and your knees flexed.

The knees should deepen their bend as you start your approach, without causing you any sort of strain. When you finish the approach, your waist should be bent slightly forward. The more you bend the knee while sliding, the less you’ll need to bend the waist.

Shoulders also tend to be placed too far forward when you walk on your toes. Keep your heel on the ground first and the toes last, otherwise you will build up too much speed on the approach and lose some leverage as your shoulders go forward.

For more tips to help you improve your form and become a better overall bowler, contact or visit Sparetimes, the premier bowling alley in Hampton, VA.

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