Bowling's Crossover Step

Have you ever been told to “walk straight” on the approach? Like most bowlers, you probably think you are walking straight until someone tells you that you’re not. But, how do you walk straight? It might seem like a silly question, but it’s important to know how to walk straight and why it’s important.

In this premium video, Scott Pohl, owner of On Track Pro Shop, explains how to incorporate a crossover step into your approach and the benefits that come with it.

Why a crossover step?

The goal is a straight arm swing. Achieving a straight arm swing makes hitting your target consistently, easier. When setting up in the stance, the ball needs to be between your chin and shoulder. Your shoulders, hips, and feet need to match the launch angle you are trying to create down the lane.

When starting the ball out of the stance, the ball needs to clear your hip. There are two ways this can happen, you move your hip to avoid the ball hitting you or you move the ball around your hip. You want to move your hip out of the way of the ball to avoid the ball hitting you because moving the ball around your hip will create an erratic arm swing that is not repeatable.

How to do a crossover step

If you tried to walk straight up the 20th board on the approach, would you walk normally with one foot next to the other or would you walk it like a tightrope, one foot in front of the other?

Walking the tightrope will get your feet walking straight toward your intended target. Placing painters tape on the approach is a good way to practice the crossover step.

The trail foot crosses over in front of the slide foot during the approach. For a 5-step bowler, the crossover step is the second step. For a 4-step bowler, the crossover step is the first step.

Remember, the goal is to get the ball into a straight path all the way through to the arm swing. Repeating this every time you bowl will improve your accuracy, and likely, your scores will increase too.

Check out “3 Training Drills That Improve Bowling Fundamentals” and “Improve Accuracy: Balance Arm Training” for more ways to improve your game.