Coach, I’ve Got a Question! – February 2025

In this recurring feature, I answer questions from Bowling This Month readers and bowlers that I work with. If you have questions, please leave them in the comment section below so I can address them in a future installment of Coach, I’ve Got a Question!

I have an issue where my fourth step (out of five) goes out to the right (I’m righthanded) instead of being in line with my third step. What could be the cause of that, and how can I fix it?

This is a fairly common issue that can have a few potential underlying causes. Before going into those, I just want to clarify something about the positioning of this step. The second-to-last step of the approach shouldn’t necessarily be directly in line with the previous one. However, it also shouldn’t be going to the outside. It should be straight or slightly inside, depending on your game and body type.

Referring to the image below from Bowling 2.0: Footwork by Juha Maja, your second-to-last step can be in the green channel without it being an issue. It’s only once you start stepping into the red channel that you’re inhibiting the swing path.

Why are you stepping to the outside?

There are a few reasons why a bowler’s footwork might be going out of line here. Most of the reasons are related to your center of gravity. Remember that getting a strike is not your body’s primary concern while walking. Its primary concern is keeping you from falling over.

For a righthander taking a five-step approach, if your center of gravity is too far outside of your left foot in the third step, your body will naturally send your right foot to the outside so you can keep your balance. With this in mind, let’s look at the ...