Don’t put bowling ball away during summer months Key to improving next season is hitting the lanes in June, July, August

Winter bowling leagues concluded, and the summer months may hold the answer to improving your bowling game. Sure, it was a long, 36-week winter season and the idea of relaxing during the summer months can be appealing, but the passionate bowler – the committed bowler, the bowler who really wants to improve – will use these short, summer months to work on their game.

Bowling in summer leagues can increase your chances for improved scores; come the start of winter leagues this August.

And you know how quick the summer weeks pass. So use this time to evaluate, correct and modify your bowling game.

We all can use practice and every bowler has room for improvement. Accordingly, summer leagues and summer practice can help you make useful adjustments and changes in your game. And since those brief summer leagues are not typically as important as those comparatively competitive and longer winter leagues, use them as a development tool.

I recommend that you honestly review your weaknesses first. If you are fair with your self-critique , you will not waste time on areas that may have little influence on your improvement.

Sure, working on the elements of your game that are wrong, uncomfortable, awkward or uninteresting may be difficult and unattractive. But you are best served by evaluating and dissecting the parts of your game that are truly flawed.

A logical starting point for your review is your stance. The beginning position should be natural and comfortable. It will vary depending on your height and overall physical strength and conditioning.

Your bowling ball should be held at your side rather than in front of you to create a more natural pendulum swing. With the ball held more in front of you, there’s a tendency to round-house the ball around your hips and torso. That creates an unusual ball path, which leads to inconsistency of ball swing and release. And always remember to relax and take your time as you repair your stance.

To avoid drifting toward the foul line and choppy foot speed, your approach has to be considered.

I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your approach simple. If you ever have the opportunity, watch film of the legendary Earl Anthony and observe his approach, which was simple, effortless and repeatable. It would be an asset to your game if you established that sort of basic and smooth approach.

If you want to improve your accuracy, you likely will have to work on your timing.

Your arm-swing is directly influenced by your timing. A poor armswing causes all sorts of problems, including chicken-arming, shoveling the ball, tugging/pulling the ball and dumping the ball. If your timing is fluid, your arm swing will be more natural, and that will help you avoid many errors.

If you determine you have a weak or sloppy ball release, you might use the summer to tighten up your swing. This last phase of the approach can make or break your scores. Too much loft is dangerous, while too shallow a release can hinder high scoring. You can cure a poor ball release through practice and experimentation.

If your bowling ball projection on to the lane is suffering, you may want to investigate and work on your balance. You need complete body control to execute ideal ball release. Typically, the bowler with a smooth “stroker” style can manage that. While crankers can put revolutions on the ball, those bowlers seem to be off balance, stepping out of the shot.

I’ve always felt that bowling is a game of finesse and power. The finesse of the stroker style with some of the power of the cranker. It is a blend that seems to work best and one which you might attempt to include in your game.

Another important area to work on is your follow through. If you tend to short-arm the ball or point the ball your, scores may reflect a decrease as compared to your potential. A great follow through will usually result in a good release. And as is the case with most sports, a great follow through is often times an exaggerated follow through. Similarly, you will generate more power and accuracy as your follow through develops.

A final area for review, attitude and focus, is by no means the least important. Developing a positive attitude void of excuses is a fantastic way to improve your game. Focus –or the lack of it – will certainly sway your scores. Allowing distractions, temper and ego to interfere with your game will probably lower your scores.

A competitive outlook is similarly essential to scoring at your maximum. But mental control is also necessary to facilitate that competitive edge. The summer is the perfect time to dial-in your mental game.

Best of success in your pursuit of higher bowling scores and remember to always have fun bowling.