Finish Position Training with Slider Exercises
Leah ZahnerDescription
Bowling’s finish position is rigorous in nature. Think about it, all of the speed from your footwork culminates into a slide and stop at the foul line all while holding onto and releasing a heavy object, repeatedly. That repetitive behavior adds up, and can take a toll on the body.
Slider exercises are great for strengthening your lower body and improving balance. Most sliders come with two different sides. One side is soft and the other is hard. The soft side is used for harder surfaces like wood, tile, and laminate floors, whereas the hard side is designed to allow you to slide on the carpet.
Because sliders are inherently unstable, any slider exercise will work your body harder, resulting in improved balance and stability. Using only your body weight, slider exercises challenge your balance and incorporate your core throughout the exercises. Start by purchasing two sliders. You can find them for less than $15.
Step 1
Place the slider underneath the foot of your trail leg.
Step 2
Slide your trail leg back behind your slide leg.
Step 3
Bend down allowing your trail leg to slide into position and then stand back up.
This exercise builds strength in your lower body helping to add balance and stability in the finish position at the foul line when posting your shot. Try to keep your shoulders square and your core engaged throughout the entirety of this exercise.
It’s important to switch legs when you are finished with your dominant side to avoid imbalances in the future. Shot repeatability is the name of the game in bowling. If you can post your shot every time you bowl, you will hit your target more, which leads to increased scores and averages.
Strengthening your core and strengthening your knees is mandatory for bowlers of all ages and skill sets when working to improve bowing performance and helping to avoid injury.