"What Happens When A Bowling Ball Hits The Pins"?

   
    If you are familiar with Physics, there is "Mechanical Energy" that you use to release your bowling ball which is transferred to the bowling ball in the form of a force called Kinetic Energy. As the ball travels down the lane, this kinetic energy is passed from the ball to the pins thereby knocking them down and off the pin deck.

     When releasing a bowling ball, you can hit the pocket area, but if the ball doesn't have anything on it, you may not be able to carry the strike.
   I have discussed standing on the proper board on the approach, walking on a fairly straight path on the way up to the Foul Line, and getting the ball over the correct target. It is also important that you have "Ball Action" to get all the pins to fall down on the first try.​ When your ball hits the pin deck, it should look like the diagram below. It's important after your ball goes over the intended target, to move your eyes up the watch the ball and making sure it's path looks like this. If it's not, and the strike is not carrying, then you need to make an adjustment.

Bowling Ball Path

   
    The ball must hit into the 1 and 3 pins, then into the 5 pin (also referred to as the King Pin), and finally in between the 8 and 9 pins as the ball exits the pin deck. The ball itself will hit into these three "key" pins (1-3-5) and the rest of the pins will hit into each other and you should get a strike. If pins are knocked off the pin deck vertically, they can actually slide off the pin deck without hitting into other pins, but having your ball following this path will help the pins lie down more horizontally, enabling them to slide around better on the pin deck hitting into other pins and hopefully getting you more strikes in the long run.

    Next time you are practicing, make sure your ball is in a ROLLING phase as it enters into the 1-3 pocket, and then into the  5 pin and getting those pins to move off the deck in a more horizontal position. You can also add a little SPEED and some SPIN onto the ball to carry the maximum pins down on your first shot. Use that 11:00 hand position previously discussed, and pull the 2 middle fingers toward the palm to get more REVS on the ball.

Join me next week when I'll be discussing "Bowling Teams"-Part 2.

 Good Luck and High scoring!

    
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