Lateral spine tilt is necessary in order to create space for your swing and to add leverage to your release position. But be careful: too much spine tilt can cause injury.
You want to create only enough spine tilt so that the arm and ball can pass by your body, which varies according to your body type. Bowlers with wide shoulders and narrow hips will require less than bowlers with narrow shoulders and wider hips. Any gap between the body and armswing implies an excessive amount of spine tilt.
Lateral spine tilt can be developed safely by practicing three different areas of the bowling approach:
- The stance: Start by tilting to the side, effectively dropping your bowling shoulder below your balance arm shoulder. Remember to still have a 90 degree angle between your shoulders and spine.
- The crossover step: Many bowlers who start relatively straight up in the stance create space for their swing during this step. Use the ball start drill to create the right position.
- The slide/release area: Use release and slide drills to practice maintaining the spine tilt you created earlier in the approach. Focus on getting the head over the ball at release.
(More information about the ball start drill, the release drill, and the slide drill is available in these premium member articles.)