5 Common Bowling Mistakes [& Solutions]

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Mistakes, believe it or not, can occur with any bowler of any skill level. There are so many habits that can be picked up in bowling that may not necessarily be the best or most optimal in terms of safety, mechanics, fundamentals, effectiveness, or consistency.

In this guide we're going to cover five of the most common bowling mistakes and how to address them.

Table Of Contents

The Most Common Mistakes in Bowling

bowling mistakes

1. Not Warming Up Properly (or not warming up at all)

Have you ever been the type of person to casually visit a bowling alley with friends, borrow a pair of bowling shoes, then immediately jump into a full match of bowling?

If you, or anyone you know, has experienced this, then you should be aware of two things:

  • Your performance will not be as good as expected
  • Muscles will be sore soon after the bowling session

This is the case for several reasons, but without getting too scientific in this discussion, suffice it to say that failing to warm up your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints for the intense physical session that is bowling will lead to an increased likelihood of fatigue and injury.

This logic applies in any sport, whether it be golf, tennis, basketball, or bowling. This is why professional athletes in all sports invest so much time, effort, and money in a proper conditioning and warm-up regimen. It is not just a fad. Warming up is really needed.

Solution

If you are a casual bowler that is simply out with friends to have a match or two of bowling, try to schedule the session in advance so that you and your friends do not have to rush in to secure a bowling lane. Being able to schedule your activities for the day would help give you the opportunity to a lot around 10-15 minutes for a proper warm-up routine.

You don't have to go so fancy with it. As long as you hit all the major muscles and increase your internal body temperature to prime your mind and your body, you should be good to go!

Check out: bowling warm up exercises

2. Improper Pushaway Motion or Mechanics

If you are a beginner at bowling, then having the ball flung about in every imaginable direction is forgivable. However, if you have months of experience, if not years of experience, under your bowling belt, then you have to address this inconsistency stemming from improper pushaway mechanics.

To explain briefly, the pushaway in bowling refers to the initial forward thrust of the ball with your bowling arm as you take the very first step of your approach. Think of this as how a crane extends its arm forward with the wrecking ball in preparation for the pendulum motion backward and forward.

An improper pushaway can cause the ball to either leave your hands in the wrong position or collide with the pins from the wrong angle. Both instances are not good.

Solution

To fix a problematic pushaway motion, I would actually recommend going with what feels most comfortable for your arm’s strength and flexibility while maintaining a direction in your mind that is in line with your target angle of entry.

Some tutorials advise having an extended pushaway while others recommend keeping your arm close to your chest. While both have their merits and disadvantages, it truly depends on human anatomy how a bowler could best deal with this issue consistently.

Therefore, whether you like it far away, close, or somewhere in between, try to practice the different pushaway motions while keeping in mind a target to align your arm with wherever the ball needs to go.

3. Inconsistent Footwork

Admittedly, I have fallen into this seemingly bottomless pit for the better part of my first bowling year. This may stem from how bowling footwork differs from the footwork of other sports I have done prior, but nevertheless, this is an issue that plagues most, if not all, beginner bowling athletes.

Inconsistent footwork can be attributed to a lot of factors, including lack of coordination, muscular imbalances, or maybe even just the sheer awkwardness of having to do the standard four-step delivery method that is always taught by bowling instructors.

The problem with this, especially when footwork grows to become random or inconsistent, is that a lot of the other bowling abilities or facets that you need to work on may not improve as much if you do not address the footwork problem first.

Solution

For this common mistake, I suggest a two-fold approach as a solution.

First, as a beginner bowler, you must be very observant. In this case, I would recommend that you observe how others do their footwork. Whether it be watching tutorial videos online, professional bowling highlights, or even just the bowler next to you, try to look at how they make the first step, and the next, and the next, all the way up to the fourth and final step.

This will give you a better idea of the mechanics involved in a proper footwork approach in bowling.

Second, once you have made the necessary observations and have a better understanding of how to execute proper footwork in bowling, you must then begin to practice with your own natural stride. In other words, do not go so far as to mimic how far apart other players’ feet are as they continuously step and approach the foul line, which is right before the ball lane.

Work on developing your own movement while sticking to the fundamentals. Make sure your steps are not too far apart or not too close together. The only way you could determine the right stride is to practice yourself.

4. Unpredictable Ball Motion

Unpredictable ball motion is the root of all evil when it comes to striving to improve in leaps and bounds in the field of bowling.

There are several reasons why ball motion could be unpredictable, but in my experience (as well as the experience of my colleagues), the biggest hindrance to being able to dictate and/or predict where your bowling ball will end up on a consistent basis is the bowling ball (or bowling balls) you are using.

Using house balls may seem convenient as you do not have to lug around a 14-pound or 16-pound bowling ball with you, but the problem with these is that they are worn out, feel different from one another, and may even come in different models and sizes.

Solution

As you can probably already tell, the solution to this common mistake is simple - get yourself a personal bowling ball!

Check out: the 10 Best Bowling Balls Right Now

It does not have to be pricey. It does not even have to come from any of the mainstream bowling ball brands (although I would recommend that you get your bowling ball from these brands). As long as you have your own bowling ball that you can begin to understand at a deeper level, then you will have significantly fewer instances of unpredictable ball motion.

The worst-case scenario is ball motion would still be unpredictable, but at least with a personal bowling ball, you eliminated a big variable and can work on other aspects of your bowling game to ensure better ball mechanics.

5. Rushing the Release

In connection with common mistakes 2, 3, and 4, another big cause of frustration is in the release of the bowling ball, particularly rushing the release.

In the past, bowling seemed so rudimentary to me. As long as I take a couple of steps and release the ball with a powerful swing, the mission is over. However, as I got to understand the nuances of bowling bit by bit, I realized that the sport does not rely purely on power or aggression, but rather on a more methodical and patient approach, and this is why rushing the release of the bowling ball will lead to nothing good.

Rushing the release of the bowling ball is done by a lot of amateur and novice bowling ball players because they tend to worry too much about going past the foul line or being unable to generate the needed power.

Solution

In order to prevent yourself from rushing the release, I would recommend doing some approach and footwork drills. You do not even need a bowling alley or bowling ball for this. Think of this as shadow boxing but for bowling.

As long as you have space at home (or even at your place of work), then you can work on the standard 4-step delivery method as well as the positioning of your hands and feet during the beginning, middle, and end of the approach.

The more you practice, the more you become confident in your release, and the more you become confident in your release, the better and more relaxed you will be at playing bowling.

Conclusion

There are so many common bowling mistakes worth discussing but, in my opinion, these are five of the most significant scenarios that occur for an average bowler. If you have fallen victim to any of the five common mistakes listed above, then make sure to work on your game and keep in mind my suggested solutions to become a better player.

Mistakes, believe it or not, can occur with any bowler of any skill level. There are so many habits that can be picked up in bowling that may not necessarily be the best or most optimal in terms of safety, mechanics, fundamentals, effectiveness, or consistency.

In this guide we're going to cover five of the most common bowling mistakes and how to address them.

Table Of Contents

The Most Common Mistakes in Bowling

bowling mistakes

1. Not Warming Up Properly (or not warming up at all)

Have you ever been the type of person to casually visit a bowling alley with friends, borrow a pair of bowling shoes, then immediately jump into a full match of bowling?

If you, or anyone you know, has experienced this, then you should be aware of two things:

  • Your performance will not be as good as expected
  • Muscles will be sore soon after the bowling session

This is the case for several reasons, but without getting too scientific in this discussion, suffice it to say that failing to warm up your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints for the intense physical session that is bowling will lead to an increased likelihood of fatigue and injury.

This logic applies in any sport, whether it be golf, tennis, basketball, or bowling. This is why professional athletes in all sports invest so much time, effort, and money in a proper conditioning and warm-up regimen. It is not just a fad. Warming up is really needed.

Solution

If you are a casual bowler that is simply out with friends to have a match or two of bowling, try to schedule the session in advance so that you and your friends do not have to rush in to secure a bowling lane. Being able to schedule your activities for the day would help give you the opportunity to a lot around 10-15 minutes for a proper warm-up routine.

You don't have to go so fancy with it. As long as you hit all the major muscles and increase your internal body temperature to prime your mind and your body, you should be good to go!

Check out: bowling warm up exercises

2. Improper Pushaway Motion or Mechanics

If you are a beginner at bowling, then having the ball flung about in every imaginable direction is forgivable. However, if you have months of experience, if not years of experience, under your bowling belt, then you have to address this inconsistency stemming from improper pushaway mechanics.

To explain briefly, the pushaway in bowling refers to the initial forward thrust of the ball with your bowling arm as you take the very first step of your approach. Think of this as how a crane extends its arm forward with the wrecking ball in preparation for the pendulum motion backward and forward.

An improper pushaway can cause the ball to either leave your hands in the wrong position or collide with the pins from the wrong angle. Both instances are not good.

Solution

To fix a problematic pushaway motion, I would actually recommend going with what feels most comfortable for your arm’s strength and flexibility while maintaining a direction in your mind that is in line with your target angle of entry.

Some tutorials advise having an extended pushaway while others recommend keeping your arm close to your chest. While both have their merits and disadvantages, it truly depends on human anatomy how a bowler could best deal with this issue consistently.

Therefore, whether you like it far away, close, or somewhere in between, try to practice the different pushaway motions while keeping in mind a target to align your arm with wherever the ball needs to go.

3. Inconsistent Footwork

Admittedly, I have fallen into this seemingly bottomless pit for the better part of my first bowling year. This may stem from how bowling footwork differs from the footwork of other sports I have done prior, but nevertheless, this is an issue that plagues most, if not all, beginner bowling athletes.

Inconsistent footwork can be attributed to a lot of factors, including lack of coordination, muscular imbalances, or maybe even just the sheer awkwardness of having to do the standard four-step delivery method that is always taught by bowling instructors.

The problem with this, especially when footwork grows to become random or inconsistent, is that a lot of the other bowling abilities or facets that you need to work on may not improve as much if you do not address the footwork problem first.

Solution

For this common mistake, I suggest a two-fold approach as a solution.

First, as a beginner bowler, you must be very observant. In this case, I would recommend that you observe how others do their footwork. Whether it be watching tutorial videos online, professional bowling highlights, or even just the bowler next to you, try to look at how they make the first step, and the next, and the next, all the way up to the fourth and final step.

This will give you a better idea of the mechanics involved in a proper footwork approach in bowling.

Second, once you have made the necessary observations and have a better understanding of how to execute proper footwork in bowling, you must then begin to practice with your own natural stride. In other words, do not go so far as to mimic how far apart other players’ feet are as they continuously step and approach the foul line, which is right before the ball lane.

Work on developing your own movement while sticking to the fundamentals. Make sure your steps are not too far apart or not too close together. The only way you could determine the right stride is to practice yourself.

4. Unpredictable Ball Motion

Unpredictable ball motion is the root of all evil when it comes to striving to improve in leaps and bounds in the field of bowling.

There are several reasons why ball motion could be unpredictable, but in my experience (as well as the experience of my colleagues), the biggest hindrance to being able to dictate and/or predict where your bowling ball will end up on a consistent basis is the bowling ball (or bowling balls) you are using.

Using house balls may seem convenient as you do not have to lug around a 14-pound or 16-pound bowling ball with you, but the problem with these is that they are worn out, feel different from one another, and may even come in different models and sizes.

Solution

As you can probably already tell, the solution to this common mistake is simple - get yourself a personal bowling ball!

Check out: the 10 Best Bowling Balls Right Now

It does not have to be pricey. It does not even have to come from any of the mainstream bowling ball brands (although I would recommend that you get your bowling ball from these brands). As long as you have your own bowling ball that you can begin to understand at a deeper level, then you will have significantly fewer instances of unpredictable ball motion.

The worst-case scenario is ball motion would still be unpredictable, but at least with a personal bowling ball, you eliminated a big variable and can work on other aspects of your bowling game to ensure better ball mechanics.

5. Rushing the Release

In connection with common mistakes 2, 3, and 4, another big cause of frustration is in the release of the bowling ball, particularly rushing the release.

In the past, bowling seemed so rudimentary to me. As long as I take a couple of steps and release the ball with a powerful swing, the mission is over. However, as I got to understand the nuances of bowling bit by bit, I realized that the sport does not rely purely on power or aggression, but rather on a more methodical and patient approach, and this is why rushing the release of the bowling ball will lead to nothing good.

Rushing the release of the bowling ball is done by a lot of amateur and novice bowling ball players because they tend to worry too much about going past the foul line or being unable to generate the needed power.

Solution

In order to prevent yourself from rushing the release, I would recommend doing some approach and footwork drills. You do not even need a bowling alley or bowling ball for this. Think of this as shadow boxing but for bowling.

As long as you have space at home (or even at your place of work), then you can work on the standard 4-step delivery method as well as the positioning of your hands and feet during the beginning, middle, and end of the approach.

The more you practice, the more you become confident in your release, and the more you become confident in your release, the better and more relaxed you will be at playing bowling.

Conclusion

There are so many common bowling mistakes worth discussing but, in my opinion, these are five of the most significant scenarios that occur for an average bowler. If you have fallen victim to any of the five common mistakes listed above, then make sure to work on your game and keep in mind my suggested solutions to become a better player.

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