Does your swing have to go close to your slide foot ankle to be a good bowler.......

[Hammer]

I have been bowling for 42 years. I don't think my swing goes close to my ankle but I still can bowl good games. I am on a senior league and a lot of the old bowlers don't come close to their slide foot ankle at all and they throw plastic straight balls. I can bowl anywhere on the lane from straight down the boards over the ten board or I can move all the way to the right and throw over the center arrow to get to the pocket. Sometimes I have to adjust that depending on how the ball hits the pocket and what it leaves. I get a lot of nine count spares if I don't strike. I was going to have my teammate watch my swing to see where my ball passes by my ankle. I am left handed by the way. So anyone have thoughts about this?

[J Anderson]

I have been bowling for 42 years. I don't think my swing goes close to my ankle but I still can bowl good games. I am on a senior league and a lot of the old bowlers don't come close to their slide foot ankle at all and they throw plastic straight balls. I can bowl anywhere on the lane from straight down the boards over the ten board or I can move all the way to the right and throw over the center arrow to get to the pocket. Sometimes I have to adjust that depending on how the ball hits the pocket and what it leaves. I get a lot of nine count spares if I don't strike. I was going to have my teammate watch my swing to see where my ball passes by my ankle. I am left handed by the way. So anyone have thoughts about this?

Generally speaking, the closer your ball is to your ankle/lower leg the more you will be in balance as you execute the shot. This usually leads to better accuracy and consistency. However after 40+ years you have probaly developed enough consistency to score well without being text book perfect.

[Aslan]

Generally speaking, the closer your ball is to your ankle/lower leg the more you will be in balance as you execute the shot. This usually leads to better accuracy and consistency. However after 40+ years you have probaly developed enough consistency to score well without being text book perfect.

Thats what I was going to say. I'm not in my upper 70s...but I definitely am not in the kind of health/shape where I can bend my knee enough to get the ball close to the lane...like the guys that release the ball and it makes virtually no sound. I have to incorporate a little bit of loft just because I can't get that low to the ground. Is it "ideal"? No. Close to the lane and 2-3 inches from my slide foot would be "ideal". But, like JA said...bowling is largely about doing the "same" thing in a repeatable fashion...not necessarily the "ideal" thing.

Would I benefit from losing weight and getting to a point where I can get that ball consistently below my knee when I release it? Absolutely. It makes staying behind the ball much, much easier when you're releasing it lower because your hand will naturally be behind the ball. More revs, better angles, etc... versus a higher release where the tendency is to "suitcase release" the ball. But I can probably average 185-205 releasing it where I release it...especially if I make my spares. Getting in the 205-225 range may require a change in my release point.