Hook Bowling

Hook bowling is the key to higher scores.

Bowling a curve ball or hook is one of the most effective ways to consistently bowl strikes. Curve balls can be tricky to learn however and require lots of practice. You should start out with a lighter ball than you would normally use to get the feeling of curving the ball, or hook. A bowling pro shop can even equip you with a special practice ball for this particular bowling technique. Let’s get started with the how to's of hook bowling.

When you start your approach, as usual you want to bring the ball back into swing position and keep your palm somewhat behind the ball. At the bottom of your swing you will want to release the ball and let it roll off of your thumb first. This allows the ball to roll from the fingers and have more curve power. As the ball rolls from the fingers the hand motion should be upwards to roll rather than glide the ball on the lane. For this type of technique you must have a well fit ball that the thumb hole is not too tight.

Concentrate on getting your thumb out of the ball first and lifting with your fingers up the side of the ball. Do not try to generate a curve with your wrist by coming over top of the ball. Lift straight up the sides. Your follow through with your arm should be straight up. The thumb is critical. Do not attempt to throw a hook with just two fingers, as you will not have any control of the ball.
Bowling a curve ball or hook is very simple, you have to practice to get the correct form and accuracy but once you can consistently bowl a curve ball it is very accurate and effective for bowling strikes. The motions that this requires may feel awkward at first and as long as you use a ball that is not too heavy you can control the amount of curve you get.

Lane conditions can greatly affect the curve of your ball. Some alleys are better at upkeep than others. Trying out most of the lanes in your area is a good idea to help you understand the way a ball responds to different conditions and how to adjust the curve on your ball accordingly.
Other things may help you with your curve ball other than form and lane condition. Mental power is also very important. If you visualize the ball where you want it your body will most likely produce the vision if your form is right. Relaxing the mind is and should be part of your bowling routine. Without relaxing your mind you may become distracted easily and make mistakes.

You must always practice your visualization skills from start to finish, this can be the tricky part of the overall sequence. Holding your form, concentrating and visualizing all while trying to curve or hook your ball can become overwhelming for some. With practice these tips can produce exceptional results for hook bowling.

Keeping your eyes glued to your target pin is a good exercise and starting place for any bowling sequence. Strong focus can help you to avoid unnecessary mistakes. Many seasoned bowlers do a sort of meditation ritual before their warm up and even when they are setting up their shot. For this reason it is frowned upon talking to any player when they are setting up a throw.

Next you want to hit the headpin through the pocket, you can get better scores by leaving easy spares to pick up next. For picking up these spare you will want to use a straighter ball than the curve, a hook can work for spares also and can be accomplished by putting more power to the initial swing.

The most important bowling hook tips are to control the bowling ball with your thumb and power the hook with your fingers. After you’ve become more consistent and accurate throwing a curve, you can vary your finger and thumb placements and try different degrees of curve. The bowling ball itself has a huge factor on how much your ball can curve and hook so it’s extremely important to have your own custom fitted bowling ball for the best results.

Hook bowling is easy once you know how and get a bit of practice.

Learning to bowl hook balls can be a large investment time wise in practice, but this investment will be repaid in full when your average score improves greatly. You will no longer have to depend much on luck to win a game when you have the skills to pull off hook balls.

In order to throw the most accurate curve ball, you should check out the secrets in Bowling For Dummies. This guide will show you how to hook a ball like the pros. With the tips shown in this guide, you will raise your average in no time at all. It will show you how to master hook bowling.

These are the basic steps to bowling curve balls and can be utilized by every bowler with lots of practice and patience. Always remember that getting frustrated can only ruin your game so, be calm concentrate on form and visualization and have fun.