Playing Inside: Straighter Player

All bowlers have an area on the lane that they are most comfortable playing. Straighter players typically have a lower rev rate and tend to favor playing the outside part of the lane. In this premium video, Scott Pohl, owner of On Track Pro Shop, overviews two different options straighter players can choose when faced with the need to make a move.

Aggressive bowling ball

Pohl’s first shot with his benchmark bowling ball comes up light, leaving a 7 pin. He knows it’s time to make a move because the bowling ball is sliding past the breakpoint and having a hard time making the turn into the pocket.

Option one (in no particular order) is to keep his feet where they are on the approach and target the same line, but change to a more aggressive bowling ball.

The more aggressive bowling ball picks up earlier than the benchmark bowling ball and provides a smooth backend reaction into the pocket.

Aggressive bowling ball with adjustments

If you don’t like that look at the pocket from the previous shot, or it’s later in the competition and the lanes have transitioned again, it’s time to make a move.

Staying with the aggressive bowling ball, Pohl moved his feet on the approach and his target down the lane to the left. He changed his release to provide the ball more axis rotation.

You accomplish this by changing your hand position in the setup from around 45º to closer to 90º.

This gets you into a higher volume of oil and allows you to play straighter, just in the middle part of the lane. Think of it like moving the gutter over a couple of arrows. The shape of shots two and three look similar but how you achieve them requires subtle adjustments.

Check out “Lining Up Your Shot” and “Adjustments: Staying in the Pocket” for more expert bowling instruction that will help keep you striking.