(Crossover step) Bowling Footwork videos

[bowl1820]

Bowling Footwork | USBC Bowling Academy

[bowl1820]

Creating a Consistent Bowling Swing | USBC Bowling Academy

Team USA Head Coach Rod Ross and Assistant Head Coach Kim Terrell-Kearney teach you how to create a more consistent approach to the line. By using two strips of tape to lay out a guideline to your approach, this drill will help you draw the ball back in a straight line rather than pulling it around your leg, which will aid in consistency.

[bowl1820]

Week 3: Approach & Steps Drill

Teen Masters Skill Experience video #3 in a series of 10 from the experts at the Kegel Training Center.

[bowl1820]

Pin Pointers - The Bowling Approach and Timing - Four and Five Step

[Phonetek]

I may be splitting hairs but I do have to disagree with the term "cross over" step because it's misleading. Now that I look at it in these videos your not really CROSSING OVER your left foot in the literal sense, your simply stepping in front of where your left foot started. Not quite heel toe because it's farther apart but in line with your left foot like a balance beam. Crossing over would imply that you are actually stepping to the left of your left foot hence "crossing" and "over" meaning over the top. Your really not crossing or going over anything just simply in front of. "Front step" would be a more accurate term in the literal sense in my opinion. Seeing those videos I understand it better and I won't feel like I'm playing Twister in my approach.

I know this term has probably been around for decades but it doesn't clearly state what you are trying to accomplish. If you truly crossed over your left foot you wouldn't need to worry about your second step because you'd instantly trip yourself and perform a face plant. Which is exactly what was happening minus the face plant because I was stepping too far left. Too far to be correct, not far enough to trip myself but enough to throw me WAY out of whack. Again, splitting hairs I know and I know I'm about to get an earful for this but go ahead.

[bowl1820]

I may be splitting hairs but I do have to disagree with the term "cross over" step because it's misleading. Now that I look at it in these videos your not really CROSSING OVER your left foot in the literal sense, your simply stepping in front of where your left foot started. Not quite heel toe because it's farther apart but in line with your left foot like a balance beam. Crossing over would imply that you are actually stepping to the left of your left foot hence "crossing" and "over" meaning over the top. Your really not crossing or going over anything just simply in front of. "Front step" would be a more accurate term in the literal sense in my opinion. Seeing those videos I understand it better and I won't feel like I'm playing Twister in my approach.

The balance beam analogy is used a lot as a way to better explain "crossover", Coach Merrill even used it in his critique of your video:

Back view:
1) Your first step in B2 needs to be in front of your left foot. Much like walking on the balance beam in gymnastics.


Misleading as crossover maybe, that's the the term used mostly. But It all depends on how you want to look at it also, You could say crossover is referring to the step your foot makes crossing over the midline of your body to the other side.

or its crossing over from right to left (left to right)

Or as "Mo Pinel said:
"To get technical, we have two types of steps. They are the "balance beam" step and the "cross over" step. A "balance beam" step is placing the foot directly in front of the previous step. If you cross back over after a balance beam step, it is called a crossover step."

Here's a excerpt from the BTM article Starting From the Ground Up – Part 1 Footwork: The foundation of effectiveness
https://www.bowlingthismonth.com/bow...und-up-part-1/

"With today’s modern game, explaining footwork direction can look like one of those dancing diagrams with precise foot placement. Your slide leg and foot should always go straight, while your non-slide leg should be crossover steps. In order to promote an efficient armswing, high level bowlers will walk around their swing by crossing their ball side foot in front of their slide foot. This promotes opening the hips and efficient use of your core in generating and transferring energy to the ball as well as allowing the swing plane to be straight.

The power step is also a crossover step, often with an open facing toe to further open the hips and push into the slide. Again, a bowler’s power should be derived more from their legs than their arms, as the leg muscles are much larger and stronger. This also promotes a straight swing plane and is specifically why walking right (for righties) is inefficient.

By walking into the path of the ball, you force the body and arm to correct/change the swing path, resulting in inefficiency. Again, the body’s priority is self-preservation so maintaining balance and avoiding hitting itself with a 15 pound object is more important than throwing a good bowling shot, no matter how much you want to do it. By using inefficient movements, you will inevitably ask your body to make that choice and it will always choose itself over your desire to strike."

[Phonetek]

In a nutshell we agree on the term being misleading then. When you say it's crossing over the rest of the body, I agree. Yet when I hear cross step, steps really only make me focus on the feet not their relationship in which they are to the rest of the body. Again, I'm splitting hairs. Yes, Mr. Merrill did say I lacked the cross step and did use the balance beam analogy. That's why I tried to incorporate it to begin with. However once I got to the lanes the analogy escaped me and I focused on the literal term. That's why I had the trouble I did. Terms like "cross body step" or "front step" as I said before would have worked better for me to remember. I'm a very literal guy mainly because I'm technical minded, I can't help it. Unless an analogy is colorful I tend to dismiss them. =)

[mx1alex]

Let me preface all of this by saying I've been bowling for a whole 6 months now. But I have watched all of these videos and others but I find little information on direction to walk or what board to finish on compared to when starting. It doesn't seem right for me to walk parallel to the lanes if I'm releasing the ball at board 20 and want it to hook at board 9. Don't I want to keep my swing path inline with my initial trajectory down the lane?

[Phonetek]

I was always taught to walk parallel. Your left foot ends on the same board it started on. Say I'm shooting a 10 pin cross lane...on my first step I would do my push away toward the opposite corner, that changes the trajectory of my arm swing. On the front swing it would make me release toward my target being the 10 pin. If I pushed off toward the 10 pin then my instinct would be to pull the ball. So if the target is right, I push away left. Target left, push away right. Either way 7 or 10 pin, 20 board or 1 board the feet walk straight. Once again that's probably the old school of thought like everything else I do with this game but that's how I was taught.

Others feel walking toward your target is the way to go. I don't know the "current" thinking.

[boatman37]

Same here. I always walk a straight line no matter where I am throwing (well as straight as my drunk looking approach is...lol). Always worked for me. I swing my arm up as if I am going to shake hands with my mark so my swing isn't always in line with my walk.

He is my 'drunken' approach...lol > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgCCxqR6Lm8