Watch Your Bowling Ball Closely

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 10/4/2013; Updated: 2/26/2023

We all understand how important it is to keep our eyes closely watching our bowling ball on its path down the lane. There are key things to focus most attention on when you deliver your ball.
1. Watch your bowling ball pass over your “spot” on the lane. Your “spot” is your sighting target.
2. Watch your ball closely and observe the rev-rate and axis tilt as it enters the mid lane.
If you see your ball rotating with varying amounts of axis tilt, you will know that your release is also varying.
Strive for a consistent delivery resulting in a similar “look” as your ball rolls down the lane from shot to shot.
3. Watch where your ball changes directions first in the mid-lane and next on the back end.
If your ball hooks sooner than intended and you feel as though you made a good release, your ball is over-reacting on the lane condition and some form of adjustment will be needed on your next shot. The same holds true if your ball skids noticeably longer than other shots on the same lane.
Hitting the pocket repeatedly requires getting a consistent ball reaction.
4. Observe your ball roll carefully on the back end of the lane from the break point to the pocket. It is in the final 12 - 15 feet of ball motion where you need your ball to react reliably and not miss the pocket.
5. Watch your ball closely as it enters the pocket until it leaves the pin deck. Watching your ball impact the pins will alert you if you are getting more deflection than expected and can lead you making a slight adjustment or a ball change if your pin carry worsens.
Hitting your spot is not enough. You must get a reliable ball reaction in the mid lane and on the back end so slight errors in your delivery speed, loft distance, hand action, or angle error will not adversely affect your hitting the pocket.

Watching your ball roll very carefully on its entire journey down the lane is vital to “reading the lanes” and “reading your ball reaction” effectively.
If you peek by looking up when delivering your bowling ball and take your eyes off of your spot on the lane, chances are you also are not watching your ball reaction in the mid-lane, but worrying too much about getting a strike.
Your eyes are a valuable tool in bowling. Your eyes see what is happening with your ball reaction and alert your brain if an adjustment of some sort is needed.
To bowl successfully, watch your bowling ball travel down the lane very closely.