Richmond 40 Bowl | Richmond, IN

Controlling Your Ball with a Free Swing

Action shot of woman bowling

For most folks who bowl competitively, either in leagues or tournaments, they’re always searching for ways to improve their technique and overall game. Bowling is all about precision and consistency, so even seemingly minute changes can have a big impact. 

Keep reading to learn how you can improve ball control and accuracy by freeing up your swing. 

How to Free Your Swing in Bowling

  • Always remember to warm up and stretch before you start a bowling session. (Check out our post about bowling warm up exercises for tips.) Warming up will help you stay limber, which is important for the next step. 
  • Relax your arm, shoulder, and neck muscles. Reducing tension from your neck down to your arm will loosen up your swing. 
  • Try to keep your grip on the bowling ball steady and consistent from backswing to release. Keeping the pressure consistent is important, as it can help you perfect your swing and control the skid distance of your shot. 
  • Wondering how to know if you’re freeing your swing properly? If you notice that you’re speeding up on your backswing and reaching the peak more quickly and with less effort, you’ve got it. If not, keep adjusting and be patient. 
  • Remember to let gravity do the work on your downswing. When you loosen up and work with gravity rather than against it, you’ll see a marked improvement in freeing your swing. 
  • By harnessing the momentum of your downswing, you can accelerate your release. 
  • Keep practicing to finetune your swing speed and resistance level (or lack thereof). Using an arm swing tool can help you identify areas of tension in your throwing arm and pay attention to loosening up and swinging from the shoulder. 
  • The more you practice, the easier and freer your swing will become. 
  • It’s easy to tighten up when you’re on the spot in competitive play, no matter how hard you try to stay relaxed. (Kind of like when someone tells you not to think about something—suddenly it’s the only thing in your head!)  Use these tips to loosen up after competition and get your swing back on track. 

Want to learn more ways to improve your bowling game? We’ve got you covered! Just fill out our form to get in touch and learn more about our bowling lessons. We offer beginner, intermediate, and advanced bowling lessons here at our Richmond, Indiana bowling alley, so whether you’re completely new to the game or looking to optimize a small component of your technique, we can help you improve your bowling game to take it to the next level.