Sliding is one of the most popular and important techniques in bowling. Many top professional bowlers slide and score brilliantly as a result.
So, how do you slide in bowling? To slide, you must first warm up by doing stretching and jumping exercises as well as practice slides. You then have to maintain correct posture, bend your knees, and move your sliding foot forward as you slide and release the ball.
Read on to learn more about sliding in bowling. Find out if you have to slide in bowling and discover some tips to improve your slide. Happy reading!
What is sliding in bowling?
Although bowling may seem to be a simple, uncomplicated sport to the average person, that is not exactly the case. Bowling involves a lot of different styles and techniques that players can master to improve their game. To give you an example, there are at least four different methods of releasing the ball.
Read more on them here: The 4 Basic Shots in Bowling.
Sliding is a technique that enables you to enhance your performance in a bowling game. It has been proven by numerous players to improve your chances of bowling strikes. Sliding in bowling is done exactly as you might imagine. The player runs forward and slides just before releasing the ball.
Suffice it to say, sliding is an important move in bowling.
Do you have to slide when bowling?
Sliding is one of many vital techniques that you can practice to score well in bowling. It can greatly improve your chances of scoring strikes. The question is: do you have to slide when bowling? The answer is not necessarily.
There are many situations in which players cannot or don’t want to slide. This can be especially true for senior players who have weak knees or those who’ve had an injury recently. In such scenarios, sliding is simply not an option.
Players who don’t slide when bowling instead plant their feet just before releasing the ball. They’re known as “planters.” Planting your foot before releasing can also be an effective technique to score well. Many good players use this technique instead of sliding.
To sum it up, sliding is a great move that can improve your game. But if you cannot slide for some reason, then the planting technique can also help you score well.
How to slide when bowling
Mastering the slide technique requires practice. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want to learn to slide in bowling.
- Warm-up before starting a game or practice session. Do as many stretching and jumping exercises as you can.
- Make sure your posture is correct, and your upper body isn’t leaning forward.
- Move towards the foul line at a consistent pace and bend your knees a little.
- Your sliding foot should extend away from your body, positioned at the center. It should point towards the bowling pins in front of you.
- Shift your weight onto your sliding leg and slide in a smooth manner before releasing the ball.
- Stop yourself or “brake” gradually to execute a precise shot and reduce the risk of injuries.
What can you do to improve your slide?
There are a number of things you can do to improve your sliding technique in bowling.
Firstly, you should buy a good pair of bowling shoes. Rental shoes are usually not too good in terms of quality and are often old and worn out. Moreover, the performance of these shoes is also not consistent.
Here are many bowling shoes in various price ranges: Best Selling Bowling Shoes.
Another thing you can do to improve your slide is to practice sliding — before an actual game. Try sliding as often as possible so that it comes easily to you and you feel comfortable doing it.
Practicing long slides is also a great idea. You’ll have no trouble executing short slides with a ball once you perfect longer ones.
How long should you slide in bowling?
How far you should slide in bowling is also important and can impact the quality of your shot. Longer slides are considered to be better than shorter ones as they increase the likelihood of the ball striking more pins. How is this possible, you might ask.
Longer slides make the energy transfer from your body to your sliding leg and the ball more efficient. This, in turn, results in your shots being more effective and accurate.
Do Pro bowlers slide?
Yes, many top professional bowlers do slide! Since sliding makes their shots more powerful, many players choose to slide instead of stopping and planting their leading foot before releasing the ball.
Pro bowlers are known to slide long, with many sliding up to five feet. Some even slide as long as six feet! These players include Sean Rash, Pete Weber, Tommy Jones, and Chris Barnes.
Want to become a professional bowler? Check out this article: How to Become a Professional Bowler.
Are bowling shoes supposed to slide?
Bowling shoes are supposed to slide. They help you move smoothly and enable you to release the ball in a controlled manner without injuring yourself. Normal shoes can stick while you’re bowling and cause you to lose your balance. Thus, bowling shoes are especially designed to help you slide.
What are the best bowling shoes for sliding?
Here’s our list of some of the best bowling shoes you can buy to slide easily. Most of these shoes can be purchased from Amazon and have received lots of praise and positive reviews from customers.
- Dexter Bowling – Men’s – SST 8 Pro ($159.00 – $175.94)
- Dexter Women’s SST 8 Power Frame Bowling Shoes ($189.95 – $297.40)
- KR Strikeforce Men’s Tour Knit ($179.95)
- KR Strikeforce Maui Women’s Lightweight Athletic Bowling Shoes ($43.52 – $59.95)
- KR Strikeforce Ignite Men’s Bowling Shoes Black/Grey/Red ($119.95)
- Dexter Women’s Raquel V Bowling Shoes ($54.90 – $189.95)
Please note that the prices included are the ones at the time of writing and may change with time. These prices can also vary depending on the store.
Conclusion
Sliding is one of the best skills you can learn in bowling. It can help you perform better and make powerful, accurate shots. Sliding also increases your chances of scoring strikes.
