Coach’s Corner Tip

The Swing Slot

Last month I talked about the importance of good body position with the shoulder down to create the most effective delivery. This month, I’d like to follow-up on that discussion by talking about the swing slot, and why improving this area of your swing can help you bowl better on all lane conditions.

When you get your head over the right foot (right-handers) and let the shoulder drop a little, you instantly create an alignment of the head over the ball, which is over your right foot. Now, if your takeaway step (step 1 of 4 steps) crosses in front of the other foot (right foot in front of the left foot for right-handers) the ball can drop straight down below the shoulder. As you let the ball fall into the space vacated by your right leg, you will immediately create a “swing slot” – a line into which the swing initially falls and stays during the course of the swing.

In this picture, you can see that Jeff has taken the crossover step that creates the swing slot. The right eye is over the ball, which is in the swing slot. This swing will then continue in the same alignment all the way to the release point. In the next picture, you see that, in fact, this swing slot has continued to the release point. This is important because a consistent swing slot is the key to controlling the direction of the ball going down the lane.

Similarly, Kelly also demonstrates the benefits of developing a good swing slot – she concludes the swing with the ball in close to the ankle, directly under her head. This makes it easy to complete the swing and, again, roll the ball down the intended ball path.

Finally, Tommy goes from a position in his downswing where the ball is directly behind his head
to a release position with the ball directly under his head. The line I drew in these two pictures is, in
fact, the same line – I just moved the video back from the release position. This demonstrates how
precise Tommy is in creating a consistent line through the swing.

So, how can you create this effect in your own game? First, use the tips from last month’s column to align your body in the stance. Next, learn to take the crossover step to create the slot under your head. Third, use your balance arm to keep your shoulders in the proper position throughout your swing – keep your hand pointed at the left gutter cap on the next lane to the left. Finally, as you enter the slide keep the armswing relaxed so that it drops in a circle directly under your head
(note that the action of the slide will create the “flat spot” at the bottom of the swing, so you can think of this more as the ball coming off a ramp and being released parallel to the lane surface.

I hope that these past two articles have helped you understand the best way to create a more consistent swing from start to finish. Yes, these are not the fundamentals that were taught 30 years ago, but if you go back to some of the great players of yesteryear, you will, in fact, see some of these same traits in those players. Even a senior player in like Parker Bohn III employs many of these same techniques (watch his first step).