Friday, August 12, 2016

The Study of Bowling Ball Motion

The study of bowling ball motion are something that most bowlers know nothing about. In brief, there are three basic stages, or zones, a bowling ball must go through. These stages give the ball the proper reaction on a bowling lane. This has been the principal in bowling for the thirty years I’ve been in the game. Most bowlers don’t realize that a bowling ball goes through these stages.
The bowling ball motion are as follows:
1. Slide – A bowling ball will first slide for a certain length of a bowling lane after it is released by the bowler. This is known as the head portion of the lane.
2. Hook – After the slide zone of the ball motion it will then transition into a hook zone.
3. Roll – Following the hook zone a ball will go into a roll stage.
In summary – The stages of bowling ball motion are slide, hook, and roll.
You could Picture this like a rocket taking off from the earth to the outer space.

1. You must have a take off part so the rocket can get off the ground. = The slide.

2. After the rocket is off the ground it must transition to get out of the atmosphere. = The transition and hook.

3. Then transition again to adjust to the outer space itself. = The roll.


This is the same kind of concept involved in the study of bowling ball motion.
Which is also true in bowling lane conditioning. The bowling lane conditions and the bowling ball motion must match for the best reaction.

If a ball slides, hooks, or rolls too early you will get roll out. If roll out is too early the ball stops and goes straight. If a ball slides, hooks, or rolls too late it will never grab the lane and could skid out. A bowler should study a ball rolling down the lane and realize that these stages happen. The study of Bowling ball motion is essential.