throwing the ball

Heading for the Pocket

The best chance for a strike comes from hitting the pocket. The pocket is the space between the head pin and the 3-pin for right-handed bowlers or the head pin and the 2-pin for left-handed bowlers. The greater the angle of entry into the pocket, the better the chances are for a strike. This is why experienced bowlers usually throw a hook ball.

To throw a straight ball, line up your shot on the approach by rolling the trackball left or right. To throw it just roll forward. The faster you roll the faster it goes, up to its maximum speed. A lighter ball will have a higher maximum velocity.

When throwing straight your chance of a strike is improved if you start off to one side and throw diagonally towards the pocket. It's a little trickier to aim when throwing diagonally across the lane but the results are worth the effort. Use the arrows for aiming.

Once you've mastered throwing the ball straight, the next step is to throw a hook. Throwing a hook requires adding spin to the ball. The lane is oiled so that it's slipperier towards the player and drier near the pin deck. If the ball is thrown with a diagonal spin, it will slide mostly straight on the slippery part of the lane then grab and turn in the direction of the spin when it reaches the drier part. This is how an experienced bowler causes the ball to hook.

To create the necessary spin to hook the ball, start by lining up on the approach by rolling the trackball left or right. When you are in the right spot, start the ball spinning by pulling it straight backwards. You'll see the ball spin and a ring of spinning stars (the Spindicator) will appear to help indicate the direction and speed of the spin. At this point the ball can no longer move left or right on the approach. Rolling the ball left or right will change the angle of the spin, pulling it back will increase the speed of the spin. To throw it, roll forward in the direction you want the ball to go.

If you make a mistake while setting up your shot, press the START/SELECT button to cancel the spin. This will let you move the ball left or right on the approach again and start the shot over.