Common Issues for Intermediate Bowlers

Article Contents

• 1. The physical game
• 2. Late ball start
  • 2.1. Synchronizing the ball start
  • 2.2. Accelerating the ball start
• 3. Late timing at release
• 4. Swing direction
  • 4.1. Bad mental imagery
  • 4.2. Fixing the problem
• 5. Lane play limitations
  • 5.1. Keep it simple
  • 5.2. What can I use right now?
  • 5.3. Change your practice habits
• 6. Conclusion

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Bowlers of all levels can struggle with physical, mental, and lane play issues. In my last article that focused on beginner bowlers, we talked about timing, slow feet, spare shooting, and overthinking as some of the most common issues these bowlers face. Intermediate bowlers are another story.

Intermediate-level bowlers are by far the largest category of bowlers. They’ve progressed beyond the basic skill set, but they aren’t yet at an advanced level. However, there are still a lot of commonalities in the issues they face, and we’ll discuss some of these weaknesses in this article.

Intermediate bowlers come in all shapes and sizes, but they generally have the following attributes:

• at least three years of experience with organized bowling (leagues);
• an arsenal of at least two bowling balls (and often lots more);
• fairly developed foundational skills, despite some flaws; and
• an average between 160 and 200.

In my recent series, I addressed a few ways that bowlers in this range can get over the 180 hump or break the 200 average barrier. This article will touch on some of the same mental topics, but it will focus more on the common physical issues that tend to plague bowlers at this level.

The physical game

Just like the previous article in this series, we won’t be talking about the release in this one. Why? Because many intermediate-level players can drastically improve their games (and their releases) by addressing some of the more common technique issues that we will be covering.

In addition, unless a bowler’s goal is to become an elite competitive player, they really don’t need a hugely powerful release to “level up” in terms of average. For those interested more in the release, I suggest you take a look at Coach Juha Maja’s article, …