Starting Off on the Right Foot

League season is upon us! Hopefully, your summer has crawled by and you’ve been having a lot of fun with family and friends. It’s been a very exciting time in the bowling world between the PBA, PWBA, Junior Gold, Bowl Expo, and a lot of great new products coming out.

Many of you haven’t thrown a ball or stepped inside a bowling center since leagues ended in the spring, while others have practiced every week making changes for the upcoming season. Either way, it’s important that we are ready to go on the first night of competition. Too often I hear students say they don’t feel comfortable until the second half of the year or until after a few weeks once they’ve gotten back into a rhythm. Let’s see if we can fast-track that a little, shall we?

In this article, we’ll go over a few things we all should be taking care of, in no particular order. We’ll start on the equipment side of things and then talk about some of the on-lane things you can do to get sharp quickly.

Equipment considerations

Bowlers have a lot of equipment. From bowling balls to rosin bags, there’s a lot that goes into being prepared for league or tournament play. Here’s what you should be doing to start the season on the right foot.

Bowling balls

I think this is the best time to review your arsenal and kick some balls to the curb. I’m sure there are a couple of pieces that underperformed last season, or whose performance had declined by the end of the year. This is normal. This could be due to age or the simple fact that you don’t like them anymore because your game has changed. The best thing to do is not fight it and simply move on. It’s also okay to cry a little, but then take ...