Bowling looks easy enough when the pros are effortlessly throwing strikes, but most beginners quickly realize there’s a learning curve to throwing accurate balls consistently.
Before jumping straight into advanced bowling techniques, it’s wise to dedicate time to practicing the fundamental bowling shots.
Having these basic techniques and deliveries in your arsenal sets you up for success in every bowling game situation.
The four essential basic bowling shots that all beginners should focus on developing include:
- The Straight Ball Shot
- The Hook Shot
- The Backup Shot
- The Spare Shot
While simple in concept, it takes time and practice to truly master these bowling fundamentals. But once you ingrain these basic bowling shots into your muscle memory, you’ll have the skills and control necessary to continue elevating your bowling abilities.
Let’s break down each of these four bowling shots in detail…
The Straight Ball Shot
The straight ball is the most basic bowling technique, but don’t underestimate its importance for accurate throwing. Mastering the straight bowling shot should be the first focus.
Executing a controlled straight ball requires you to stand in the exact center of the lane and evenly distribute your body weight.
When you approach the foul line, keep your shoulders square and release the ball directly up the middle arrow on the lane, smoothly following through straight toward the pins.
Practice facing different directions down the lane and hitting your target dead-on with a simple straight ball over and over.
In one session, stand facing all the way left targeting the center pins. Next session stand facing right up the edge of the adjacent lane throwing straight towards the 1-pin.
Being able to execute a straight shot consistently whenever needed takes time and continuous practice. But ingraining this fundamental skill makes incorporating more advanced hook shots even easier down the road. It also comes in extremely handy for easy single-pin spare conversions (more on that in a bit).
While it might seem boring only throwing straight balls throughout your practice, this discipline and repetition train your muscles to essential proper form and release fundamentals that improve your overall bowling abilities exponentially.
When playing actual games, only throw the straight ball if you need to hit the 1-3 pocket accurately, convert single-pin spares easily, or make slight adjustments rather than big hooking adjustments if you’re just slightly missing your mark.
The Hook Shot
Once you’ve gained consistent control with your straight ball and are ready to move on, the next bowling shot to work on is hooking the ball. This is the essential technique for consistent strikes.
Unlike throwing it straight, the key to an effective hook shot is leveraging asymmetrical weight distribution by properly holding the bowling ball.
This allows you to release just enough revolutions on the ball for it to curve at the perfect angle into the pins.
Two things are needed to produce an accurate hook shot – an angled approach and proper hand position.
For the approach, stand between the center arrow and second arrow then walk a diagonal path towards the edge of the lane.
Time the footsteps on your approach so you end about four steps away from the foul line. You can adjust where you start and end as needed once you get a feel for the hook amount you’re generating.
For hand position in the bowling ball, do not hold the ball symmetrically with fingers spread wide gripping deep into holes on either side.
Instead, keep your fingers closer together placed just to the side of the center finger hole. Gravity causes the ball to tip opening your shoulders and arm to the ideal release angle. You can test various finger positions to produce different hook effects.
Practice your angled approach using the proper hand position over and over. Let gravity slowly turn the ball for you as you swing forward, evenly stepping into each controlled throw. Make adjustments as needed based on if you’re hooking too much or too little.
It takes tons repetition for the feel of an accurate hook shot to become instinct. But before long, leveraging ball revolution for a perfectly arcing shot happens automatically. Persistence now means never having to guess about spin, speed, or angle again. Just line up your sweet spot down the lane and roll.
Use the hook bowling technique whenever you have some room to swing the ball into the 1-3 pocket. Tweak foot placement and hand angle to make adjustments rather than throwing straight. Accurate strikes become second nature once the bowling hook shot sticks.
The Backup Shot
The third essential basic bowling shot every game calls for on occasion is the purposeful backup ball. This shot curves a reverse direction down the lane before striking the pins.
Accomplishing a proper backup shot relies on changing how your thumb presses into the ball. You essentially want to create an uneven release coming off your hand.
Start with proper hook shot form – the angled approach facing between the two lane markers closest to you.
Except this time, press your thumb deeper into ball, almost off-center. Then follow through rotating your shoulders and torso further left opening your swing path more.
This thumb position puts initial backward spin on the ball so it curves opposite a normal hook into a right-handed bowler’s ideal pocket. Time your footwork to ensure a clean release towards the pocket as the ball starts backing up.
Incorporate the back up bowling shot sparingly when you need certain deflection angles to pick up tough spares.
The wider hook or to adjust position across additional boards than a standard hook allows for. But refrain from overly relying on backup balls which are less accurate and consistent than a fine tuned hook release.
Practice the backup shot to expand your capabilities dealing with tricky lane situations when strikes call for an exaggerated hook.
The Spare Shot
The last fundamental bowling skill essential for scoring well every game is properly throwing for spares. Sending every other shot into the gutter won’t cut it score-wise without promptly cleaning them up.
Unlike normal strike deliveries that attempt driving through the pins at full bowling ball speed, spare shots require greater touch, precision, and control.
The bowling ball should be slowed down, with added backspin, increasing the chances it gently deflects around remaining obstacles knocking everything down.
Executing effective spares starts with choosing the right ball – set aside your trusted reactive resin bowling ball used for strikes.
The angular contours that create big hook potential actually work against accurately converting tricky splits. A plastic or urethane ball provides a smooth, predictable roll crucial for spare consistency.
Also, avoid using the exact same throwing motions finessed for strikes. Spares demand a slightly firmer, more upstanding release keeping the ball surface contacting the lane longer before the tell-tale hook kicks in. Adjust foot placement and swing path to align the ball’s entry angle into the remaining pins based on split configuration.
Work on consistent spare conversions every practice until pounding out the tricky ones become routine. Even pros drill specific exotic spare leave situations until mastery. The scoring reward rightly justifies obsessive attention on any bowling shot increasing overall pin count each frame.
Remember, throwing curve balls looks flashy, but those simple straight shots save games score-wise. Patient repetition covering fundamentals makes all the difference consistency-wise.
In Conclusion – What are the Four Basic Shots in Bowling?
Mastering these four basic bowling shots – the straight ball, hook, backup ball, and spare throws – forms the foundation for excelling as a bowler ready to play at the highest levels.
While simple in theory, put in practice time ingraining proper technical form, speed control, and adjustment capabilities tied to each unique delivery style.
Having versatile bowling competency makes adjusting to varied lane conditions smooth and intuitive. You want transitions between ball choices, bowling motions, angles, and impact accuracy as second nature by the end of training.
With the fundamentals down, you can then move on to more advanced bowling techniques like perfecting pin angle entrance, throwing trick hooks, properly reading oil patterns, or calculating optimal ball rotation rates to truly dominate the lanes as a multi-dimensional scoring threat.
But always keep practicing these basic shots as the anchoring pillar to your ever-improving bowling game.
Let me know if you have any other questions about mastering the essential bowling shots as a beginning bowler!
Frequently Asked Questions
How many basic shots are there in bowling?
There are four basic shots in bowling:
- The straight ball
- The hook shot
- The backup shot
- The spare shot
What is a 4 step approach in bowling?
A 4 step approach refers to the run up of four steps bowlers do as they approach the foul line to deliver the ball down the lane towards the pins. It allows building momentum and rhythm.
What is a split ball in bowling?
A split ball is a type of specialty shot meant for picking up difficult spare configurations, or splits, where most pins are down except two far apart makable pins. It involves rolling accurately between the pins.
What are 5 strikes in a row called?
Striking five consecutive times is called a five-bagger.
What is 12 strikes in a row called in bowling?
Bowling 12 strikes in a single game is called a perfect 300 game. This rare celebrated feat is every bowler’s dream.
What is a 7 10 split in bowling called?
The 7-10 split is one of the most notorious hard to convert splits in bowling. The unique v-shape with the two corner pins remains making is difficult to roll accurately between.
What is the best bowling technique?
The ideal technique combines an effective 4-step approach, proper hand and finger position in the ball for controlled hook potential, accurate straight line aim, and balanced smooth release coming off fingers with matching shoulder rotation into finish.
What is 4 strikes in a row called bowling?
In bowling, four consecutive strikes is called a four-bagger.
How many steps should you take in bowling?
The optimal approach is typically made up of four or five steps to allow building momentum before releasing the ball. Less than three steps fails building power while over six steps makes consistent timing of the final release more challenging.
