Reading The Bowling Lanes

By: bowlingball.com, 9/15/16

If you are an advanced bowler and one who has had plenty of experience bowling in competitive leagues or tournaments, you undoubtedly recognize that reading the bowling lanes is essential in getting off to a good start in your competitions.

As a talented player, you will agree when reading the lanes it is extremely important to make a quick decision about the oil pattern so you can shorten the wait time in hitting the pocket effectively.

Once you determine how you wish to play the lanes, you likely must also anticipate having to make adjustments to your initial alignment to the pocket as you move through your competitive session of bowling.

Use your favorite ball when delivering warm up shots.

Trust your ball reaction and what you see related to lane conditions once you deliver your first good shot.

If your ball does not end up in the pocket solidly when delivering a good shot, then you face making some form of adjustment whether it is a ball change or a change in your alignment or release technique.

Go through your proven progression of adjustments until you are able to hit the pocket. Any progression of adjustments you must choose from should be established in practice before entering competition.

Any player who can make the quickest and most effective “lane reads” will make the right adjustment in the shortest amount of time and get off to a fast start in the first game.

Your challenge is to quickly choose the best ball for the pattern from your equipment arsenal. Usually the coverstock preparation when changing bowling balls to match best with the friction factor created by the given oil pattern is your first consideration when switching bowling balls.

Also, you must prioritize other adjustments you have proven to work during previous competitions such as ball speed changes, loft distance changes, alignment changes, sighting changes, and release technique adjustments.

Use the adjustment you sense will be the best for you to begin bowling using and if you still encounter difficulty in getting the ball reaction which leads to hitting the pocket consistently, move to your next best adjustment in your progression.

If that does not work, move to your next best adjustment and so on until you finally are aligned to the pocket.

In most cases, you will be able to tell which adjustment, including a ball change, will be the most effective based on your game.

Getting off to a good start is every bowler’s challenge. Getting lined up fast and trusting your ability to make quality shots are the chief ingredients to early bowling success in any competition. It all starts by first reading the lanes and then using any necessary adjustment you may need to align to the pocket and then focus on making one good shot at a time. Reading the lanes is your key to winning bowling.

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