Physically Prepare for Your Return to Bowling

Welcome back, bowlers!

Here in the states, many bowling centers have opened back up and bowlers are hitting the lanes after a four-month-long hiatus from the sport. Virginia’s bowling centers just opened on July 1 and I’m planning on hitting the lanes here soon.

If you’re still getting back into the swing of things, or you haven’t been able to hit your local center just yet, here’s what I’m planning on doing to get loosened up and start finding my rhythm again.

Building back hand and wrist strength

Unless you work with your hands for a living, there’s a good chance you’ve lost a bit of strength in your hand and your wrist. Strength here is vital for staying behind and underneath the ball, and then being able to get around the ball at the release point.

Thankfully, it’s quite easy to build up strength here. Grab a five-pound dumbbell to start and do some wrist curls every day to work on your wrist and forearm. After a few days, use a heavier dumbbell and continue doing wrist curls.

A stress ball works well too. Grabbing and releasing a stress ball with some resistance will strengthen your hand.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to grab your bowling ball and try some wrist curls as well. You need to get used to the weight again, so try some of these off the lanes at home.

Stretching your legs and core muscles   

You never realize how much you use your core muscles until they don’t work right. Isolate these muscles at home and stretch them out. Stretch out your back and make sure your core muscles are prepared for a return to the lanes.

Your legs also play a pivotal part in your approach. If your legs are tight or are weak, it can prevent you from generating leverage and staying balanced at the line. Leverage and balance are crucial to a strong approach.

Here are some exercises and stretches you can do to strengthen your core muscles

Here are some workouts for your thigh and calf muscles.

Focus on your push away

The start of your approach, or the push away, is what kicks off your timing. If your push away happens too late, you’ll be ahead of the ball and will tend to overcorrect and tug the ball inside. If your pushaway is too early or too fast, you’ll likely be off balance at the foul line and you won’t release the ball from a strong position.

Get back to the basics. For a five-step approach, you want your push away to start with your second step. The push away starts with your first step in a four-step approach. Adjust the height of your ball at the starting point if you need to make adjustments but starting it level with your waist is a nice place to begin.

Shoot plenty of spares

A bowler’s spare-shooting is the backbone of his or her game. Making spares starts with confidence and ends with timing, two things you may be in short supply of when you first get back.

There’s no trick here — you’ll need to spend ample time getting your rhythm back on spares. Every day you head to the center, spend at least one full game on shooting corner pins. Spending the time in practice will help you prevent embarrassment when your leagues or tournaments kick into gear.

 

 

Learn more:

Preparing for Bowling's Return [COVID-19]

New Equipment for the Summer of 2020 and Bowling's Return

How to Choose: Your Next Bowling Ball