Author Topic: Hook vs Good Roll. (Read 3579 times)

aussiedave · « **on:** November 01, 2011, 07:34:02 AM »

Was reading a discussion among a couple of bowlers and noticed the two terms being used. I know what hook is , but what is "good roll"?

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TamerBowling · « **Reply #1 on:** November 01, 2011, 03:54:15 PM »

Hello. Here is a basic explanation.

A bowling ball will go through phases as it goes from your hand to the pins. The 3 phases are skid, hook, and roll.

Skid is that. The ball is sliding in oil. Basically it is going in the direction that it was thrown and friction has not overcome the force of the ball trajectory yet.

Then as the ball gets further down lane with less oil, it will begin to hook. In other words, it will transition from moving in the direction it was thrown to the direction it is spinning as friction begins to take over.

Once this change of direction has stopped, the ball will be rolling.

So what's a good roll? That's when the ball transitions from hook to roll at the right time to allow a heavy roll into the pocket for the best possible carry. You never want a ball to still be hooking when it hits the pins, otherwise it will hit like a marshmallow. It needs to be rolling at an angle towards the pocket.

I hope that helps.

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aussiedave · « **Reply #2 on:** November 01, 2011, 04:11:18 PM »

Thanks Tamer - I got it now.

I was told (back about 18years ago) that it was desirable for the ball to be still hooking or "working" it's way into the pocket, and this is what I have always aimed at doing - you have given me food for thought.

Just some background on myself - I have just gotten back into bowling after about a 15 year lay-off. I am 54, 180lbs and throw a 15lb Storm Natural. I am very similar in style to Curly Becton on bowlingball.com's video reviews. ( I just don't have his average - mine is 165.)

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Dan Belcher · « **Reply #3 on:** November 02, 2011, 09:28:48 AM »

A ball that is still hooking when it hits the pin is much more likely to deflect off the pins instead of driving hard through them, resulting in poor carry and lots of corner pins and even some shaker 5 pins on light hits. Ideally you want the ball to stop hooking and begin rolling JUST before it hits the pins. That's the point where the ball has the most energy and power to drive through the pins and create good carry. If the ball rolls too early, however, you lose energy and the ball will deflect off the pins, similar to how it would if it was still hooking when it hit the pins.

Watch the pros bowl on Youtube and really pay attention to how their balls roll. You'll notice they all try to get the ball to stop hooking just before the pins. Chris Barnes is the most obvious example of this, but they all do it. Watch a shot where someone leaves a flat 10 though and you'll probably see the ball either still hooking when it hits the pocket, or it hooked really early and just bounces off the pins when it hits the pocket.

aussiedave wrote on 11/1/2011 4:11 PM:
Thanks Tamer - I got it now.

I was told (back about 18years ago) that it was desirable for the ball to be still hooking or "working" it's way into the pocket, and this is what I have always aimed at doing - you have given me food for thought.

dizzyfugu · « **Reply #4 on:** November 02, 2011, 10:24:07 AM »

Very good explanations - I might add another perspective, coming from the skid/hook/roll reaction pattern a "working" ball should show: timing is an important factor here, and the maximum effect in the pins is achieved when the ball enters the pin deck, just a moment after it entered its final rolling phase and stopped hooking. It is the moment when the core "depletes" its stored rotational energy and adds it to the balls forward movement. If you are off timing, you lose a lot of steam, either over-hooking and risking deflection, or rolling a dead ball if the ball starte drolling much too early (both can have various reasons - but you notice a good hit for what it is

.

The amount of hook or the number of boards covered is unimportant, just as long as you get the ball to his timing point, with a proper entry angle into the pocket to carry the king pin, and with a sound rev/speed ratio, so that you generate a real pin mix instead of splattering wood around.

DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany
2010/11 Benrather BC Club Champion
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aussiedave · « **Reply #5 on:** November 02, 2011, 02:53:31 PM »

Some nice replies - thanks to all.

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strikeking · « **Reply #6 on:** November 02, 2011, 05:03:04 PM »

Hook is for "show" roll is for "dough". Providing that the "roll" is slanted slightly to the left for righties.

Strikeking

aussiedave · « **Reply #7 on:** November 02, 2011, 10:00:49 PM »

Struggled to get strikes in my league tonite, and left many cold ten pins, as did the people on the other team and my team mates. Only got 4 strikes in the first two games - so worked out that I should slow my ball speed down and step forward on my usual mark about 6 inches and voila - got 6 strikes in the last game.

The lanes seemed pretty oily tonite and a couple weeks previous. With the cooler weather coming on it seems to last longer and not dry out so quickly and as a consequence, gets carried down almost to the pindeck. Slowing down stopped the ball skidding so far and allowed it to roll into the pocket - got good pin action as well as clean strikes.

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Edited by aussiedave on 11/2/2011 at 10:02 PM

aussiedave · « **Reply #8 on:** November 03, 2011, 06:10:38 PM »

In regards to effective pocket hits, I saw one guy mention he bowls a "back-up" ball to change things around. So what is that?

Author Topic: Hook vs Good Roll. (Read 3579 times)

aussiedave

Hook vs Good Roll.

TamerBowling

Re: Hook vs Good Roll.

aussiedave

Re: Hook vs Good Roll.

Dan Belcher

Re: Hook vs Good Roll.

dizzyfugu

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aussiedave

Re: Hook vs Good Roll.

strikeking

Re: Hook vs Good Roll.

aussiedave

Re: Hook vs Good Roll.

aussiedave

Re: Hook vs Good Roll.