Types of Hooking for a Bowling Ball

The explosion of pins that is created from a pocket hit in bowling is a sensory delight to both the eyes and ears. Most beginner bowlers throw a bowling ball that has little to no curve or spin to it whatsoever, so the ball has to strike the pins in just the right manner, such as the 1-3 pocket for right-handed bowlers and the 1-2 pocket for lefties to get a strike. Throwing a hook with a bowling ball generates more power when it strikes the pins because it's generating power from both the forward and side motions of the ball. There are four hook-style variations thrown in bowling: cranker, stroker, spinner and tweener.

  1. Crankers

    • The cranking style of hook bowling is all about power -- pure and simple. The ball is delivered with the bowler's shoulder open on the approach to the foul line due to the high arc the bowler uses for his backswing. The power of the throw is generated both in the slide to the foul line, which has the bowlers almost motionless at the end prior to throwing the bowling ball (commonly known as the "plant-and-pull" technique), and the angle of the wrist at delivery, which is cupped in order to provide extra lift to the throw. The cranking style generates more power, but at a loss of accuracy. Many times, the cranker will throw the ball near the edge of the gutter and, depending on the lane's oil conditions, sometimes slides the ball in the gutter. However, pocket hits are explosions that tend to scatter all 10 pins.

    Stroker

    • The stroker style is a very basic bowling technique many bowlers learn when first beginning to throw a hook ball. The approach is very measured, with the shoulders squared with the pins, and the hand and wrist create all of the hook action. The ball is released at the very moment that the bowler's front foot stops near the foul line. As the ball is pushed forward toward the lane, the bowler's throwing hand is facing the pins with the thumb on top of the ball and the middle and ring fingers underneath. As the bowler pushes the ball toward the pins on the release, he rolls his wrist in a counter-clockwise motion. The follow through carries the bowling hand across the bowler's body, and the thumb should be pointing at about the 8 o'clock position if you were looking at a timepiece.

    Spinner

    • A spinner release, sometimes known as a "helicopter" release, is similar to the cranker release, just not quite as violent. The key to hooking the ball in this manner is using a lighter ball (a cranker will typically use a 14- or 16-lb. ball; a spinner uses either a 10- or a 12-lb. ball). The approach is similar to the style in that the ball is released at the same time the bowler reached the foul line. The bowler approaches the pins with his shoulders squared, but his wrist is twisted so at the approach the thumb is all the way to one side of the ball. As the ball touches the lane on the release, it is spun almost in a 360-degree motion to create more spin on the ball. The follow through has the thumb and fingers pointing at the pins upon release.

    Tweener

    • The tweener style of hook bowlers, as the name indicates, is a cross between two other styles: the cranker and the stroker. The approach is the same as the stroker style, but the release is similar to the cranker in that it has the high arc to the backswing. To accommodate this mixture of styles, the bowler's shoulders are squared to face either the seven or 10 pin, depending on whether the bowler is right-handed or left-handed.