Develop A Pure Bowling Swing

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted; 5/4/2013; Updated: 6/26/2021

There has been much talk about the notion of a gravity bowling swing. A gravity swing simply means one which uses the natural forces of Mother Earth to help swing the bowling ball instead of you, as a bowler, using muscle tension to control the swing.


 The objective is to develop a pure bowling swing which works for your game. If you are a “power” player and use quick feet and a fast swing tempo with a strong release creating a high rev-rate, you can develop your own pure swing. A pure swing for you as a “power” player is one which allows you to impart the strong rev-rate on your bowling ball while controlling your ball speed and loft distance.


 Although as a “power” player you might use more muscle control than a free swinging “stroker” type player, you can still rely on the forces of gravity to help control the pace of your swing cycle.


 In fact, many successful “power” players trust their swing without using arm tension, but rather cleverly use wrist control and swing dynamics to generate a great deal of power coupled with use of a deep knee flex action and a long slide for stability when delivering the bowling ball.


 If you are a free swinging “stroker” type player not relying on a forceful release but one who makes a smooth rotation of the ball, perhaps only one or two inches of rotation, you can use a slower and longer swing motion on both your backswing and your forward swing. In most cases, “stroker” type players do not hurry the steps when walking to the foul line.


 The objective of all styles of players is to coordinate the swing cycle with the steps so the pace of the footwork matches the pace of the swing.


 It can be said that when the feet are matched with the swing tempo, the timing is good and the bowler will be in a good position to deliver the bowling ball accurately.


 When a bowler has good timing, a pure swing is developed at the natural tempo for the given bowler’s style of play.
One property of a pure bowling swing is the repetitive rhythm of the swing cycle. Each swing takes the identical amount of time to make a complete cycle and deliver the ball.


 A benefit of having a pure and repetitive swing is speed control. When you have good ball speed control, you can make sensible alignment decisions in playing the lanes.
Successful players make good adjustments. If a good bowler no longer hits the pocket consistently, an adjustment is forthcoming.
Using speed and loft distance control developed by your pure swing, you can react to changes in lane conditions and make adjustments to read the lanes and see your ball return to hitting the pocket consistently.



 All successful players have repetitive bowling swings. One factor common to all successful swings is the use of the force of nature to aide the swing process.
When you hear the term “gravity swing”, you are hearing about an effortless swing motion where a given bowler relies on the force of gravity to swing the heavy weight of a bowling ball by using little or no arm tension.


 Next time you take to the practice lanes and wish to work on your swing, pay attention to maintaining a consistent tempo through the entire swing cycle. Align your swing path to match with your sighting target and selected delivery path. It is amazing how well you can bowl when your swing is pure and your timing is good.