What Happens When Bowling Lane Carry-down or Breakdown? Lane Transition

How much do you know about lane transition? Do you think that not all of your bowling games go the same? Well, it’s because of lane transition, alright. But what causes that? Bowling lane carry-down and breakdown are two of the main reasons a bowling lane transitions. When this happens, your experience in the first games and the last games varies notably. This is when adjusting to lane transition becomes paramount. But that’s not what we will talk about today. Today we will solely talk about what happens when bowling lane carry-down or breakdown takes place. So stay tuned, my friends.

What does Bowling Lane Carry Down mean?

Carry-down in bowling is exactly what you think it is. The term “lane carry-down” should give you an idea of what it can be. When your bowling ball picks up oil from the lane and carries it down to the back end (farthest from the foul line) to the previously drier part of the lane, we like to call it lane carry-down.

When lane carry-down takes place, the dry part of the lane gets oily and this results in more length before the ball gets in the hooking phase. The more your ball travels from the oiled part to the dry part of the lane, the more carry-down takes place and the last third of the bowling lane gets lubricated.

What does Bowling Lane Breakdown means?

 Similarly, the breakdown is also what it sounds like. When bowlers say that the lane has broken down, what they mean is that the lane oil is not distributed as it was at the beginning of the game. As you keep on throwing your ball, it keeps on picking up oil with every shot as it travels through the same area. This makes the freshly applied oil separate.

Due to the oil separation on the lane, some parts of the lane get dried. You will see that some boards get a bit dry whereas some get more oil than they had when it was first applied. When lane breakdown starts, know that the oil from the lane is sticking to the coverstock of the ball and making some parts of the lane get a bit drier than before. These dry parts cause an increased amount of friction. This will lower the amount of length of the lane. 

Why Do Lane Oil Conditions Change?

With every shot, the bowling lane oil condition changes. You may not notice it within the first game, but gradually, you will. If you bowl 5 consecutive games, you will notice that with every game the lane is acting differently. This is because of lane transition that is impacting the oil on the surface of the lane.

If there was no change in lane oil condition, you could repeat your shots more consistently and your scoreboard will boom up with unlimited strikes. But that is only possible in an ideal world or in your dreams. You cannot get the oil condition refreshed after every shot or game. So you do what you gotta do to survive on the lane.

Over the course of your gaming, oil conditions will change, nothing to do about that. That’s why understanding the process of adjusting to the changes becomes evident. We will get to that in a bit.

How do you read transition in bowling?

So how can you tell when the lane is transitioning? Can you read it? No, it’s not like reading a book. But if you put maximum attention to details, you can tell when your bowling lane is transitioning.

Every time a ball travels down the lane, oil conditions change slightly. With every ball travel, it changes little by little. One of the best ways to know if your lane is breaking is by seeing the oil rings on your bowling ball. When your bowling ball rolls, it picks up oil from the lane. If you have a good quality non-absorbing bowling ball, you can see the oil rings even better.

You can also tell if your lane is breaking when you see your ball is cutting through more friction and less length down the lane. Bowling is a bit tough when this happens. But necessary adjustments are important if you want to bowl for a little longer.

How do adjust lanes for lane changing in bowling?

When a bowling lane’s frictional characteristics change, necessary adjustments become paramount. Doesn’t matter how big or small the oil pattern length and the volume of the oil is, you’re gonna have to adjust accordingly to lane changes.

If you’re a right-handed bowler, you will see most changes on the right side of the oil pattern. The opposite will happen if you’re a left-handed bowler. If you were bowling from the outside of the lane on the first few games, you might wanna consider moving a little inside of the lane for using the oil since the outside boards are dry. Similarly, when you start a bit from the inside, try to move toward the outside of the lane when you notice that the lane is transitioning. This will help you bowl better.

Conclusion

So there you go, folks! That’s all I gotta say about bowling lane transitions— lane carry-down and breakdown. Now that you know what they are and how to deal with them, all you gotta do is practice and practice. Learn how to adapt to any minor changes to lane transition and work on your skill. Once you can do that, neither carry-down nor breakdown will be able to stop you from getting a higher bowling score. So keep that up and work on adjusting. Good luck and keep on bowling, my friends.