Fast And Slow Bowling Alleys

Despite their smooth, glistening appearance, no two bowling lanes are alike.

Some are fast, and some are slow. The fast alley is one that is highly polished. It's slick. As a consequence, the ball slides farther before "taking." The slow alley is just the opposite, having less smoothness. It causes a hook to "take" quickly and to hook a greater degree.

The good bowler closely watches the action of his first few deliveries, so that he can control his future shots for strike hits and for properly hitting his spare leaves. If the bowler's first shot (granted that he has delivered what he believes is his normal ball) results in the ball crossing over in front of the headpin, he has reason to believe that the alley is slow.

The ball "grabs" on the sluggish lane, and the hook action is extreme. The ball on the left is an example of one thrown on a slow lane. The arrow at the right indicates how the ball might act on a fast or slick lane.

The alley is so slick that the ball slides, and hook action is minimized if not lost entirely. On a slow lane, as indicated on the diagram at the right, the bowler releases his ball nearer the center of the alley, aiming out toward the right gutter, knowing that the ball will hook in.

On the fast alley, the bowler moves to his right on the approach, aiming his hook ball to hit the 3-pin squarely.

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