Intention Versus Execution

Every bowler lines up with good intentions - to physically throw a good shot, to post the shot at the foul line, to hit their target, and for the ball to travel down the lane at every point intended. Unfortunately for most bowlers, that last intention is rarely realized. For the ball to travel down the lane at every point intended, there is only one place at the foul line that the bowling ball can be released, and this is the place bowlers are missing. Walk up to any bowler in league and ask them what board they are standing on in their stance and what target they are looking at, and the vast majority will reel those numbers off without hesitation. Now ask them what board they are finishing on and what board the ball is released on, and you will most likely get a puzzled look or a shrug of the shoulders. The question then becomes, “How can you connect where you start and where you want the ball to be at your target if you have no idea where things are at the release point?” Fair question, and one that has to be able to be answered. This common problem is the source of a lot of inaccuracies that the bowlers mistakingly assign to their physical games. All it really is in a lot of cases is they are misaligned to the target line they are intending to play. It just requires a move right or left in the stance to finish at the one place they need to in order to hit the entire target line for 60 feet of the lane, and now your intention and execution are one in the same. For bowlers to be aware of this is huge, but they also need to know their drift and their lay down distance at release (number of boards bottom of ball is from inside of finishing foot at release). This brief and easy education can make a bigger difference than the bowler probably realizes. So, at your next practice get those two very important numbers for your game. The drift you can easily determine by making note of the inside of your finish foot in the stance and in the finish. You will need a pair of trained eyes or a video of your release to determine your lay down distance.