Due to the high cost of gas, work schedule, lane fees, etc. I'm only getting in 20-40 frames of practice per week. Are there any usefull drills or exercises I can do in the comfort of my own home? I need work on ALL aspects of my game; I only started bowling again a month ago after a very long layoff

I like to practice my approach when I'm out in my garage smoking a cig. No real need for the bowling ball in hand, as I just work on the fundamentals of my steps. When the woman isn't home, I'll grab my bowling ball and work on "catching" the ball. Basically work on the loose arm swing while releasing the ball into the couch.

In Joe Slowinski’s book, “Bowler Reference System”, he says that with just a 10 minute commitment each day, this drill will help you by improving your timing as well as freeing up your swing. In this drill, you will take the first two steps of a full approach. But, the ball will swing twice. After the first swing, you will pause, then pushaway and let the ball swing freely again. The beauty of this drill is that it can be done at home, or on the lanes.

Set-up in the stance and step one:
He recommends placing the non-slide shoe one inch (2.5cm) in front of the slide shoe. Place the ball in front of the shoulder with your elbow at your side. This will form a 90 degree angle between the shoulder, elbow and hand. The hand should be directly under the ball with the non ball side hand under the ball for support.

After setting-up, take one natural step with the slide foot without moving the ball. He advocates not sliding the slide foot on the first step. Bowling has many different approach surfaces. Each has a different amount of friction. So the length can be changed due to friction. Rather, a natural first step is the best practice for consistency.

Think step – push. Step – push – relax. Before you start, say to yourself, “My swing is free, smooth and light.”

Joe Slowinski, has written one of the best books for teaching the modern game of bowling, this is just one of the many helpful drills and tips.

You can buy it here: http://www.bowlingsbookstore.com/catbkins2.html?mgiToken=469E7616681CF178#Bowler%20Reference%20System

Hi Dave,

This past year I have not done much practice in the two houses where I bowl due to some physical problems. I save myself for league.

I do practice at home. My practice consists of going through my delivery just short of actually releasing the ball. The practice is done in my family room which has a hardwood floor. I use the maple floor boards to simulate the approach in a real setting. I have two sets of tape on the floor - one set for my feet and the other set for my armswing. At the end of my approach is a full length mirror which I use as a visual check to see if my footwork and armswing are straight and that the ball ends up close to my ankle at the end of my approach.

The one thing that my home practice cannot do is check my timing.
My timing is something that I have to do during warmup in my league. In adjusting my timing during warmup I keep my ball position at waist high constant but adjust my timing in how my right foot is in relation to my left foot. By positioning my right foot forward or back while my left foot remains stable, my timing is affected.

I also have an old lazy boy chair in my family room which I use to check my release.

Thanks for the suggestions. Since I live in a slightly cluttered apartment, I'm not sure I should be swinging the ball around in there. But I can work on my steps.

Now, if I owned my own house and had about 25' of room in the basement, it'd be great to have a "stub lane." I'll put that on the to-buy list for when I hit the lottery

Oh man, this would be perfect for practice at home:
Patent # 3423088

Where do we purchase one? LOL

I always think about when my Dad was practicing with bowling ball in hand and lost control and threw it through the wall when I was little. To this day I will not practice with a bowling ball in my hand in the house.

Well, luckily I have a basement so something like that would be awesome!

I used to release my ball into an overstuffed chair, until I broke the wood frame.