How To Walk Your Bowling Footwork Lines

Accuracy is linked to learning how to walk your bowling footwork lines. Good footwork, particularly for beginners and newcomers to the game, provides the core of a solid foundation and transportation mechanism to the foul line. If you wish to improve by learning how to walk your bowling footwork lines, then please focus on the following important keys which will help you sharpen your skills.

1. Length of Steps – Taking steps which match your normal walking stride usually produces a consistent approach to the foul line. The strategy is to not bounce or lose balance during your approach so you can make consistent and precise deliveries. Establishing the correct length of stride of your steps is essential so you achieve a solid footwork foundation from which to bowl. Bowlers 6 feet in height and using a four step approach will typically cover about 12 feet plus perhaps 6 inches more allowing for the slide. Since the set of guide dots at the mid-point on the approach measure 12 feet from the foul line, then a 6 foot tall bowler using a four step approach will likely be positioned on or near the these guide dots on the approach floor. If you are shorter than 6 feet and do not have a long walking stride, then position yourself closer to the foul line. Naturally, bowlers using five steps should allow more distance from the foul line accordingly. Try and make sure you finish with your sliding foot only 6 inches or less from the foul line and pointed as closely straight to the pins as possible. 

2. Direction of steps – An extremely important key to accuracy and to consistent approaches is the direction you walk to the foul line. It cannot be emphasized enough how vital walking your lines is to achieving a target-seeking armswing and accuracy in your deliveries. A good objective is to walk perfectly straight to the line as to end on the same board with your sliding foot as where the foot was positioned originally in your set-up position. Regardless of where you position yourself laterally on the approach for spares or for a strike ball delivery, it is a good goal to not drift away from where you began.

Try making steps which are placed under your chin or under the center of your body so you maintain balance and result in an effectively straight path to the line. Visualize the tight-rope acrobat in a circus arena moving carefully down the wire. Each step is measured in length and directly under the center of the body for maximum balance. Try to limit your drift to about two boards from your set-up alignment so your armswing will produce a high degree of accurate deliveries.

You can practice at home in a hallway and work on taking steps which are placed just inside your shoulder line or perhaps nearer the center line of your body. Keep your eyes focused down the hallway and walk so you do not skate to the right, then to the left, then back to the right, and so on. Many people do not step straight ahead with a normal walking motion. It will, therefore, require some work to practice walking with each step overlapping in front of one another closely along the center line of your body so you effectively walk in a very straight line direction much like the tight rope acrobat.

Another good practice tip to walk your lines is to place a piece of bowling tape on the approach floor, when practice bowling, about one inch behind the foul line on the desired board where you intend to slide. Then place another piece of tape on the approach back where you initially position your sliding shoes before you begin walking to the foul line and deliver the ball. Make sure the tape at the foul line matches the board where the tape back on the approach is placed. If you are able to walk and deliver a ball, look down at your slide shoe after the delivery, and then see the shoe in the same relative space as where you began your approach, you will have successfully walked your lines.

Next, move the tape on the approach where you initially stand across the lane to perhaps where you stand to convert the corner pin spares. If you are right handed, the move the tape to the board on the approach where you stand to pick up the ten pin, for example. Move the piece of tape at the foul line the same direction and place it at the foul line on the same board as where you stand to make the ten pin. If you are able to walk to the line, deliver your ball, and check your sliding shoe to make sure your slide ended up on the same board as where you began your approach, then you will have successfully walked your lines. You may find that you have to adjust your alignment board on the approach to better match with the target on the lane once you straighten out your walk to the foul line.

Use the same procedure for the opposite side corner pin spare and move both pieces of tape and place them on the same board at the line and at the starting position spot back on the approach. The objective is obvious, you must learn to walk your lines regardless of where you are positioned on the approach. The amazing thing coaches constantly encounter is that the bowler might walk straight in the center portion of the approach where they normally align themselves for strike ball deliveries but drift away from a straight line walk when they move to the corners of the approach.

Bowlers will typically walk toward the center of the approach and drift as much as five or ten boards away from their initial starting position in their set-up on the approach (to the right for right handed bowlers). By drifting toward the center of the approach, the bowler will effectively walk in front of the direction the armswing path should follow to properly pick up the spare (or deliver a strike ball) and then swing is forced to re-route around the bowlers hip or leg to prevent contacting the leg on the forward swing. This type of re-alignment will cause the bowler to miss the target on the lane and release the ball at an improper angle to that target. Walking your lines is a vital part of maintaining good arm swing direction. In can be said that "accuracy begins with good footwork" and walking a straight direction to the line will help you improve your accuracy.

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