HOW TO BUILD YOUR BOWLING SKILLS FROM ZERO

Yesterday I had a chat with one of my junior officemates in KL. One of his interest and target is to play bowling well and he just started the game with a new bowling set (ie bowling ball, bag and shoe), and still throwing a straight ball.

Well, I did tell him that I will write something on my blog so I hope he is reading this. By the way I am not a certified coach at the moment, but I do have numerous experiences and technical knowledge of the games obtained from books, state's coach, being a team captain as well as my own experiences in playing various graded tournaments throughout the country since 2002. The best experience gained when I was representing the company in the ASCOPE Games held in Manila 2 years ago.

Instead of articles type of writing. I would prefer do it in point forms. Of course I could not cover everything, but I will share the 7 gists of the game that you really need to understand in order for you to progress to the next level.

1. First thing first. To become a STAR player, you need to remember S-T-A-R. You need to understand the basics of where to Stand, Timing of your steps (3, 4 or 5 steps), Free Armswing concept like clock pendulum and smooth Release.

2. Learn the basic targetting system by either referring to the boards (39 boards altogether) or the 7 arrows. These are places where your ball should land. Use the center arrow (board 20) as your primary target when playing straight ball. You don't have to look at the pins. I personally use the boards as my target instead of arrows.

3. Do not fancy about getting strikes if you really want to learn how to play. Most important is make sure that your first throw hit only either 1-2 or 1-3 pocket of the pins. For right-hander 1-3 is the aim whereas for southpaw 1-2 should be the pocket.

4. Consider strike as bonus. The key to playing consistently is to be proficient in your spare shooting, especially the single pin spare. Learn the basics of spare conversion from various sources. I am using a 3-6-9 system and the key spares that you need to master are the pin 5, 7 and 10. The rest is a matter of slight adjustments.

5. Always practise. There is no better place to learn than the bowling lane itself. Video your game if you have a camcorder.

6. To enhance your skill faster, you need to find someone who is good at the game to coach you on buddy system. But beware, most self-proclaimed trainers do not even know what they are talking about. So be selective.

7. Last but not least, in order for you to fully tap your potential in bowling, you must learn as much as possible BUT... to apply those techniques that are ONLY comfortable for you to play. Do not force yourself as bowling execution should be based on smooth and unmuscled execution. Only do the things that you are capable to do, but of course if practised dilligently, anything can become easy afterwards.

Try these 7 items first and I shall give you another tips on my later bowling posts.

Happy Bowling !