Bowlers: Hook ball vs Straight Ball

[johnjohn320]

I've never gotten a good hook ball going (granted I haven't really worked at it much). People keep telling me that if I work on my hook ball I'll throw more strikes. Probably true, but throwing straight ball I still keep beating the people who tell me that. What're your thoughts?

Yes, it's a nerdy thread. Yes, I'm a nerd in more ways than one.

 

[xanis]

My girlfriend is a really good bowler and she throws a curve every time. Most of the time she gets strikes or all but one pin. I throw a straight ball on the other hand and I've gotten my fair share of strikes when I aimed it correctly.

 

[AccruedExpenditure]

Unless you have money/time to perfect your hook stick with your straight shot. What are you averaging?

 

[johnjohn320]

Originally posted by: AccruedExpenditure
Unless you have money/time to perfect your hook stick with your straight shot. What are you averaging?

Averaging somewhere between 170-185. Haven't added it up in a little while.

 

[Sukhoi]

IIRC the highest you can average with a straight ball is about 190 because of the splits.

 

[Codewiz]

You will level out to average no better than 170's if you only throw a straight ball. It is pretty impossible to average much better because the pin action is not predictable with straight balls.

Throwing a hook is harder and takes learning lane conditions but once you can do that, you will average much higher than you would as a straight bowler.

 

[AntareStar]

depends what are you bowling for... If you bowl for the win, keep throwing fast balls, it ain't pretty, and probably won't impress anyone, but when you throw it straight down the middle you're sure to knock down a bunch. If you look to improve your game and impress the chicks (LMAO) start throwing curve balls, eventually you'll get better.

Walter: fvck it dude, lets go bowling...

 

[NoShangriLa]

What is your average?

I haven't play for a long time but my hook was slightly better than straight shots. My straight average was around the mid 150, and hook was around 172-173.

As others has mentioned, it take time & money to improve the hook shots.

 

[alien42]

i have a ball that is designed for hooking but i gave up on that long ago and just throw it straight.

 

[Phru]

My parents own a bowling alley, and I have been around bowling my entire life.

If you expect to be any decent bowler you must learn to throw a hook. A straight ball can only get you so far. The best bowlers in every league either throw a hook or backup ball.

 

[Codewiz]

Originally posted by: Phru
My parents own a bowling alley, and I have been around bowling my entire life.

If you expect to be any decent bowler you must learn to throw a hook. A straight ball can only get you so far. The best bowlers in every league either throw a hook or backup ball.

And most backup bowlers end up with wrist issues. It just isn't natural to bowl that way. But hey there are a lot better bowlers than me and they throw straight balls. I just know in two years I will consistently be better than them.

 

[DrPizza]

I have a very fast straight ball (16 pound) - the last alley I played at clocked the speed of every shot on all the lines. I was in the high 20's (mph). I got a LOT of pin action. After 2 games, my fingers were killing me, so I switched to a kids ball (8lb) and threw it with my pinky and ring finger, giving it as much hook as humanly possible (rotating my arm/wrist more than 180 degrees as fast as I could). I had to start way to the left and aim toward the right gutter - toward the end, it was like the ball just decided to make a left hand turn. It was fun to watch. Even though I was just screwing around, my score was just as good. Moral: power and straight can't beat someone with a good hook.

 

[Kadarin]

When I was younger, I could bowl a pretty mean hook (high game 244), but I stopped bowling for a while, and had lost the ability to do it. Now I bowl a straight ball, and generally am lucky to get around 180.

 

[sdifox]

Go for spinner style Personally, I prefer to call it UFO.

http://www.tenpinbowling.org/view.php?page=the_game.styles

 

[Pacfanweb]

Look at the PBA tour: Who on the tour doesn't hook the ball at least a little? Nobody.

But you can't just throw a hook with a house ball. Won't happen, ever. Sure, you can exaggerate your wrist movement and throw a house ball really slow and get it to move, but that's not throwing a hook.

To do so, you need to buy a good quality ball from a pro shop, have your hand span measured, and get it drilled to fit.

Then you can try to hook the ball and actually have some success.

If you are/were ever a serious bowler, you will never lose that ability after you master it.

If you are truly a 170+ bowler, and if you aren't a league bowler, I highly doubt you AVERAGE that high, then you will be able to dramatically increase your scoring by hooking the ball.
Learning might take you down for a short time, but the results will be worth it.

 

[Safeway]

I am learning how to hook. Without hooking, I average about 150.

 

[SampSon]

I've thrown a hook since I was old enough to understand how. You need to have the propertly weighted ball to get the right action.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: Astaroth33
When I was younger, I could bowl a pretty mean hook (high game 244), but I stopped bowling for a while, and had lost the ability to do it. Now I bowl a straight ball, and generally am lucky to get around 180.

You need some new equipment. Ball technology has changed drastically in the last 5-7 years.

What was a hooking ball 10 years ago, won't hook much, if at all, now, especially if it has been sitting without use. Balls don't last forever, at least their friction doesn't.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: sdifox
Go for spinner style Personally, I prefer to call it UFO.

http://www.tenpinbowling.org/view.php?page=the_game.styles

Nobody spins the ball anymore. At least, not anybody good.

Your best bowlers are the 'tweeners. Somewhere in between cranking and stroking the ball.

 

[sdifox]

I think spinner evens the field up for asians. Slimmer build and all doesn't crank too well

 

[fustercluck]

Hook ball of course. How many pros do you see bowling a straight ball?

Hook isn't too hard to learn really either. Helps a lot to have a fingertip ball when practicing, but you can do it with any bowling ball. Either using one finger hole, or not using any finger holes at all. Plus, throwing a hook ball is much funner

 

[Cal166]

I got a 202 once without hooking the ball.

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
I have a very fast straight ball (16 pound) - the last alley I played at clocked the speed of every shot on all the lines. I was in the high 20's (mph). I got a LOT of pin action. After 2 games, my fingers were killing me, so I switched to a kids ball (8lb) and threw it with my pinky and ring finger, giving it as much hook as humanly possible (rotating my arm/wrist more than 180 degrees as fast as I could). I had to start way to the left and aim toward the right gutter - toward the end, it was like the ball just decided to make a left hand turn. It was fun to watch. Even though I was just screwing around, my score was just as good. Moral: power and straight can't beat someone with a good hook.

Shens on either your alley's clocking mechanism or mine (and I've got no idea which).

I throw a very fast ball (usually bowl with a house 14) and I run right at 20 mph, according to my alley's screens. I bowl as fast or faster than everyone else on the league, so I'd be very surprised to see someone bowling 40-50% faster than me.

One of our alleys' radar guns sucks

 

[ThunderDawg]

From the very beginning, I was never able to throw a straight ball, I had a wild curve that took a couple years to tame. Many left handers have a natural curve. I haven't played for a long time but my last average was in the 180s. Best game was 278.

I had a roomie in college who was a professional bowler, which required a minimum average of 190, IIRC. By the time I met him, he had bowled 12 perfect ABC sanctioned games. He used medium weight balls with no proper finger holes. They had 3 dimples, and he threw the same exact amazing fast curve every time he rolled.

 

[zebano]

I used to throw a backupball, but man does that hurt. Now when I bowl (2x / year) I just throw a straight ball and average 140.