Understanding the ball motion is an important factor in reaching your optimum scoring potential. You have better chances to hit a strike if the ball travels to the pin deck in a curved trajectory and knocks the pins down at a certain angle. When we roll the ball down the lane it goes through three phases: skid, hook and roll. These three phases are physically accurate. Let’s take a closer look at them.
SKID
The ball comes off the bowlers hand in the front part of the lane with the fastest speed, in a mathematically linear path. The force from the ball’s speed exceeds the force from the revolution rate. As the ball travels down the lane, the friction between the ball and the lane reduces the ball’s speed and increases the ball’s rev rate depending on the oil pattern chosen.
HOOK
Once the ball approaches a ‘dry’ non-oiled area of the lane, it normally transits into a curved shape phase. This non-linear parabolic portion of the ball path is called a ‘hook’. The more hook you generate, the greater the ball entry angle is which gives you better chances to hit a strike.
ROLL
Finally, in the back end of the lane just before knocking the pins down, the ball migrates to a linear path again.
This knowledge comes in handy, when you choose a shot style and an oil pattern that match your needs most, so you can calibrate your bowling for the best performance both in our game and in the real life!
