The average weight for adult men is 14lb and 13lb for women or smaller men. Children usually start at 12lbs. [1] X Research source Make sure your fingers are firmly in the holes but come out without sticking. You shouldn’t be squeezing your finger or thumb muscles to keep the ball on your hand, just lightly gripping it. Balls come with a variety of “Flare Potential” and “RG Radius” ratings. These tell you how likely the ball is to curve back to the middle after a throw. The higher the ratings, the more the ball hooks. Think about your throw – straight on or hooked, and buy accordingly.
Keep your wrist strong so that the ball appears like a natural extension of your arm. You don’t want your wrist to droop down towards the floor. [2] X Research source
If it is easier, move your feet to the right or left before you start approaching the lane so that your feet are lined up with the correct marker, then just throw straight ahead. Almost all balls will hook, at least a little, and the lanes are designed for this. You want your ball to hit between the first pin and the next one in line behind it for strikes. This is called the “pocket. "
Practice taking 4 even steps each time, landing your left foot comfortably, before practicing the throw. You could also start at the foul line (beginning of lane), and walk four steps backward to determine the best starting spot for you. [4] X Research source Reverse this is you are left-handed. The foot opposite your throwing arm should be planted at the lane. If you are left handed, you will land and plant with your right foot.
Remember to keep the ball out to the right side, not in the middle of your body.
Focus on keeping your wrist strong as you do this, not letting it rotate around. The higher your arm goes back the more powerful the throw will be, do not go too far as this could cause injury.
Look at your mark when release. Don’t look at the pins or you will get distracted and throw off key – the arrows are your target, and the ball will do the rest. Remember you are aiming for the first or second arrow to the right of the center arrow.
More power means the pins scatter faster, potentially knocking over more pins. Curving the ball is essential to hit consistent strikes. Remember to work on snapping your fingers and wrist as you follow through. Left-handers want to hit between the front pin and the left pin in the second row.
The most common pattern is wet in the front and middle, and dry on the outsides and back, like a big triangle of oil pointing into the center of the lane. This means a throw to the outside will curve back to the middle, where a throw in the middle might not curve until the last second. This is why you aim out to the side, instead of down the center – it cause the ball to move out, then curve back in right to the pocket. As the day goes on, oil gets picked up by the balls, making the lane drier and causing the shots to hook more. Many tournaments have “alternate” oil patterns that force you to change your shots to get strikes. Ask to see an oil pattern or warm-up with different angles and starting positions to find your strike mark. [8] X Research source
If your ball is going too far to the left, move 2-3 boards to the left. This means your throw will angle more to the right, giving it more time to curve back to the left. If your ball is moving too far to the right, move your feet 2-3 boards to the right. This will get your ball out of the oil, allowing it to curve more back to the center. If you still have trouble, or the ball is hooking a ton, move your mark to the right or left. The closer to center your mark is, the less the ball will hook. However, you should move your starting position first.
This extra hook happens because the balls pick up oil throughout the game, removing it from the lane and causing it to dry out. A dry lane hooks more.
For example, say you throw a strike in the first frame. In the second frame you hit 2 pins on the first throw and 3 on the next one for 5 total pins. Your first frame would be worth 15 points (10 for the strike, + 2 for the first throw and + 3 for the second). You still score, however, the 5 points from the second frame too. So your total score, after two frames, is 20 points (15+2+3). If your throw three strikes in a row, your first frame is worth 30 points, 10 for the strike, plus 10 for the second frame and 10 for the third frame. You cannot score you second and third frames until you take another throw. Spares add to your next shot only. So, if I throw a spare in one frame, then throw a gutter ball immediately after, my spare is only worth 10 points (10+0), no matter what I do after that. A spare followed by a strike is worth 20 points (10+10). If you throw a strike or spare in the 10th frame you get a free shot at the end, making the 10th frame the only one with three potential rolls. Thus you should always go for the spare in the 10th frame.
If you want to hit the first pin to the left of the center, move your start position 3 boards to the right. If you want to hit the second pin to the left of the center, move 6 boards to the right.
For example, there may be one solo pin on the far right side of the lane. While you could try and hug the gutter, the ball will naturally want to spin to the center because the outside of the line is low on oil. Instead, start your walk from the far left of the lane, throwing the ball from the left diagonally, across the middle, to the far right pins.
If you didn’t get a strike in the previous frame, you might be more likely to take a risk now, trying to get a spare to boost your score for later.
