Adjust Your Bowling Target Up And Down The Lane

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 2/8/2013; Updated 12/10/2020

When trying to play the lanes, you may generally use a proven system of making lateral moves with the positioning of your feet on the approach and with your sighting target on the lane. These type of adjustments are referred to many times in other "BowlVersity" articles on our site.

The parallel adjustments system requires adjusting your feet on the approach and on the lane in the same direction, but with a different ratio of adjustments.

There are times when moving your feet and sighting target creates an undesirable ball reaction and you don't get the pin carry you should for the number of times you are hitting the pocket. In this case, perhaps using sight adjustments closer to the foul line or farther beyond the bowling arrows will help you.

All successful bowlers have a system for making lane play adjustments. Sighting closer or farther down the lane are options which can help you maintain your present strategy in lining up to the pocket and making carry adjustments with respect to lane oil conditions.

For example, if you sight at a target at or near the bowling arrows to adjust for your bowling ball reacting too soon, you can extend your line of sight farther beyond your mark on the lane by looking about 6 inches beyond your mark. A 6 inch extended sight adjustment can help you gain additional bowling ball skid length and slightly postpone the ball reaction in the mid lane. The result of extending your visual sighting beyond your mark is a slight increase in ball skid and longer skid length.

The opposite adjustment of sighting nearer (about 6 inches in front of your mark), will reduce bowling ball skid length slightly and help you get your ball into a roll more quickly to combat heavy oil conditions. In this case, the result is slightly less ball speed causing an earlier rolling motion and increased traction in heavy oil.

Extending or reducing your sight distances up and down the lane are adjustments you can use prior to moving your feet and sighting target laterally.


Some experimentation is necessary to gain a precise sighting distance increase or decrease to gain the altered ball reaction you seek.

When making extended or reduced sighting adjustments you must make certain that you maintain good form and balance when delivering your bowling ball. Although there are several other options available to you for playing lanes and making adjustments, this simple sighting adjustment is one that deserves your attention.

No lane adjustment system is perfect or fool proof. However, adjustments are a huge part of success when trying to play lanes after oil breakdown or carrydown has occurred.

Do not fear changing your sighting target either laterally or up and down the lane. Adjusting to changing lane conditions is an integral part of the game and a key to scoring success.