(Frequently Asked Coaching Questions)

How can I get better balance in my finish position?

Balance, or imbalance, in your finish position is feedback that everything in your approach up to that point is either good for your game or not.  Being balanced every shot reinforces that your timing and tempo are matched up for your game.  Losing your balance frequently in your finish indicates there is something that needs adjusted in your timing, your swing, or both.  So, check that your timing and swing are where they should be for your game.

 

Should I use a plastic bowling ball for spares?

Yes.  Most of the professionals do, so if it good enough for them, it is good enough for us.  Using a plastic ball for spares takes the lane condition out of play so you can just go straight at them regardless of where you are bowling and on what pattern.  This is especially true for tournament bowling and sport bowling.  For leagues on house patterns, it is certainly acceptable to hook at your cross lane spares (left side spares for right handers and right side spares for left handers) with your strike ball.  But even on house patterns, a spare ball is recommended for converting 6 and 10 pins for right handers and 4 and 7 pins for left handers.

 

What causes my swing to wrap around behind my back?

There are two main causes for this.  The first is pushing the ball out of your stance not in a straight line, but to the right for right handers and to the left for left handers.  When this happens, the only place for the ball to go is behind the back.  The other cause is turning the hand laterally during the swing.  If the hand turns inward or outward during the swing, the ball changes position as well, and this will take the swing offline.  In either case, consistent accuracy will be hard to maintain.

 

How can I become more accurate in my shot making?

The first thing to determine is if your misses are primarily right or left of target.  Missing more often in one direction helps to narrow down the possible causes.  The two most common reasons for inaccuracy are timing and swing direction issues.  Swing direction is the number one factor in accuracy, and timing is a close second.  Take a video from behind you to see if the swing direction is straight and on line.  And your timing is best seen from a side view video.  If those two items check out, then see if your eyes are actually staying on your target for your entire approach.  Also, look to see where you slide and lay the ball down and compare that with the target line you are trying to hit.  Do they make sense, or are you too far away from or too much on top of your line?

 

What does the RG number of a bowling ball mean?

RG, or Radius of Gyration, is an indicator of where the weight block, or mass, of the ball is positioned inside the ball.  A low RG number means that most of this mass is in the center of the ball.  A high RG number means that this mass is further from the center and closer to the surface of the ball.  What does this mean for your bowling balls reaction?  A low RG ball will tend to hook earlier on the lane, and a high RG ball will tend to go longer before hooking.  So, it is important when building a bowling ball arsenal to consider these numbers and make sure that you don't have all low RG or all high RG bowling balls.  It is good to have some variety. 

 

How important is the fit of the bowling ball on my hand?

There is a saying in our sport - You can't out bowl a bad fit, and I can't out coach a bad fit.  The fit is the most important thing to consistent execution and good bowling.  It is important to develop a good relationship with a pro shop operator that you trust.  Hopefully this person will take all the time needed to ensure that your fit is the best it can be for you.  A good fit makes working on new skills in training so much easier and much less frustrating.  And for youth bowlers under the age of 19, get your fit checked every two months.  If there is a growth spurt, your pro shop professional needs to update your fit to keep up with your body changes.  For adult bowlers, have your fit checked twice a year.  There are still many life events even as an adult that can change the fit of your hand in your bowling ball.  Getting a fit check up takes only a few minutes and can save months and months of frustration and possible pain or injury.

 

How many bowling balls do I really need to have?

20… I am a pro shop owner, and that is the answer I would like to give, but can't in good conscience.  For a league bowler, 3 or 4 would be enough.  One of them would be for if the lanes are playing very oily.  Another would be for when the lanes dry out.  And a plastic ball for spares.  That would be a good 3 ball arsenal.  If you want to have 4, then you would want to have a medium reacting ball in between the other 2 strike balls.  For tournament bowlers, this is a little harder answer to give.  It depends on how many tournaments per year, what kind of tournaments, how much versatility you have, etc.  But as far as how many to take to any one tournament, 6-8 is the right range.  It is enough to get the job done on any lane pattern, but it is not too many to cause confusion. 

 

What is the best way to get better at the mental game?

Study it and then practice it.  Maybe not the answer you wanted, but quite frankly, that's it.  There is so much to the mental game, and unfortunately most bowlers never take the time to learn about it and then actually practice it.  All bowlers want consistency in their approach to the line, but what controls the movement of the body?  The brain.  So why don't we all train the brain more than we do?  Lack of knowledge about the mental game, lack of patience, it's boring to practice it, etc.  These all may be true, but they are also excuses that can be easily dealt with.  Take some time to read about the mental game.  Talk to other bowlers about what they do.  Talk to some other coaches about what they teach.  When you have some good information, put it into practice.  Mental skills are no different than physical skills - they need practice before they become consistent and natural. 

 

How can I carry more 10 pins, or 7 pins?

Here is something most bowlers don't want to hear - bad pin carry is not bad luck.  Bad pin carry lies on the bowler's shoulders.  So if you are leaving a lot of corner pins, those dreaded Bowling Demons are not conspiring against you.  You need to do something different.  Change angle, change speed, change balls, change something.  Don't do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.  That is called insanity.  If you change something because you are not carrying, usually you will start to carry better.  Keep trying - it may take a few different attempts to find the right answer.