Hitting Pocket and Getting a Strike – Let’s Learn
In bowling allleys, you always want your first ball shot to land squarely in the pocket, as this increases your chances of striking. The pocket, is the game's closest thing to a "sweet spot."
A pocket hit, however, does not make a strike, no matter how much you yearn for it. Even the best-looking shot can leave one or more pins behind.
So, what causes this?
Here's the dirty secret: it's not as simple as "hitting the pocket," and not every pocket shot is created equal in the real world. Let's look at what this entails in more detail.
How to Stop Hitting the Pocket and Leaving Pins in Your Clothes
You should aim for a good pocket hit. It means your bowling ball strikes the 1, 3, 5, and 9 pins (if you're right-handed) or the 1, 2, 5, and 8 pins (if you're left-handed) (left handed bowlers). All of the pins that the ball directly hits fall down as a result of the impact of the other pins.
There are a few important improvements you can put together to assist you in achieving this goal. Bowling with a hook enhances your entry angle into the pocket and reduces pin deflection, which is the first benefit.
Simple adjustments at the beginning point can help you avoid a pocket hit, whether light or heavy. If you're a right-handed player who is coming in light, try shifting a board or two to the left. You can also adjust your beginning position back a few inches. Keep targeting the same target with either adjustment. As a result, your ball will emerge from the oil sooner, allowing it to reach the pocket at a better angle.
If your ball is coming in hard, you should make the opposite adjustments: a board or two to the right and forward. If you bowl left-handed, you change the way you go laterally (right if you're coming in light, left if you're coming in heavy), but maintain the back and forward adjustments like right handed players. Overall, be sure you're just making a minor adjustment: if your pocket hit is little wrong, you don't want to correct and cause a new issue on the opposite end.
Another thing to look into is your ball speed, since slightly increasing it might assist you overcome early ball hooking. A sluggish ball may also deflect more when it hits the ground, leaving pins standing.
Overall, there are a few specific tweaks you may do to correct a pocket hit that is causing one or more pins to fall out. We hope that now that you know the difference between heavy and light pocket shots and how to deal with them, you'll be able to get more strikes on the lanes.
Strange things can and will happen when a ground ball strikes a ten-pin rack. Even with these changes and considerations, it's unavoidable that a strong pocket shot will occasionally leave a pin standing. (This phenomena is referred described as a "tap" by some.) In OKC, get your feet at Altitude 1291. Our bowling alley is well-maintained and well-equipped for your entertainment.