Bowling And Reading The Lanes
By: bowlingball.com, 3/20/16
Updated 11/16/2020If you are a reasonably new bowler trying to develop a hook delivery and wish to learn more about what makes your bowling ball break, the answer is straightforward. Bowling and reading the lanes are linked.
The ball will follow its path based upon the speed the ball travels, friction on the lane surface, the type of ball you use, and your release technique.
In bowling, we cannot see the invisible lane oil lubricant used to protect the lane surface from excessive friction caused by bowling balls rolling down the lanes.
Lane oil, primarily a mineral oil substance, is applied from the foul line down the lane usually up to 42 feet maximum distance or slightly less.
The cross lane ratio of oil application, the down lane ratio of oil application, and the volume of oil used to create the given oil pattern all contribute to how your bowling ball will react.
Add in the force of gravity, inertia, which slows the travel speed of your ball on its way to the pins creates the overall ball motion you can easily notice.
The lane oil pattern coupled with the friction factor of the lane surface determine how your bowling ball will react. The process in reading the lanes is tricky because of the non-visibility of the oil placement.
You must learn to read the bowling lane by means of observing your ball reaction.
In bowling, your adjustments are based on previous ball reactions. You may determine if you need to adjust laterally, change your ball speed or release which in turn alters the projection skid distance your ball travels before hooking, or if you are better off changing bowling balls.
Reading the bowling lanes makes the difference between good players and less than successful players.
If you have no current system or lane reading strategy in place, then it is advised to consult with an experience bowling instructor to you get assistance in doing so.
Your ability to read the lanes and make sensible and effective adjustments as oil conditions change makes all the difference between good scoring and poor scoring.
As you develop in the game, playing the lanes is an integral part of bowling consistently high scores.
Avoid the trap of playing the lanes the same way every game you bowl and making no adjustments whatsoever if you expect to improve your score results.
Just as reading the golf greens is important for successful golf putting results, so is reading the bowling lanes accurately for good scoring results.
