Straightening Bowling Steps with the Tape Line Drill

We always have that stigma about, do we walk straight, which way do we go, is it a direction? And the thing I've come up with over the years, and it's with some help of some good USBC coaches and some assistance of trying to learn the best way to teach the player. There's been many things talking about where we feel like the player has to walk a tight rope so that they're making sure that their feet continuously stay on the same path towards a target. Now, players are going to drift a little bit right or a little bit left, but what this drill is trying to get you to do is to try to get the opposite of many other drills. We're trying to get at that left foot. For me, as a left-handed bowler, continues to cross in front of us, continues. We always talk about the crossover and the pusher that crossover in that first step for a four-step or second step for, for a five-step bowler. But the crossover move is so important. It lets the hip. As we get into that position we take the first step, we pushed away on the second. We want that crossover and the crossover as the ball drops into the swing, let's that hip open. Now, if you notice my left foot stays on to the piece of tape which makes it feel like once again I'm walking the tight rope. So as the ball goes back into the swing, once again that fourth step for me should be across over the toe turns out which lets the hip open. And then as I come into the bottom of the swing, once again I still finish up right next to the tape. Now I urge you to use some blue masking tape. It's a really smooth tape that even if a bowler slides on it, there's not going to be too much friction. We don't have to worry about them sticking and falling down. But the biggest thing about understanding the tape drill is that you can get the player to understand walking in a consistent direction to make the target and understanding their drift as well too. So myself, I drift about two boards in my approach. So I've set the tape up to allow for the two board drift but making sure that I stay consistent when I do this. And as a coach or player, I would ask that you you probably bolt eight to 10 frames with the tape on the approach and if you use it and we use it correctly if I stand up here and I can look and I'm still looking at my target down the lane but what I can always still see is that nice bright blue piece of tape on the approach which lets me and a bowl as a bowler get the feel of I'm still walking down the line. So coaches, players, it's an easy, quick drill but I would ask you, get the approval of your bowling center manager or owner that you're going to put some tape on their approach and make sure that when you do get done, you do peel it up and make sure you don't leave any residue on the approach. And it should be a great drill to help you and your player both.