When
you walk into a bowling center, you can almost be certain that a lane's
condition is different than the condition of the previous lane that you bowled
on, even if you're on the same lane at the same bowling center. This is because
all kinds of people play on each and every lane. No two lanes are identical and
wooden lanes play different than synthetic lanes. Here's what you need to ask
yourself when throwing your warm-up shots:
It's
the first thing you try to figure out when you bowl. You throw your warm-up
shots starting on the center dot and then ask yourself, "Does my ball take
off too much to the left?" If so, this means the lane is dry and you need
to adjust to the left. On the other hand, "Does you ball not hook?"
This means the lane is oily and you need to adjust to the right. The key to
remember is to always adjust to the same direction as the error.
Sometimes
you need to ask yourself, "Am I not releasing it right?" Most likely
you are releasing it right, it's just that the lane condition is not medium. It
would be easier to determine the lane conditions if you could see the oil
located on the surface of the lanes, but this is the tricky part. You can't see
it with your eyes. Sometimes you can tell by examining your ball when it comes
back. You may notice an oil ring on the ball that tells you that the lanes may
be oily. But for the most part, you have to watch how your ball reacts to the
lane. When the lanes are oily and you move to the right, turn your shoulders in.
In bowling, this is called "closing your shoulders" for oily lanes.
When the lanes are dry and you move to the left, you open your shoulders so the
ball goes out and hooks in. Bowling lanes tend to start out a little oilier, but
as the game progresses, you will notice that your ball will hook more and you
have to adjust. Move to the left and open your shoulders to adjust to the
constantly changing bowling lane conditions. As you can see, bowling on dry
lanes is very different than bowling on oily lanes.
In
order to determine the condition of the lane and adjust accordingly, you must be
consistent in your stance, delivery, release, timing, and follow-through.
Adjusting to lane conditions is possible only if:
·
You have an accurate,
consistent arm swing
·
You arm swing is
timed properly with your foot movements
·
The release has been
mastered and is the same every time
·
You walk straight to
the foul line without drifting