If you are looking to hone your skills as a bowler and you want to become a professional, learning all the moves and techniques is very important. The most important of these skills is increasing the bowling ball speed.
You might be wondering, how can I increase my bowling ball speed? Well, that is precisely what I am here to tell you.
In this article, I am going to talk about what the ideal speed for bowling is, the factors that affect bowling ball speed, and how to increase bowling ball speed to the ideal pace. So, if you are thinking of becoming a professional at bowling, make sure you read this article until the very end.
What is the Ideal Bowling Ball Speed?
If we look at the average bowling speed of professional league and tournament bowlers, we are going to see an initial speed of 20 miles per hour and a pin contact speed of around 17-18 MPH. This is the ideal speed of a bowling ball and the most effective in terms of knocking all the pins.
Usually, beginner bowlers are not able to throw the ball this fast. They throw the bowling ball at an initial speed of around 16-18 MPH and it slows down to around 13-14 miles per hour, which is very slow to knock all the pins down.
At the same time, if you throw the ball too fast around 23 or more miles per hour, the ball will become too fast and cause erratic pin deflection that will be difficult to control. That is why, to knock down all the pins and score spares and strikes, the bowling ball needs to be thrown at the ideal speed.
Factors Affecting the Speed of a Bowling Ball
Knowing what speed to throw the ball with is not all you need to score perfect games and get all strikes. So before you just josh the ball on the bowling lane expecting it to travel fast, here are some important factors that affect the speed of a bowling ball on the lane surface you need to know about.
Amount of Oil on Bowling Lane
The amount of oil heavily affects the speed of a bowling ball. If there were a larger amount of oil covering the bowling lane surface, the bowling ball would travel faster than usual on the track whereas if there is lesser oil on the surface, there will be more friction between the lane and the ball and the speed of the bowling ball will be lesser than usual.
Coverstock Material
The coverstock material also factors into affecting the speed of the bowling ball. A urethane bowling ball will travel faster on the surface of the lane in comparison to a reactive resin ball because of the lesser friction and hooking ability and a smoother texture.
Throwing Force
The most highly affecting factor on the speed of a bowling ball is without a doubt, the throwing force. If you put more force behind the throw, the ball will travel faster but that does not mean it will always remain in your control. That is why the ideal throwing force should be put in for the best control and throw ability.
Tips and Tricks
Now that you know what the ideal speed of a bowling ball is, you must be thinking, how can I increase my bowling speed? Well, for your ease, I have a few tips and tricks for increasing your bowling ball speed that you can take guidance from. Here are some incredible tips and tricks that you can use to increase your bowling ball speed effectively.
Shift Focus to Your Leg Movement
Common mistake beginner bowlers make is that they keep their focus on swinging their arms and putting extra arm force expecting that it will make the pace of the bowling ball faster.
Well, that is not the right approach. Instead, your focus should be shifted to your leg movement. You need to make sure you take a faster approach while you are throwing the ball because that will provide more pace to your throw than simply swinging the ball harder towards the pins.
Relax Your Muscles
Another very important tip to remember is that you need to keep your arm and leg muscles completely relaxed while throwing the bowling ball if you want a quicker speed.
You will be able to not only increase the speed but also keep incredible control of your throw if you keep your muscles relaxed. Otherwise, stiff muscles might cause your ball to choose control and you might throw the ball into the gutters. Then it would not matter how fast the bowling ball was going.
Keep the Ball Forward before swinging
Bowlers usually think that the bigger the backswing will be, the faster the ball will travel over the lane. However, that is not actually the case. It is the complete opposite in reality.
The ideal bowling ball position before you take a shot is in front of you. Keep your bowling ball in your non-throwing hand and keep your throwing arm relaxed. Only take a backswing when you are about the leave the ball, do not go too far back with the backswing otherwise, you might even injure yourself.
Practice your throw whenever you can
No matter what you might be thinking of learning, practice is always the first and foremost tip. Make sure that you keep practicing your throw and master the ideal bowling ball speed before you get into the league or tournament level. As they say, Practice makes a man perfect. Therefore, if you keep practicing, you are going to learn to throw the ball faster quickly.
Conclusion
If you are not able to throw your bowling ball at an effective speed, make sure you take note of these tips and tricks and apply them in your practice bowling sessions. I assure you, with proper practice, you are going to be able to learn to throw the bowling ball faster and at the ideal pace. I hope you have a great time when you are in the bowling alley again.
