Common Physical Errors – Part 1

Before starting, it’s important to point out that I do not have a formal background in kinetics or physical fitness. Everything I know about biomechanics has been learned through experience, discussions with experts on the subject, and unofficial learning on my own. That being said, one of the most common issues that I see in bowling is the inability of bowlers and coaches to recognize important physical implications to common technical errors in a person’s game.

Over the next few months, I want to start to address some of these common problems and look at them both from the technical point of view as well as the physical one. We’ll start this month by examining the role of sliding leg knee bend and subsequent knee continuation through the finish position.

Knee bend through the finish position

One of the fundamental elements of the game of bowling that really hasn’t changed much over the years is having an appropriate knee bend through the slide and release portions of the approach. Nowadays we look for both knee bend and knee continuation as two of the key elements of the modern game.

Knee continuation is the action where the knee continues to move forward after the foot has come to a stop in the slide. This allows the bowler to maintain more stability and also improves the power flow from the feet to the upper body when transferring energy to the ball.

Often, bowlers will have a poor ...