Once you catch the bowling bug, it can feel like every lane is a rabbit hole beckoning you to learn more about all its subtle secrets: no matter how neatly aligned the lanes are, bowling is literally never a straightforward activity. After all, with so many nuanced spins that can execute sophisticated curves at a controlled speed, bowling becomes truly irresistible when you see it as the art form that it is. Bowling demands an excellent mind-body connection, which is also why many find the sport a great source of stress relief, or even meditative.
Naturally, “How do you hook a bowling ball?” is bound to come up. Here is some of our expert but certainly non-exhaustive advice on how you can hook a bowling ball, and even do it with style.
Remember how we said that bowling is about that mind-body connection? One of the best ways to enhance your movement is to get in the habit of your own spatial awareness. For example, when you start to hook a bowling ball, how do you lead, and how are you balancing yourself?
Being able to answer what you are already in the habit of doing in the moment is the first step to breaking down all of the rest of the steps. Better yet, enlist a friend or teammate, or get them to record so that they can compare what they see to how it feels in your body!
There’s a reason that there is so much fantastic bowling-specific gear out there, and it’s because so much of what makes this sport so enjoyable is the sense of ownership and comfort in using equipment that just feels right in addition to keeping you safe.
Besides, think of practicing your bowling moves like you are doing a science experiment: to get an “A” in bowling science, where the alley is your lab, there has to be a “control” while you change up the rest to get different outcomes. Consider your shoes, grips, and especially, the right bowling ball for you, drilled for your own personal comfort and hand size, are all “controls” in discovering how you can do that bowling hook with any ball including if you plan to upgrade your equipment in the future or you’re shopping for a kid growing into more adult sized bowling gear.
Unsurprisingly, there are a few schools of thought on this that all focus on your personally-drilled bowling ball. Regardless of which method feels best for you, it is still important to start a toss with your hands beneath the equator (that is, at the bottom) of the ball before releasing.
There are many who are big fans of using only two fingers and no thumb, with the understanding that with a quicker release comes greater responsibility, especially with how you protect your wrist and elbow.
The most common bowling how-to for a hook is the ball is gripped up to the second knuckle by your ring finger, your middle finger, and your thumb, and where most of your efforts rely on the pendulum release executed through your elbow. Keep your thumb relaxed.
Others on the other side of the spectrum choose to release with two hands, using more force and fuller body movements in place of smaller twists of the wrists.
This is where your best learning will still be in the “lab” rather than this textbook of our blog, but here are some of the biggest essentials:
Before throwing, prepare to launch from the opposite side of your dominant hand. Relax your shoulders, preparing to rely on the weight of your dominant throwing side’s leg, your core, and a perfectly timed swing of the elbow and flick of the wrist rather than an emphasis on firm and stiff shoulder muscles.
Like many things, less is more, and this certainly is the case with how much spin you give before releasing the ball, and it is also how you hook a bowling ball safely (do not jerk or twist too tightly, too suddenly). While your exact tempo is contingent on the rest of your throw, for now, be aware that if you are right-hand dominant, your spin should be counter-clockwise; for a lefty, throw from the right-hand side of the alley and spin clockwise.
Once you have lined up your body’s kinetic chain and set up your controlled spin, use your elbow to guide the rest. Because release and follow-through are just as important, throw in a way that also guides your hand upwards so that it gently guides your ball in a forward trajectory, while giving a few more revolutions.
There is always more to bowling than meets the eye, both literally and figuratively, which means that the best way to hook a bowling ball is learning how to learn! We invite you to explore our blog for more helpful tips and find inspiration in our review videos that can also give greater insight into how a ball’s specifications can impact your method. Similarly, asking for tips or even sharing what you already know with other players can also be a great way to help you hone your craft. However you choose to do it, just make sure you have fun and roll with it!
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