Stefanie Nation 4-Step Approach
Accelerating to the Foul Line
I was strangely drawn to the Winter Olympic sport of Curling. Whenever I surfed through the channels and ran into a Curling match I sat there staring, jaw agape, trying to figure out what they were doing with those little brooms.

But it did remind me of something that's incredibly important to bowling and it's something each of us could do to improve our games. The guy who threw the Curling "rock" or "stone" or whatever that thing with the handle on it is called, had the perfect slide to the foul line ...even though his slide was about 40 feet long and it's on ice. His slide while releasing his rock helped him insure he was throwing it in the proper direction at the proper speed.

That's what the bowling "slide" is all about, too. Proper direction ... proper speed

The next time you bowl at Oasis Lanes, take a look at the approach about 41/2 or 5 feet from the foul line. There is a seam. Make sure your second-to-last-step is behind that seam so your last step can be long and graceful and accelerate your ball in the proper direction at the proper speed.

If your second-to-last step is past that seam, your last or slide step will be short and cramped and you won't be happy with the result. So, if you take a 4-step approach, your starting point should be at a place where your third step is behind that seam. Your slide foot should be pointed straight down the boards and not to one side or the other ... and your sternum or breastbone should be pointed directly at your target.

I've included the links for two videos it's important for you to watch. The first is of a female professional bowler named Stefanie Nation. Her approach is classic and flawless ... and look at that elegant slide she makes to the foul line.

The second video is of a bowler who was voted the best bowler of the second half of the 20th Century by bowling writers around the world. His name is Don Carter and his approach is anything but flawless and classic. In fact, you've never seen anything like it.

But both Stefanie and Don have one very important element of their approaches in common ... a long step to the foul line. Now, that doesn't mean that they're trying to throw it hard, it simply means that they're accelerating to help them ensure direction and speed.
 
Don Carter - The Greatest Bowler Ever
The Classic 4-Step Approach
In the past decade or so, I've been working with dozens of bowlers, young and old, who have a common objective ... to improve their scores. In almost every instance, they also have a common flaw that's standing between them and their objective ... their approach. They truly believe they take 4-steps, when, truth-be-told, they are only taking three.

Let me explain ... but let me first tell you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 3-step approach if you possess the upper-body, arm and shoulder strength it requires.

A right-handed bowler's first step is with his/her right foot. Most new bowlers carry the ball without moving it that first step. That only leaves three steps to go and it takes a great deal of strength to get that ball pushed away, in a completed backswing and then through delivery.

The proper 4-step delivery takes strength out of the equation and lets the weight of the ball do the work. But the bowler must stay in time for this to work. What follows is the recipe for the proper arm/ball/leg/foot positions for a 4-step approach.

Step 1 - From an athletic stance ... straight back, flexed knees, ball at waist height with elbow next to hi ... push the ball straight away while taking a step with the right leg. As a matter of fact, I like to ask the people I coach to lock their elbow straight at the same instant their right heel hits the ground.

Step 2 - As soon as that elbow is locked, the bowler releases the ball with his/her support hand and simply lets the ball drop into the backswing as the second step is taken with the left leg. When the right-handed bowler's left heel hits the ground, the bowler's right arm should have dropped into a position perpendicular to the floor.

Step 3 - As the bowler continues through to his/her third step, the momentum of the ball should continue to the top of the backswing. When the right-handed bowler's right heel hits the ground, the ball should be almost motionless at the top of the backswing.

Step 4 - The right-handed bowler then accelerates through delivery to the follow-through, by pushing off the right-foot while the ball drops down from the backswing to the through swing. The bowler's right foot stays extended behind and to the left of the bowler's body. This gives the bowler's arm the clearance it needs to stay close to the body while clearing the hip. The bowler's left leg is flexed, back is straight, chest is parallel to foul line and left arm is extended for balance.

I give my bowlers a little rhyme to say while practicing their 4-step approaches. Step 1 ... lock your elbow. Step 2 ... drop the ball. Step 3 ... top of the backswing. Step 4 ... follow-through. Lock ... Drop ... Top ... Follow-Through.

Next time you visit Oasis Lanes, give the classic 4-step approach a try. It may be just the medicine you need to get in time (synchronizing your arm swing with your steps) and break through to that next level.
 
Spares ... The Key To Great Scores!
Someone once said, "Spares make a bad game good ... and a good game better." Truer words were never spoken.

You can bowl a 190 game without ever getting a strike. That's not always a reasonable possibility, but when you realize that every spare you miss costs you about 11 pins, then when someone tells you that it's not that difficult to raise your average by 10 pins, you know they speak the truth.

Raising your average by 10 pins is as easy as converting one more spare a game. Raising your average by three pins simply means you're picking one more spare in a three-game session.

So here's a tip that just may help you do that. (Lefties, you simply must flip-flop the instructions I'm giving to righties.) Let's say you leave a 4-pin. Now if you're a pro, you'll get out your spare ball and throw straight at it. But, you're not a pro. You're an Oasis league bowler, so here's how you pick a 4-pin:

....1. Use the same ball you used for throwing your strike shot.
....2. Stand 10-boards to the right of where you stood to throw your strike shot.
....3. Walk directly toward the second-arrow and throw your ball over, or just to the right of the second-arrow (I'm assuming you throw a hook.)
....4. Watch the ball hook cross lane and pick the 4-pin. You're letting the smaller amount of lane conditioner on the outside part of the lane work for you.

To pick the 7-pin, stand 12 to 13 boards right of where you stood for a strike and execute as above.

To pick the 2-pin, stand 6 to 7 boards right of where you stood for a strike and execute as above. To pick spares on the right side of the lane, I use a different process. To cover these spares I let the oil, or lane conditioner, be my friend ... and I also use a "spare ball" which is made of hard plastic or rubber. It's a ball that won't hook as much.

Let's say I'm trying to pick a 6-pin:
....1. Use a spare ball
....2. Visually create a line between the 6-pin, the fourth-arrow and your head.
....3. Walk to the fourth arrow and throw your ball between the third and fourth arrow.
....4. Watch the ball slide cross lane and convert the 6-pin. You're letting the heavier amount of oil in the center of the lane work for you.

Here's another tip for the next time you come to Oasis for open play. Try to pick the 10-pin on the first ball in the first frame ... and then throw your strike ball second. In the second frame, try to convert a 7-pin on the first ball and then throw your strike ball second. You get the best of both worlds ... spare practice and strike practice for the price of a game. It's great for your game and we at Oasis Lanes encourage you to try it. Who cares what your open play scores are ... I promise it will make you a better bowler.
 
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