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6 Degrees
© Copyright 2002, Jim Loy
The ABC (American Bowling Congress) tells us that the ideal angle
for the ball to come in to the 1-3 pocket (1-2 pocket for left-handers) is six
degrees (diagram on the right). Both five degrees and seven degrees produces
fewer strikes. Five degrees produces more 10-pins (7-pin for left-handers), and
seven degrees produces more 9-pins. The target is from 1.25 inches to the right
of the head pin to 3 inches to the right of the head pin. With this target, the
ball is expected to take out the 1-3-5-9, and those pins take out the other
pins. There are also good, lighter strikes (sweepers) to the right of that.
The lane is a wopping 60 feet long (no wonder you can't hit those pins).
And so that tiny six degrees works out to about 53 inches (almost a foot wider
than the lane between the gutters) to the right of the right edge of the lane,
if the line is drawn all the way back to the foul line (see the left end of
this line in the diagram on the left). You can visualize the six degree angle
by looking at the right diagram. But you can never throw from this angle with a
straight ball; you would have to be 53 inches to the right of the inside of the
gutter; can't be done. You can only get an angle of about 1.67 degrees with a
straight ball thrown from the corner. With a straight ball, you will have to
live with fewer strikes. To get more strikes, you need to throw a hook of some
kind. And with a huge hook, you will have to move pretty far left, to reduce
the angle to 6 degrees.
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