Watch Your Bowling Ball Travel Down The Lane

By: bowlingball.com,  Originally Posted: 7/18/17; Updated 12/11/20

As a new bowler or someone trying to take a step to the next performance level, watch your bowling ball travel down the lane.

The feedback you receive watching the ball motion can steer you to making the best adjustment decisions as needed.

There are three phases of ball motion; the skid phase, the hook phase, and the roll phase.

Think of the lane as divided into three sections down the lane about 20 feet distance per section.

The first section is where the ball leaves your hand and skids toward the next section, the mid-lane.

In the first section, your bowling ball travels its fastest speed caused by your delivery technique and by the heaviest concentration of lane oil conditioner applied to the lane surface.

The mid-lane section is where the second phase of ball motion, the hook phase, occurs.

Coupled with your ball leaving its skid phase and with less concentration of lane oil, your ball will change directions slightly and hook (if you deliver a hook release or are using a reactive resin ball) toward the pocket down the lane.

The hook phase is not as visibly noticeable as is the final phase of motion (the roll phase) beginning about two thirds distance down the lane.

The point where your ball changes direction toward the pocket most noticeably begins at the breakpoint, the beginning of the back end of the lane.

If your ball does not contact the pocket solidly and misses either left or right of the pocket, and if you know you made a good delivery, an adjustment will be required next time you bowl on that lane.

If you bowl without watching your ball closely and notice where it breaks and how sharply the ball changes direction at the breakpoint, you will not be able to make a definitive decision how to adjust the next time.

Silly as it seems, many bowlers will deliver their bowling ball with blind faith, hope, and desperation expecting somehow that the ball will end up hitting the pocket and getting a strike.

The game is far more technical for relying on fate to guide your ball to the pocket. As much as we bowlers like to joke or "kid" about throwing the ball and hoping for the best, paying close attention to your ball motion is key to a successful game/delivery. 

To learn more about adjustment options available to you, consult an experienced bowling instructor who can best advise you how to align to the pocket and adjust as lane conditions change.

Your best bet always is to watch your ball as closely as you can and react accordingly by using one of several adjustment option available to your game. In order to gain a reliable ball reaction repeatedly, you must develop good ball speed control and skid distance control. Your release technique must be consistent and produce an effective ball motion you can control. The first and most important step in improving your game is to watch your bowling ball travel down the lane and trust what you see.

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