Pitch & Degrees in Bowling

“Pitch” in bowling relates to the finger holes on the bowling ball, while “degree” is related to the position of a bowler’s hand while he releases the ball. Both concepts require practice and preparation; however, they are critical to bowlers who want to take their game to the expert level.

  1. Pitch

    • The pitch in a bowling ball refers specifically to the degree or angle that the holes are drilled where a player inserts his finger to grip the ball. Bowling balls typically have three holes for three distinct fingers: thumb, middle finger and ring finger. These holes can be angled in several ways, with each type providing a different type of grip.

    Types of Pitches

    • The exact middle of a bowling ball, also known as a “geometric center,” is the basis for pitch angle. Some of the common pitches that bowling balls have include zero, reverse or away, forward and lateral pitch. Zero pitch means the holes are drilled parallel to the ball’s geometric center, while reverse pitch means the angles of the holes are drilled pointing a little away from the geometric center. Forward pitch means the three holes are drilled pointing toward the geometric center, while lateral pitch means that the holes are either slightly situated on the left or the right sight side of the ball.

    Degree

    • In bowling, degree literally refers to the degree or the angle of a player’s thumb and hand when he releases the ball. There are typically three types of release with different degrees: 10-degree, 45-degree and 90-degree. Each type of release has a specific effect to the way the ball will travel along the lane, and players should practice each of them to have more versatility while playing.

    Uses of Degrees

    • A 10-degree release means the thumb, together with the whole hand, is pointing almost straight up, toward the lane, as a player releases the ball. Typically used in dryer lanes (lanes lacking lots of oil on the surface), this release makes the ball travel longer in a straight line before hooking.

      When doing a 45-degree release (measuring 45 degrees between the arm and ground), the hand and thumb should be pointing horizontally at a 45-degree angle before releasing the ball. This is the most commonly used type of ball release and generally lands on the side of the location of the seven pin for right hand bowlers.

      A 90-degree release means that your thumb is in a horizontal position pointing toward a 90-degree angle. This release causes the ball to spin heavily, allowing less surface contact on the lane. When a player uses this release, the ball will not have a lot of hook.