Newcomers to ten pin bowling often watch in amazement as the more experienced players roll the ball out on the lane, seemingly away from the target, and it zooms back into the 1-3 'pocket' and smashes the pins into kingdom come.
Why is bowling so more that way?
In a few words - to counter deflection !
A ball rolling straight down the lane, no matter at what speed, will be quickly deflected off-line when it hits the head pin. This 3 1/2 Ib. block of maple, with its nine brothers, becomes a formidable wall. Watch the path of a ball as it hits the pins and you'll be very surprised at the path it takes before it drops into the pit.
So, a ball entering the strike zone, which we call the 'pocket', between the 1-3 pins for a right-hander, 1-2 for a leftie, coming into the pins at an angle of around four to six degrees will drive through the Pack, hitting the 1-3-5-9 pins (1-2-5-8 lefties) These key pins interact to clear the deck and award the welcome 'X' on the score sheet or monitor.
Adapting your delivery of the bowling ball to the hook shot sounds easy, but it takes quite some time to master as a consistent and natural reaction.
The arm and wrist should be a straight line as the ball passes over the foul line on the last step of your approach. The fingers should be in a 'four o'clock' position behind the ball for right-handed players, 'eight o'clock' for southpaws. With to hand, arm and fingers in the correct position, the thumb will come out the ball first, then the fingers will 'I the ball and send it on its way with rotation towards the target Kinel energy will take the ball through to first part of the lane, conditioned with a lubricant. Then, when the ball gets to the drier part of the lane it will ate to roll. Finally, the 'spin' on the ball will make it grab the lane and hook into the pins
Rolling a straight ball. you D or have to take many variables in account. But change to a hook and. you have to learn to read the lanes Each and every lane in the country i different Lane conditioning pattern are different Surfaces change according to heat and humidity Wood lanes have different grains 01 yes, change to a hook and you game becomes a challenge, but the improved scoring, once your get to grips with the delivery, will be well worth the increased effort an concentration.
Extract taken from World Of Tenpin May/June 1992
updated: 10th August 1995