How to hook a bowling ball.  We will break down a few proven methods for increasing your hook so you can increase your scores.  Most bowlers, even professionals, are always looking for more.

lane conditionS

Oil patterns make a huge difference.  On a normal league pattern, called the typical house shot, the most oil is in the middle of the lane, so that’s where the least amount of hook will be.  As the oil tapers and becomes less concentrated out toward the gutter and closer to the pins, friction increases, so it's easier to create hook there.  If you're bowling on sport oil patterns, ask to see a graph of the oil pattern.  This can help you visualize where the oil tapers off to identify the areas of the lane where you can create more hook.

REMOVING OIL

Have you noticed that professional bowlers wipe down the bowling ball before every shot? They remove lane oil because repeatable hooking motion is the key to high scoring.  The most oil-thirsty options we offer are the leather shammies, but we also have terry and microfiber towel options.  The easiest way to maintain your hook is to wipe off that slimy oil.  

Ball Speed

If you throw your ball slower it will hook more.  Speed control is a skill that takes commitment to develop.  If you’ve never worked on speed control, that is a skill that will definitely allow you to manipulate how much your ball hooks.  

Surface FINISH

Adjusting the surface finish of your bowling ball is a skill that should not be overlooked.  Polishing or sanding the surface can massively impact the motion of a bowling ball.  One that has been sanded aggressively will have a dull finish, creating early hook and a smooth, arcing motion.   Conversely, a shiny bowling ball will skid longer and retain energy for more hook down-lane, creating an angular motion. So, if you have higher ball speed and a low spin rate, a sanded finish could help you create more hook.  Cleaning bowling balls with Power Gel SCUFF will remove polish and create more traction, so this may be a good first step before bringing it to the pro shop to be sanded.  

drilling Layout

To create more hook, make sure you tell the ball driller that you would like a fingertip drilling, not conventional.  This drilling with fingertip grips allows you to create a much faster spin rate, which increases hook.  Also, ask the pro shop professional to watch you bowl so they can tune the drilling layout on your MOTIV bowling ball to your game.  Bowling balls can be drilled multiple ways to tune the hook potential and shape on the lane.  

YoUR RELEASE

Your hand and arm swing are what steer and power the ball.  So, what your hand is doing and how it’s engaged with the ball is critical to creating hook.  If you’re a one-handed bowler, you want your thumb out to come out of the ball without drag at the bottom of your swing so your fingers can really turn the ball.   

The direction your ball is spinning influences how much it can hook.  When you deliver the ball, if your fingers go straight from the bottom of the ball to the ceiling, you will create little to no axis rotation.  This creates a very stable and controllable ball roll, but will have less total hook potential. 

However, if you rotate your fingers at the moment of impact, you will create a side-roll to the ball.  This phenomenon is “axis rotation.”  You can see a great slow-motion video of this by clicking here. Increasing axis rotation increases hook potential.  This is one of the most difficult skills to develop for a bowler, but also something that can set you apart when it is mastered. 

The BOWLING Ball

The simplest way to create more hook may be to put a new MOTIV ball in your bag.  New tech can make a massive difference.  Bowling is constantly evolving.  Over the course of time, oil technology and patterns change to increase the level of competition.  As a result of these environmental changes, balls that were once optimal may no longer be.  A heavy oil bowling ball from 5 years ago may be closer to a medium oil bowling ball from today.

You may also need a new ball due to typical usage.  Modern reactive resin balls absorb oil.  Cleaning, resurfacing, and maintaining your bowling ball will maximize the performance life, but all balls will eventually need replacing.  As you build your bowling bag, keep in mind that every bowling ball we make at MOTIV® is designed for a specific performance target. Visit our Ball Guide to find the best ball suited for your game and environment.