Trust Your Bowling Ball Reaction

By: bowlingball.com
Date: Originally Posted: 9/15/15; Updated: 3/14/21

If you are a 130 - 165 average bowler who has already developed a hook ball delivery style, then trust your bowling ball reaction.

Reading the lanes and then making an adjustment if your bowling ball does not react right when you make a good shot is an important part of the game.

When you roll the ball accurately over your spot on the lane where your ball normally hits the pocket and then you see your ball either hook onto the head pin squarely or cross over the the opposite pocket, you need to make an adjustment in your alignment for your next shot on the same lane.

The same is true if your ball skids too far and barely hits the head pin or misses the head pin entirely, you must make an adjustment next time you bowl on that lane.

Trusting your ball reaction and what you see on the lane and then adjusting to the lane condition is how you can raise your average or improve your strike percentage.

No question that is you hit the pocket at an increased percentage, you will strike at an increased rate. More strikes equals higher scores.

Usually you get a few minutes of warm-up time to begin your league bowling. When you are warming up on a pair of lanes for leagues or tournaments, you must read the lanes and align yourself to the pocket by adjusting your feet positioning on the approach and correspondingly your spot on the lane.

If you start by lining up in your usual position on the approach and roll a good shot over your spot on the lane, you should be able to see your ball end up pretty close to the pocket because the lanes are typically close to the same each week you bowl in a given league.

In the event your ball misses the pocket, don’t freeze up and force the next shot over the same spot on the lane and without adjusting your feet on the approach unless you know you made a poor shot.

When you make a good shot and miss the pocket, make an adjustment.

The rules of thumb are that when you miss the pocket to the right, move right. Move your feet and spot on the lane together in the same direction with your feet positioning adjusted at least twice as many boards as your spot on the lane.

When you miss the pocket left, adjust to the left.



By remaining aligned on the same board on the approach and rolling your ball at the same spot when the lane conditions call for an adjustment means you will consistently miss the pocket and struggle to get a good score.

Trust your initial reads, adjust as needed using your most reliable techniques, and have your favorite bowling ball ready for use.