People of all ages and abilities can participate in bowling, which is an indoor sport played by rolling a ball down an alley to knock down ten pins. The simplicity of knocking down pins with a ball is complicated by variables, such as how you hold or release the ball and whether you maintain proper form to control the ball. Professional bowlers share tips on how to improve technique, avoid the gutter ball and earn higher scores.
Preparation
According to Dick Ritger's Bowling Camps, an accessory kit can help you improve your performance. Include in your kit a towel for wiping the ball and your hands. Add nail care implements to keep your nails trimmed, extra shoe laces, finger inserts and thump patches. Add white bowler's tape for the front of your thumb and black tape for the back. A tape tool helps apply tape inside the hole of your ball. Throw in ball cleaner, polish and a notebook for logging information about your performance.
Rules
Learn the rules and keep a copy handy. The U.S. Bowling Congress, the official governing body for tenpin bowling in the U.S., provides on its website the rules, frequently asked questions and the league handbook. The organization suggests downloading the material to a laptop computer, keeping it handy at the lanes and using the search function to quickly resolve questions about the rules.
Form
The Terre Haute Bowling Center notes that form is critical to playing and scoring well. Focus on the mark, moderate the speed of your approach and concentrate on maintaining form. Hold your shoulders square to the foul line to avoid sending the ball wide. Keep your back straight, even as you lower the ball prior to release. Keep your arm straight and near your body with the inside of your elbow facing down the lane. Bend you knees slightly as you begin your slide and remain balanced. Release, follow through with your hand at head-height and hold the position until the ball reaches the pins.
Technique
When you let go of the ball too later, your ball goes off-line and hits the pins weakly, according to Dick Ritger's Bowling Camps. If you see the back of your hand after you release the ball, your follow-through needs improving. Perfect your follow-through by moving up to the foul-line in half-shoe increments and releasing the ball at each stop. Find the stop which provides you with the best release position. Add white tape to the back of your hand and make sure you do not see the tape after release of the ball.
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