Bowlers who are able to bowl fast will always be in demand. There are several ways to become a quick bowler, however, some strategies can feel more complicated than just practicing your bowling until you drop!
In this article we will discuss one of the most important things about bowling fast-your footwork. The way you move your feet while bowling is an integral part of how quickly you roll the ball down the lane.
When you practice your rolling process, you will notice that some moves require you to walk very slowly or even stop walking before you get the same result. This is because as you step forward with your right leg, your left leg must completely stall out in front of you before you can begin rolling the ball.
The same goes for when you turn around after throwing the ball. Your legs must hang still before you can rotate your body fully.
If these concepts seem familiar, then you have already made many slow rolls and/or stopped turns during your current practices.
Pay attention to the whole game
One important thing about fast bowling is paying close attention to the whole game. This includes studying the ball, how hard you need to throw it, what kind of pitch you want, the length of time you have before players read the ball, and so on.
There are very few professional bowlers that do not spend some amount of time practicing their craft in the batting half-hour or less. As such, they will often leave the field immediately after delivering the ball if they feel like the batsman was able to counterattack or get into position defensively early enough.
This isn’t always the case at every level though, especially for young fast bowlers just learning the art form. If you are ever given the opportunity to watch a fast bowler play, try to understand why he chose to pick up his arm speed later rather than earlier.
Keep your focus
As mentioned before, fast bowling is more about speed than power. Powerful bowlers are great to watch, but it is very difficult to find many. The few powerful bowlers we do have mostly were born with it!
Power comes later in life for most people. You need strong muscles at an early age to develop strength. It takes hard work and dedication to keep developing your arms and legs so that one day you can be considered powerful.
It also takes lots of practice to realize this potential. Power is not instant like quick pace is, and taking too long to train will hinder development.
So instead of training to be powerful, train to throw the ball as quickly as possible! This way you’ll achieve your goal faster while still being powerful.
Practice makes perfect
There’s a reason professional sports teams have elaborate training facilities with trainers, nutritionists, strength coaches, and other professionals to help them succeed in the game they love. It’s because practice is an integral part of success in their sport.
For example, take a look at golfers. Professional golf courses are filled with vast amounts of grassy land that players use for practicing swing techniques.
Golf academies offer lessons to aspiring golfers which include teaching the student how to properly hit a ball using a practice club (a bat used to strike balls).
After learning this skill, the instructor then has students practice hitting the ball as hard as possible without passing out or breaking anything! This is called “hitting a shot” and it’s important to learn this technique before going up against real balls in the field or on the course.
Concentrate on your form
The way you throw the ball has a lot to do with how fast or slow you are as a bowler. When bowling, people usually focus more on the arm strength, but what about your wrist, hand, and body position?
Your wrist should be relaxed and slightly bent at the end of the swing. Your index finger and thumb should also close together, almost like a claw. This is called a fist grip.
Your body should be balanced and steady before the pitch, then let yourself fall into the swing naturally. As you dive forward, keep your feet parallel to each other and weight on the balls of both shoes.
Once the ball gets closer than two inches past the bumper, you can open up the angle wider and faster! But remember, if your arm gets too loose, it will not get strong enough to retain its shape, so make sure to practice with a tight arm until you feel comfortable.
Use the right bowling ball
Many people use solid-sphere balls in their bowling games, but this is not the best way to learn how to bowl! Balls with cork or latex covers are called hollow spheres. These balls feel lighter than solid spheres, and some even say they are easier to control because you do not need as much strength to get the same amount of bounce off of it.
A solid sphere will always return more power when you throw it, however. This can be very helpful if you are trying to master overhand throws such as rollers or bumper pins. By having longer pauses between throwing the ball and feeling the rebound, your body learns to apply more energy into the ball which helps propel it faster!
If you would like to try out a different style of bowling ball, you can easily purchase one at any department store or online shop that sells bowling equipment.
Know your lane
Once you have determined how fast you want to bowl, then you must know what kind of bowling lane you want to be on. There are five main types of lanes depending on how wide they are, how long it takes to get back up after a throw, and how tall the ball is when it comes down.
The most common type of lane is called an outdoor-style lighted alley. These typically are around 30 feet wide and have very short set backs. This gives you more time to re-aim before you drop down again, which is helpful for people who don’t spend a lot of time waiting for balls to come down.
These also happen to be some of the faster lanes because there isn’t much room to work with. You have to be careful not to overshoot the target too much or you could lose points!
Another type of lane is called medium dark. These are usually 40–50 feet in width and have longer setbacks than indoor alleys. Because there is slightly more space to play with, this creates slower bowls that take longer to win.
Indoor/darker lanes are sometimes referred to as ‘pocket’ style alleys. These have shorter returns and tighter quarters, making them feel less spacious. They can be good if you like slow paced games since you won’t need to worry about hitting any bumps along the way.
Tone your muscles
When bowling, there is a certain muscle group that you use most frequently. This muscle group is your lower body or feet. As such, it gets very tight and locked up as you throw the ball.
When this happens, your bowler’s foot will lose its balance and momentum, which are two major components in bowling!
To prevent this, make sure to exercise with a light weight so that you can easily lift it out of place. Alternatively, if you feel your foot getting tighter, try stretching it out more.
You may also want to do some walking or running outside to see how quickly you can walk around a room.
Know the rules
There are many ways to know how to bowl a strike, but one way is just by knowing the rules! The bowling term for a ball that goes straight down a lane is a roll-and-try shot. A try means you get two attempts to hit it as close as possible to win the game.
The number one rule in bowling is never throw your last ball. If you do, then you have lost! This is because if you run out of balls, then you will lose the game.
Never pick up a new bowler without watching at least five games they play so you can see what kind of rhythm they have. It is very important to learn this information before going into the lanes with them!
Another important thing to note is how fast they shoot their next ball after throwing a gutter ball or a strike. They must be within a minute and half of when they threw their first ball!
If they take too long to reload, then you may need to find another bowler or start looking for open leagues where people don’t pay much attention to such small things.
