How to Reduce Hook on Your Bowling Ball?

You can reduce your ball’s hooking in many effective ways. From changing the ball to controlling its motion better— you have so many options open. The hook can be either a lot or very subtle. Based on what you need, you should be able to control the hookability of your bowling ball. Sometimes you need a bit higher hook and sometimes you need a bit lower hook motion. But what do you do when the hooking feels a bit too much on the lane?

How to reduce the hook on a bowling ball for a more controlled ball motion? Here you will find the answers to all of your questions. So continue to read this article to learn more about reducing hooks for bowling balls, and which optimum hooking motion is best for you.

What are some of the ways to reduce hook on a bowling ball?

Do you know what hook in bowling is by definition? According to universal bowling terminology, ‘hook’ refers to the curving pattern of a bowling ball as it rolls down the lane. This particular move is essential to hit the right pocket and boost the possibilities of knocking down more pins, and best case scenario, some magnificent strikes. However, for some bowlers, the hooking of their bowling ball can seem a bit too much. This is when controlling of hooking angle is required.

When your bowling ball is hooking too much, you can’t just ignore it. You gotta do something to get that ball rolling in the right pocket and get the best results. So how do you have more control over your bowling ball for a reduced hooking angle?

1. Selecting a bowling ball with lower hook potential

Bowling balls with high differentials tend to change their direction at the breakpoint and make a notable arching motion before they hit the pins. These are considered high-hooking balls. Lowing their hook reaction often gets a bit difficult. Bowling balls that have low hook potential have opposite traits. They don’t break much at the breakpoint when they roll down the lane. You don’t have to put in a lot of extra work to control these bowling balls’ movement and angles. So if you’re on a mission to reduce your bowling ball hook, you should always keep an eye on the ball specification and see its hook potential before you make a purchase. The higher the hook potential, the harder it is to lower its hooking motion. So opt for a ball that already has a low chance of making any aggressive or angular hook.

2. Understanding the factors that affect hook potential

Bowling balls hook for no reason. It doesn’t happen naturally. When you’re bowling and hooking your bowling ball, there are a lot of factors that contribute to your ball’s motion. That includes the ball’s hooking as well. Factors like core, coverstock, RG, Differential of RG, drilling layout, ball speed, lane conditions, and ball rev rate.

– Plastic or polyester bowling balls hook the less. Bowling balls with fancy coverstocks grip aggressively. To have some control over your ball’s motion, go for something that falls in between.

– The core plays a major role in the ball’s hook potential. Bowling balls with high differential tend to have high flare potential, meaning, they are more prone to hook aggressively. The lower the differential, the less the ball’s hook.

– Bowling balls that are center-heavy with low RG hook a bit earlier. Cover-heavy bowling balls with a high RG are more likely to hook later at the backend.

– Speed is considered the final determining factor when it comes to hooking. When the ball travels fast, it takes less time to roll the 60 ft distance. And when a ball travels fast, it doesn’t have enough time to spare for hooking too hard because that takes time.

– Each bowling ball is different and requires the right ball drilling for the right distribution of weight to advantage the right amount of hook. A bit of wrong ball drilling can jeopardize your bowling ball hooking.

I hope this gave you a good insight.

3. Adjusting your grip and release technique

Are you confident that your ball release and grip are comfortable? If your grip is not comfortable enough, you will either have more hook or way less hook than you expected. This happens because you lose control over your bowling ball. This is when you will have to adjust your grip and release technique. Maybe you’re grabbing onto your bowling ball too hard, or too loose. A bowling coach can help your fix this matter by observing your throw and will inform you where you are making the mistake. You can fix that problem accordingly. And guess what? That will reduce your ball’s hooking motion.

4. Using a bowling ball surface maintenance tool

Maybe your shot is alright, maybe your ball is drilled perfectly. The lane is probably oil nicely as well. So what can be the issue? The problem might be your bowling ball surface finish. Yes, this can impact your bowling ball hook motion too. Bowling balls with higher grits tend to hook the earliest. So if you want to lower your bowling ball’s hooking, you should consider lower the surface down a bit. That might help, who knows!

5. Consulting with a bowling coach or professional

Can’t figure things out yourself? You can always seek professional help if you want. Take your bowling ball to your local pro shop or your bowling center and they will hook you up with a professional bowler or bowling coach. Of course, they understand things better. Things that you can’t seem to figure out yourself, coaches, and pros will do that in a moment. After all, they have years of experience and they know exactly how to solve a problem. They will point out where you are making the mistake and show you the technique you should be following instead. If your bowling ball needs any change in surface finish or if your drilled hole is putting off its hooking motion, they will also mention that for you and tell you what to do about that. Do keep in mind that these consultations may not be free unless someone is volunteering.

6. Practicing and fine-tuning your technique

Practice makes a man perfect. Bowling is all about that. With an adequate amount of practice, you can reach your goal so enough. With repetitive shots and practicing different techniques to reduce the hook potential, you cannot learn to have control over your ball’s hooking. Try out multiple strategies and see what is the right strategy for you. Once you know a particular strategy (or multiple strategies) is working for you, stick to that and fine-tune that strategy so that nothing can stop you.

Conclusion

Do you now know how you can manage the hooking ability of your bowling ball? If your bowling ball is acting out and being too aggressive, it’s time you learned how to fix that. Unwanted aggressive shots won’t take you anywhere. With controlled and reduced hooking motion, you can achieve the optimum bowling ball motion. This article has narrowed down some of the most common ways used by bowlers. I hope this is will come in handy. Let me know if you benefited from that. I always love to read your comments and learn about your progress. Good luck and happy bowling, fellas!