Bowling Real Estate
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Originally Posted: 10/1/2014; Updated: 9/9/2022When you deliver your bowling ball, you have some bowling real estate to cover before the ball makes impact with the pins. The distance from foul line to the pocket is about 60 feet so there is time for your bowling ball to make moves you do not want nor predict will happen.
The variables involved in ball motion include, your ball speed, axis tilt, rev rate, delivery path angle, loft, the oil pattern, and the smoothness and levelness of the lane itself.
You can control some of these variables but not all of them. You cannot control the friction factor from lane to lane, the level areas of the lane, and areas of the lane where a depression in the lane is worn due to countless numbers of balls delivered tracking through the same areas of the given lane.
The oil pattern applied to the lane surfaces across the center can be close to identical volumes and ratios of oil applied in similar areas of the lane. The lanes almost always vary in skid distance and back end hook because of the levelness of each lane, because of these depressions in the track area, and because of friction factors caused by humidity, temperature, and moisture in the air as you cross the center.
In the end, all you can do is try to address the variables you can control. Try to regulate your ball speed and loft distance so you can expect similar skid distances from shot to shot. Try to deliver your ball at the same path angle from release point toward the break point repeatedly.
Avoid variations in your release technique unless you have chosen to make a release adjustment in given situations. Of course, you can change bowling balls to alter your ball reaction.
Don’t expect each lane on each pair of lanes to provide the identical ball reaction.
Be ready to make adjustments as you cross pairs in tournaments or as your pair gets more and more linage in league play.
Reading the bowling lanes makes the difference between good results and poor ones.
It is important to learn to read the lanes and develop a strategy in doing so. Knowing in advance that the lanes themselves will cause ball reaction variations from frame to frame even if you make a quality shot will keep you prepared to adjust as needed. If you have no current system in place to read the lanes or to make adjustments, we recommend you consult your local pro shop professional or bowling instructor to develop a strategy to do so.
Expect each lane on each pair of lanes to be slightly mismatched. Avoid the trap of playing the lanes the same way every frame and every game you bowl.
Expect the unexpected as your bowling ball traverses the bowling real estate.
