To begin bowling you must first pace off the number of steps from the foul line that you deem sufficient and take your stance. Rock back and forth a few times to make sure you're comfortable. You should be holding the ball at a point where its weight is least noticeable. Now you are ready for the delivery and pushaway.
For all practical purposes, there are three main ways of making your delivery or approach to the foul line. Actually, we consider delivery and approach as the same thing.
The three main categories are bowlers who use three steps, those who use four and those who use five. There are also bowlers who take one or two steps, some who might even take six or seven. However, in most cases steps over five usually are a shuffle or very short steps.
In the taking of three steps, bowlers usually make them long ones with an unusually long slide.
On the other hand, the five-step bowlers take very short steps. They're more of a picture bowler in their approach with almost complete accent on smoothness. Not that your five-step bowlers aren't capable of high scores; some of our top performers take either five or four and one half steps. But even the five-step professionals are the first to admit that for all practical purposes, the four-step delivery carries the most advantages, especially to a beginner.
Linking each of the deliveries with the pushaway, it should be pointed out that your pushaway - the point of no return - comes with the very first step.
Some five-or-more steppers who shuffle on their first step, however, don't start their pushaway until their second step and do nothing on the shuffle except "take off." What is said of the pushaway, consequently, would embrace their second step.
Considering the others, however, the ball is pushed in slow motion away from your body on the first step, down and slightly to the right. This should definitely not be a jerky movement. If you make it jerkily, you will find that the weight of the ball will throw you off balance as your arm reaches its full length at the start of your pendulum backswing.
You can easily understand that if there is coordination in your pushaway o the ball goes into the pendulum swing smoothly, you'll hardly feel its weight and won't be tossed off balance.
While you've been taking that first step, your left hand (everything works just the opposite for southpaws) has been helping to guide the ball. When in your stance, the weight of the ball was absorbed by the left hand, taking all weight off your right hand and fingers. But now that you're on the way to the foul line, the weight is shifted from the left hand to the right. Once your pushaway has been completed your left hand leaves the ball entirely. In other words, there is a gradual shift from one hand to the other.
Actually, the left hand becomes mere hindrance to backswing once the back-swing has started. But the left hand and arm serve to provide proper balance as you continue your delivery. There is no set pattern as to where you hold your left arm.
Remember, your pushaway and first steps are "the best of friends" and they happen at the same time. The pushaway should not go out any further than your first step either.
Master this aspect of your game and you will be well on your way to good bowling technique.
