Top Bowling Balls For Hooking

Bowling is one of the games in the world that families can enjoy without worrying about hurting someone. It is a great getaway thing that you can plan with your friends and family in your local bowling alley to enjoy a friendly game along with your favorite beverages. Another great thing about bowling is that there is no age limit on who can play and who cannot. A kid who can lift and throw the ball along the line to strike the pins is qualified to play without any issue.

But bowling is not all about friendliness and spending time doing an activity as a sub-product. Just like anything, when you start bowling, you get better as you play and learn several techniques to make sure you score more points than your friends. If you are naturally talented and get your heart set on making it to the pros, you need a lot of practice and learning to ace competitions and even earn prize money.

If we talk about bowling in cricket, it is about throwing a ball to the batsman. In reality, it is not that simple. Bowlers have devised many techniques to deceive the batsmen and to manipulate the trajectory as well as the behavior of the ball on the pitch. For instance, bowlers have successfully started and then mastered the “reverse swing” technique to ensure that they remain at the top of the food chain.

In pin bowling, one of the most successful techniques to score every time you throw the ball is called hooking. Just like a reverse swing, a bowler throws the ball in such a way that it swings a little bit along the way and gets to the point in the line where it can hit maximum pins.

The ball moves in a curving pattern unlike a straight one and ends up smashing throw the fencing pins.

It does not mean that the material of the balls and how they are made does not carry weight in the behavior of the ball on the line. In this article, we will discuss in detail some of the balls that are excellent to practice hooking in the bowling alleys.

But first, let us delve more into the hooking technique and give you a practical rundown on how it is done:

What Is Hooking?

Hooking is making the ball go in a curved path, unlike a straight path, so it has more force and a better angle to hit a strike. It is a common technique, used by both pros and amateurs, and it works just fine in almost all conditions.

When a player hooks a ball, it gives an edge to the player by hitting the pins with greater force and with an effective angle. Especially, it is useful for the amateurs who are still new in the sport. The faults in their precision can be minimized by using hooking.

Since the development of the track and the ball, there are many areas in pin bowling where hooking is not effective now. The reasons vary from unfavorable floor to the speed of the line which hinders the balls from developing a hook along the way.

Now, here is a complete guide on how to develop this technique. It will show you how to manipulate the course of the ball once it hits the floor and rolled toward the pins. All you need to do is practice!

Choosing The Line In The Lane

In a conventional bowling house and conditions, there are around 8 to 10 boards that are dry as compared to the heavily oiled and slicked lines in the middle of the lane. For the success of your hooking, these can act both friendly and as a foe. By making a judgment on the amount of oil and how your ball could move once it hits the lane, you should keep your feet a little to the left of the lane for a strong and composed stance.

This is a preliminary condition. You can decide your point of the stand once you are familiar with how to make your hook with the ball.

Pro Tip: On the middle dot, approach the lines with your right foot and test how much the lanes are taking the hook. To keep the alignment, you need to keep your feet together all the time.

Mind The Foul Line

The way a player approaches the lane to throw the ball differs from players to players. Some take a 2-step approach while others go for a 4-step approach. So, whatever course you take, you need to make sure you end up a little outside the foul line before you are ready to throw the ball. Once you are there, throw the ball at one of the arrows on the lanes. The simplest way not to miss the arrow is by aiming for the dots that are preceding the arrows.

For this to work, you need to aim in the neighborhood of the second arrow on the right side and then let the ball roll a few boards from the gutter and then develop a hook on the boards with little to none oil.

The Swing

As discussed in the last section, the approach is a subjective matter. But for hooking, a 4-step approach is recommended. This is how you make the swing:

For the right-handed players – push the ball off while you are stepping the first point with your right foot.

When you are at your second step, get the ball parallel to your ankle and start bending on your knees.

At your third step, try to be at the top of your backswing.

By the end of the slide, bring the ball back through and release!

Keep Your Arm Straight During The Swing

A bad angle can throw your ball off the right trajectory which could result in poor scores. So, when you are swinging, make sure you keep your arm straight all the time. It should not be tucked too far away or too far behind when you release the ball on the lanes. When you can adjust your push away, it is becoming too easy to keep your arm straight.

There are other ways and styles to make the swing like bending at your waist. Some professionals use this style to gain momentum before they release the ball. But it could be tricky for a new player to handle so many movements at the start.

Also, keep in mind that the ball should develop a hook around the dry area of the lane. Until the ball is not there, you should make sure that it goes in a straight line. There is an exception for some boards but in the end, this is more of a preference and personal style thing.

Timing The Release

Hooking is a technical thing and there are so many things that should be done right to create a perfect hook. The perfect time for releasing the ball is another thing that you should pay attention to. While dropping the ball from the backswing, your palm should be underneath the ball, facing north. When the ball is at your ankles, around the point of release, the palm should face you while releasing the ball. This is the same as throwing an underhand spiral in American Football.

Follow Through

Just like setting the stage for the moment, you release the ball, the after effect will also be perfect to adjust with the shock. The best way to do it is to let your arm go as far as it goes with the release gesture and lift your rear foot with its sole away from your body. As you can picture it from the tv and professional competitions, this is how players do it.