If you would like to learn how to hook a bowling ball effectively, then we have the most comprehensive guide prepared for you! Let us skip the introduction and jump straight into the details!
How to Throw a Bowling Ball Hook - The Technique (Step by Step)
There are several different methods for how to hook a bowling ball. Here is a comprehensive guideline of the essential steps you have to take to execute the best hook release (as opposed to a straight shot) with your bowling ball.
1. Grab Your Bowling Ball First with Two Hands
This may be the most basic of steps, but it is important to grab your bowling ball, lift it around and have a feel for it. This is especially important when you do not have a hook ball or bowling balls of your own.
If you are resorting to a house ball for your hook shot, then you better get a good feel of the weight, coverstock, and reactive properties to oil of the ball to hook the ball (or house ball) as best as possible.
2. Ensure Proper Grip
There are two schools of thought when it comes to the grip required when executing a hook shot. There is the conventional grip, which requires the bowler to place each finger (thumb, middle, and ring) to be completely committed and inside the fingerholes.
Then there's the fingertip grip technique, which is an advanced bowler technique that requires each finger (thumb, middle, and ring) to only be partially inside the fingerholes.
Either method is fine. We would recommend experimenting with both and finding the method that feels proper to your playstyle, fingers, and release.
3. Analyze Your Lane
Certain lanes are wider than others. A certain lane may also have more oil density in some parts than in other parts (this is why left-handed bowlers have certain advantages when it comes to the hook of the ball as their ball travels across a less-traveled path).
Make sure you are familiar with how your lane works with respect to your bowling ball as a lack of knowledge regarding the reactive properties and grip of the bowling ball with respect to lane conditions may result in loss of power, a spiral out of control, or an overpowered or underpowered arm swing.
4. Take a Few Steps Away From the Foul Line
There is no clear-cut rule in the game that dictates how close or how far away from the foul line position you should be to garner successive strikes or high point totals.
However, for beginners, we believe that you should target to create space for a three to four-step approach to allow for proper momentum and on-point execution of the gather and release techniques.
5. Lock in on Your Target and Aim For the Pocket
Sometimes, it is drilled into newcomer bowlers' playstyles to always control the ball and aim for the middle with force in a straight trajectory. However, the dynamics are different when talking about how to hook a bowling ball.
Yes, control is still a must, but you would also have to consider the swing, thumb placement, throwing style, clockwise momentum, wrist rotation, and how the weight and material (plastic, urethane, resin) can affect the reactivity of your bowling ball to the lane conditions.
As a general rule of thumb, try to target the pocket of the set of pins, located slightly to the right of the middle-most pin. This way, if enough force is applied to that pin location, the collision caused by some pins would ideally knock down some of the other pins, leading to a bowlers' strike.
6. Lift the Bowling Ball to Your Chest
Make sure to ensure a rigid frame from your shoulder to your arm to your fingers. Balls react heavily to how your fingers are placed in the holes, whether it be by the tips or through conventional means.
This is the part of the technique that bowlers should make minor adjustments in their arm, wrist, and fingers (most especially the thumb) to ensure a great shot or throw.
7. Initiate the Approach and the Swing Motion
Take deliberate, calculated steps toward your lane and brace for the throw while keeping your eyes on the target pocket.
This is one of the most underrated parts of the bowl game and the motions involved in the approach and swing motion should be consistent throughout. Hours upon hours of practice is required to get the proper coordination throughout the body.
8. Create the Angle, Ensure Side Rotation and Spin
This extra step is exclusive only to hook shots. There are several approaches in this phase that are taught, but as a general rule, you must try to position your fingers on the side of the ball (relative to the ground) in anticipation of the release of the ball.
This motion from the underhand of the bowling ball to the side of the bowling ball should create an underhand spiral reaction or rotation (counter-clockwise for a right-handed individual; the opposite for a left-handed bowler).
Ensure proper positioning of the arm, wrist, middle finger and index finger, and thumb to generate the proper spin to create the best possible hook.
9. Follow Through
The final step (and arguably one of the most important steps) is to follow through. It is this final step of the throw that ensures a perfect shot.
Studies have shown that when throwing a ball, or making a swing at a ball, or shooting a ball, or in anything that involves the travel or displacement, a follow-through motion ensures that sufficient force is generated and that the technique is executed correctly.
The Importance of Investing in the Right Ball and Customizing the Fingerholes
The most important thing to consider in our opinion is investing in the right bowling equipment and gear. In the case of hook shots, you would definitely have to look for a bowling ball that is specifically designed and engineered for hook shots.
Please see our recommendations in our guide: the best bowling balls for hook shots.
Take a look at resin coverstock bowling balls such as pearl, hybrid, and solid coverstocks. These types are most receptive to oil on bowling lanes and are ideal to utilize for hook shots as they have less friction when interacting with the surface.
Another important thing to consider is pre-drilled vs custom drilling. When purchasing a bowling ball, make sure that it does not come pre-drilled. No fingerhole placement is universal and if you are planning to invest in a bowling ball for personal use, you should have the ball drilled according to your finger specifications.
Extra Tips for Hooking a Bowling Ball
Watch Videos of Professional Bowling Ball Players Executing Hook Shots
If you see how professionals bowl, especially in slow motion, you would easily come to realize that they are experts at managing their weight and the weight of the ball in every throw.
Each maneuver is done deliberately. Fingers are placed in optimal positions. The bowling ball seems like it has a life of its own, and last but not the least, advanced-level bowlers know when it is right to throw straight bowling ball shots and when to throw hook bowling ball shots
Keep on Practicing
In football, the release of the ball relies heavily on how well it rotates through the air. This can only be executed by great players who have put in the work through practice and training by working on straight and rigid movements, proper placement of fingers, and the best way to release the ball given their physical capabilities.
In bowling, a similar story can be said when throwing a hook show with a bowling ball. The fingers have to be on point not just in terms of positioning, but also during the execution of the release and the rotation of the bowling ball (counter-clockwise or clockwise, depending on the dominant bowling ball hand).
With that being said, football practice and bowling practice are essentially identical in terms of how much work and effort you have to put in on a regular basis to master the art of the spin.
Consider Finger Inserts
Although we do not recommend this for casual bowling ball players, having fingertip grip inserts would definitely assist in holding the ball properly, leading to a greater degree of control over the ball during the swinging phase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you aim when hooking a bowling ball?
Ideally, a hook ball should land slightly to the right of the center pin (or slightly to the left if you are a lefty with the bowling ball), in an area known commonly as the pocket. This is to generate the most possible pin carry and scatter to increase the likelihood of securing a strike.
Why can't I hook a bowling ball?
If you are unable to hook a bowling ball, the first thing you must assess is whether or not your bowling ball is a good bowling ball for hook shots. A majority of bowling balls, especially the more affordable ones, are made of either plastic or polyurethane, which are materials that are not ideal for oily lane conditions and tend to stick to a straight trajectory as opposed to a curved or angled trajectory.
If the bowling ball is not the problem, then you better practice your throwing maneuvers, side rotation releases, and arm swings.
Conclusion
This guide should be more than enough for you to understand and master how to hook a bowling ball. It may seem too complicated at first, but we suggest that you keep check back to this guide every now and then and practice. You will realize, sooner or later, that everything that is mentioned here carries value that should ideally translate into a better bowling ball game for you!