Interpreting Messages from the Pins
If you aspire to elevate your bowling game to a higher level, it’s not just your posture and score management that matter. It’s equally important to be able to read a variety of situations that support these elements. Particularly, understanding why and how pins are left standing can be a sure sign that you’ve confidently stepped into the realm of intermediate or even advanced bowling.
Although there are ten pins standing in a bowling setup, the bowling ball directly strikes only four pins: 1, 3, 5, and 9 (for left-handers, these would be pins 1, 2, 5, and 8). The rest of the pins are knocked over due to pin action, and a bowler who can effectively induce this action can be said to possess a good ball quality.
Understanding the Role and Behavior of Each Pin
If the numbering of bowling pins confuses you, just remember that they are numbered from front to back, and from left to right.
The bowling ball only touches pins 1, 3, 5, and 9. For instance, if pin 5 is often left standing, it’s likely due to a relatively light ball with a lower impact intensity. Even if a light ball accurately enters pins 1 and 3 (or pins 1 and 2 for left-handers), pin 5 may remain standing due to the rebound of the pins. If the rotation of the ball does not remain inward, or if the ball is too pushed after hitting pins 1 and 3, pin 5 will inevitably be left standing. Sometimes pin 5 remains standing when the ball has rolled out and hits the pins with depleted energy. If you observe such a phenomenon, you can immediately take measures such as selecting an appropriate pound bowling ball or increasing the rotation of the ball.
The Infamous Pin 9 (or Pin 8 for Left-Handers)
Even if you accurately enter the strike pocket, pin 9 often remains standing (for left-handers, this would be pin 8). When the ball strikes pins 1, 3, 5, and 9, after hitting pin 5, the ball should roll out and hit pin 9 (or pin 8 for left-handers). However, if the ball energy is too strong, the ball may go in the direction of pin 8, striking pins 1, 3, 5, and 8, leaving pin 9 standing. Unlike the previous situation, this phenomenon occurs due to excessive rotation and friction, so it’s necessary to adjust to a line with an appropriate amount of oil or to lower the intensity of the rotation.
The Eternal Challenge for Bowlers: Pin 10
The reason pin 10 is left standing can be largely divided into two types: ring ten and weak ten. Dealing with the side pin on the side of the hand you use is an eternal homework for bowlers. If you thought you had succeeded in pocketing exactly, but pin 10 was left, there is a reason for this. In fact, if the ball enters ‘properly’, pin 10 cannot be left standing.
When the ball enters the pocket of pins 1 and 3, pin 3 usually hits pin 6, and pin 6 hits pin 10. At this time, pin 6 should properly hit pin 10, but it fails to do so and pin 10 goes around and leaves, this is called a ring ten. Ring ten often remains when the pocket is thickly entered. On the contrary, if it enters weakly, there are cases where pin 6 falls in front of pin 10 or goes in the gutter direction, which is called a ‘weak ten’. In this case, you can solve it by attacking the pocket a little thicker. Players always watch the movement of pin 6 during the game because they predict that pin 10 will remain.
However, if pin 10 inevitably remains, you must perfectly process it to proceed with the following game stably. This pin 10 processing is also difficult for players. Usually, the stance stands at the end for pin 10 processing. There is a lot of oil on the other side of the line where the ball was thrown, and it is because it is the longest way the ball rolls. Since it is a diagonal direction, it will be about 1 foot longer, so you need to set the line a little longer to cover the mistakes of the lane. It is the most difficult to catch pin 10 with a straight ball.
If you describe the general case of dealing with pin 10, first stand at the end and align your left thumb with the pin. Align your feet first. If the tip of the foot points diagonally, the angle of the body will also change. But if you place your foot in front and throw the ball by twisting your body, your body will turn in the direction of your foot, which can cause a blunder. The triangle (aiming spot) is thrown with the idea of passing through the middle (4th).
There is a lot of vertical energy on the thrown ball, so the ball turns. In other words, if you raise your arm to the end, the spin will cause you to miss pin 10. If you roll with the feeling of pushing the ball to death for horizontal energy, you can deal with pin 10 much easier.
If you often miss pin 10 because you turn too much, try rolling with just your thumb and middle finger. The middle finger is used to create a forward roll, so if you throw a ball with only your middle finger, the ball just pushes out. However, there is a risk of injury, so it is not recommended.
Even if you use horizontal energy and it doesn’t work well, try standing your knee at the end. This is a posture that can make a short release and create a strong forward roll.
Even though the importance of pin 10 has been postponed for a while, let’s also look at the message given by pin 4. If pin 4 remains (pin 6 for left hand), you can judge that the ball has entered thickly into pins 1 and 3. The strike pocket line is about 17.5 (between 17 and 18), but if the ball goes over 17.5 and goes over 19, 20, pin 4 will inevitably remain. Therefore, if pin 4 remains, the ball should enter a little thinner. On the other hand, if pin 6 remains, there is a high possibility that the pin was hit thinly.
This is why the pins remain, because the remaining pins whisper it. To show high game skills, you need to quickly identify the cause of the remaining pins, and make accurate judgments when pins are likely to remain.