The Push Away and its Effect on Bowling Timing

Have you ever heard a teammate say, “I think your timing is off?” If you ask 10 different bowlers, you’ll hear 10 different answers on how bowling timing is defined. In this quick lesson, Gold Coach and Bowler Development Lead at Bowlersmart Richard Shockley and Silver Level Coach Dan Triske demonstrate how to achieve good bowling timing from the stance to the foul line.

Stance and Push Away

What happens at the pins is a direct result of a good start on the approach. In order to have good bowling timing, pushing away the bowling ball simultaneously with your first step (as a four-step bowler and your second step with a five-step bowler) is crucial.

When observing Dan’s push away, look for the elbow to be in line with the knee. This ensures you’re seeing a good push away, in time with footwork.

Bad Ball Placement During the Push Away

Here is an example of bad ball placement during the push away. The ball is extended too far in front of Dan’s body and his elbow is ahead of his knee.

The big push away forced Dan to rear up at the foul line. This makes it difficult to hit your target.

Now take a look at another bad example. In this example, the push away is too short. The elbow is now located behind the knee.

Take a look at what happens at the pins.

Good Ball Placement During the Push Away

When the ball is placed in time with your footwork during the push away, your shot will look like this.

Everything is in time in the beginning, which carries through the rest of the approach to the foul line, giving Dan the best probability to post his shot and strike.

Want to dissect more areas of the approach? Check out Bowling Arm Swing Training and How to Achieve Bowling Proper Finish Position to help you learn more about bowling fundamentals.