Creating A Bowling Practice Plan To Improve Bowling Scores By Richard Shockley

Creating A Good Practice Method To Improve Your Bowling

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All the years that I have been coaching, I tell my students — after every lesson — that in order to improve, you need to find some time to get out on the lanes and practice.

I have always believed in the statement that “you get out of it what you put into it.”

If one dedicates them-self to work on their game properly, it doesn’t require that you spend a lot of time throwing shot after shot for an hour or more. So many times I see bowlers out on the lanes forever and keeping score. It is not necessary to do this and worry about scores. Play different parts of the lane and learn to understand your ball reaction. Try and not stay in your comfort zone. I suggest that you work on no more than two areas of your physical game at any one time; focus on aspects that need attention.

Create A Good Practice Method For Your Bowling Approach

When I practice I concentrate on keeping my feet smooth in the approach and in good tempo. I tend to get fast and my upper body will get forward, creating a bad spine angle. Even though I am an old guy I still have to remind myself to get lower at the line and post the shot.

If you are fortunate enough to have a coach like myself, I suggest you communicate with them on a regular basis. Let them know how it is going and what you are feeling.

You Can’t Execute In Bowling Without A Good Fit On The Bowling Ball

I highly recommend that you always have a good relationship with your pro shop operator. It is impossible to execute quality shots with a bad fit. Just as in golf, worn out grips need changing when they become hard and they lose their feel.

I, for example, coach a tremendous amount of kids, and as they grow their grip will change creating an improper fit that leads to poorly executed shots. When they practice they will get frustrated not understanding what the problem is. This goes for older students, also, but we see it most commonly in the youth, as their hands change the most.

Creating Bowling Spare Drills To Improve Scores

Another very important thing to work on in your practice sessions is to spend time working on spares. This can be for another entire practice session, honestly. A good idea could be to have a couple of sessions a week and work on physical game, then lane play, and then spares. If you are a higher caliber bowler and bowl tournaments on tougher oil patterns, you might want to consider using a plastic spare ball. Spare balls take the lane out of play so you can shoot spares the same on all conditions.

Practicing On Different Oil Patterns

If you are fortunate enough in your bowling center that you can have more difficult patterns put out that will challenge your shot making and ball choices I would do it, but I know that isn’t always possible.

Bowling is no different than any other sport. If your goal is to take your game to the next level, you have to develop a solid practice plan; a proper practice plan will — not might — lead to good scores.

*Coach Shockley runs hundreds of lessons and camps a year in the midwest area. He is also a USBC Gold Coach and certified to give USBC Bronze and Silver classes. If you are looking to advance your game or hold a USBC certification class please contact him through his Facebook page here*