Two-Handed Bowling: Setup and Stance

Positioning in the stance will determine what happens at the pins. How you stand, where you place the ball, and your hand positioning all contribute to how and when the ball will hook down the lane.

In this premium video, Scott Pohl, owner of On Track Pro Shop, highlights areas of concern two-handed bowlers face when perfecting this style.

Athletic or Vertical Posture

Pictured below are the common stances two-handed bowlers set up in. The vertical stance has more upright posture, whereas the athletic stance has a deeper knee bend with the upper body leaning forward.

In both cases, the slide foot is parallel to the target and the ball side foot is behind the slide foot at around a 30º angle. The hips are open and perpendicular to the ball side foot, and the shoulders match the hip angle.

Hand Position

The non-dominant throwing hand should be parallel to the dominant throwing hand in the stance.

If you set up your hands in a non-parallel location, you decrease the energy you can impart on the bowling ball, and you lose leverage and hook.

Ball Position

When holding the bowling ball in the stance, it should be in line with the hip and close to the body.

When the bowling ball is positioned too far inside of the body, leverage and rotation is lost.

Positioning at the peak of the back swing and pivot step needs to be the same as your setup in the stance. This keeps the body stable and aligned to the target.

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