Don't dwell on the approach—just do it: get into a comfort zone by turning off your brain, executing a free armswing, and launching into your shot - The Coach's Corner

Bowling Digest, April, 2003 by John Jowdy

THE PHRASE "IN A ZOO" IS OFTEN associated with athletes who enjoy extended strings of success. It is a rare calm that allows an athlete to perform at a highly productive and consistent level. Actually, "a comfort zone" is the most accurate way to describe this sensation.

In bowling, a comfort zone is the foundation for success at the highest level. It is the combination of a relaxed mind, proper ball position, a smooth and unforced pushaway, a free armswing, and a fluid follow-through. But most of all, it involves the relaxation of mind and body, enabling one to repeat quality shots.

What's the formula for a bowling comfort zone? It begins with the stance. An ideal stance features an erect position with the knees slightly flexed and close together, approximately three inches apart.

The ball position can vary, but in textbook fashion, the ball is held with the elbows resting close to or against the hips, about waist high, slightly right of the center of the body. For righthanders, the ball is nested in the right palm, supported strongly by the left hand, with the opposite true for lefties. Bowlers with wider hips should position the ball parallel to their hips. This will permit the ball to fall into the backswing in a straight line and prevent it from having to curl around the buttocks, which would necessitate realignment to keep the ball closer to the body for the forward swing.

ABC Hall-of-Famer Therm Gibson, a rather rotund bowler, initially popularized ball placement parallel to the hips. However, a number of more slender PBA players practice this method of ball positioning today, namely Dave Husted, possessor of one of the most fluid armswings in the game.

Marion Ladewig, considered the greatest female bowler of all time, was slender yet held the ball slightly to her right. Ladewig employed one of the straightest armswings in the history of the game.

Wendy Macpherson, selected as the PWBA's "Bowler of the Decade" in the 1990s, positions her ball to the right of her hips to produce a free and straight armswing.

Classic players like Parker Bohn III, Chris Barnes, Norm Duke, Husted, David Ozio, and Brian Voss station the ball close to their body, waist high, with elbows firmly entrenched against their hips. This enables them to maintain consistency in their pushaways.

On the other hand, Mike Aulby's starting ball position is high above his head. He gently lowers it to a waist-high position, and then pushes the ball up and away into a free, fluid swing. That starting position works great for Aulby, but it is not recommended for the average bowler.

An erect position in the stance also is recommended, but it is not a standard for everyone. For example, Marshall Holman began his approach with his knees flexed. He bent over at the waist with his ball placed slightly above his knees and controlled the ball into the backswing. Nevertheless, Holman had the uncanny ability to exercise a muscle-free forward swing, propelled from the shoulder. Again, this method of execution, as displayed by one of the greatest bowlers of all time, is not recommended for average bowlers.

Hall-of-Famer Carmen Salvino made one of the greatest stance transitions of any bowler. During his heyday, Salvino placed his elbows at his beltline, his ball about shoulder high, and his thumb at a one o'clock position well under the ball. He then pushed the ball up and away, unleashing one of the most powerful strike balls of his era. Later in his career, Salvino altered his stance. He held the ball in his right hand, completely suspended at his side, then initiated his push-away by shoving the ball up with his left hand into a ball-weighted swing. With the advent of supercharged bowling balls, Salvino chose to rely on accuracy, and although he curtailed his activity in PBA competition, he benefited from changing to a more conservative stance.

Roger Bowker, a confirmed muscle bowler, begins his stance with his arm extended straight out and his elbow firmly planted against his hips. He does not apply any pushaway whatsoever, but rather muscles the ball into the backswing completely through the forearm. He delivers in a similar manner throughout the forward swing, defying the logic of a free armswing. Nonetheless, Bowker has five PBA titles to his credit, proving again that the sports world is sprinkled with winners who are able to succeed in an unconventional manner.

There is one cardinal role to follow for proper bowling execution: The bowling arm must follow the line of the body, regardless of the angle of the shot. Proper alignment should always begin with the shoulders and feet directly in line with the intended target, with utter disregard for alignment to the foul line. But while textbook execution says this is the correct method, many contemporary players utilize an entirely different system, particularly when lanes are opened up to high-rev missiles.

Under such conditions, bowlers who employ wide-arcing balls begin by standing in the center of the approach. They initiate their approach by pushing the ball leftward, walk left to their release area, open and drop their shoulders, and swing the ball 15 to 20 boards to a breakpoint about 45 to 50 feet down the lane.