This chapter summarizes the most important steps to better bowling. Some of them have been mentioned in other chapters but they are repeated here because I believe that they cannot be emphasized too much.



Bowling is a sport so be a sport

Try to keep uppermost in your mind that bowling is* a game, not a life-and-death matter. And because it is a game, you should play it as such. Take your "tough breaks" with a smile and your defeats like a gentleman. You will find that you are more popular with your fellow bowlers, and in addition you will bowl better. Displays of temper kicking racks, balls, or posts, and similar behavior stamp the offender as a poor sport, while adding nothing to his stature as a bowler. Let the score sheet do your talking for you.

Always stay behind the foul line

This goes for practice just as much as for league or tournament play. Bowlers who pay little or no attention to the line in practice or in sociable games often suffer a rude and embarrassing awakening when they participate in a league or tournament and suddenly discover that they have fouled. Frequently, fouling spoils an individual's entire evening, not only for score but also for his enjoyment of the proceedings. Be sure to allow enough distance for the number of steps, beginning with short steps. Do this faithfully in practice and you will not risk the bugaboo of fouling when the chips are down.

Concentrate on every shot, not merely on your first or "strike" ball. One should probably concentrate even more on the spare ball, for, as some have said, "Anybody can make a strike, but it takes a good man to make a spare." While that is not strictly true, playing spares correctly is one of the basic components of a sound bowling game. Do not lose your temper if your first ball produces a tap or a railroad, but buckle down and shoot your second ball with careful determination. On an "impossible" split or railroad, aim for one pin. You will be surprised how often one or two pins prove to be the winning margin in close games.

Roll the ball don't throw it

There is a good, sound reason for this. If one throws a ball, it slides an indeterminate distance and "takes" at various places and in varying degrees. Obviously, there can be no consistency in such a delivery. On the other hand, a rolled ball is delivered smoothly and one can repeat this performance time after time without effort. As a result, the action of the ball "takes" at practically the same spot each time. To clinch the case, I would like to point out that a rolling ball is far more effective in toppling the pins, for it has a "mixing" action which the skidding ball cannot achieve.

Your natural speed is your best speed

The speed at which you can best control the ball and have it working effectively is the best speed for you. When you have deter- mined your natural speed, you will find that you can bowl for long periods of time without tiring. If you "force" your ball, you cannot control it, and you will tire more quickly. Work on your speed so that you can find out which speed is natural to you.

When you practice, practice intelligently

Concentrate on elimination of the faults you committed at your last session, and try to improve in those departments. Perhaps you have been hopping or lunging at the line. If so, concentrate on a smooth finish. Check your footwork and timing whatever you do, go about it deliberately not in a haphazard, hit-or-miss manner. Do the same thing time after time until you feel that you have overcome the fault. Practice may not be fun, but serious practice will pay off in future pleasure through consistently higher scores.

Learn to relax while bowling

You cannot do your best when you are tense and overeager, because your approach becomes zigzaggy and your motions jerky. A smooth, easy delivery the kind you can use time after time without effort brings the best results.

These are many of the ideas and solutions to the many problems that I think can help you to play bowling better. They will help you only if you are able to use them to your benefits.