Bowling terminology

[NewToBowling]

In layman terms, what do these actually mean? I hear it all the time and have a good idea of what they mean but in layman terms someone know the real meaning:

Opening Up The Lanes: Meaning making the lanes looser and giving more miss room?

Tight Lanes: Lanes that don't have any margin for error?

Clean Through The Heads/Mids/etc: Meaning ball doesn't react to that part of the lane which may or may not be a desirable thing?

So someone might say "The lanes are tight tonight, I moved left to open up the lanes". So they had to move left because they had no miss room and were afraid to miss left/right so they moved in to open up the lanes hoping the lanes would be more forgiving?

[RobLV1]

In layman terms, what do these actually mean? I hear it all the time and have a good idea of what they mean but in layman terms someone know the real meaning:

Opening Up The Lanes: Swinging the ball out to the right (for a right hander) taking advantage of areas of friction that have been provided by other bowler's ball paths.

Tight Lanes: Lanes that are oily yielding less hook than lanes that are dry.

Clean Through The Heads/Mids/etc:The ball does not encounter too much friction to cause them to hook early.

Please see text in your original message reproduced above.

[Timmyb]

In layman terms, what do these actually mean? I hear it all the time and have a good idea of what they mean but in layman terms someone know the real meaning:

Opening Up The Lanes: Meaning making the lanes looser and giving more miss room?

Tight Lanes: Lanes that don't have any margin for error?

Clean Through The Heads/Mids/etc: Meaning ball doesn't react to that part of the lane which may or may not be a desirable thing?

So someone might say "The lanes are tight tonight, I moved left to open up the lanes". So they had to move left because they had no miss room and were afraid to miss left/right so they moved in to open up the lanes hoping the lanes would be more forgiving?


I think you're on with 2 and 3. "Opening up the lanes" is a bit broad, though. That's dependent on how much "forgiveness" your game has to begin with. Opening up the lanes for me could be 6-8 boards. Based on his posts, guys like Aslan (watched Youtube; holds a pretty tight line, IMHO) may have less room, and others more.

[bowl1820]

Please see text in your original message reproduced above.

I'd agree with the Tight Lanes & Clean Through The Heads/Mids/etc.

But as for Opening Up The Lanes being described as "Swinging the ball out to the right (for a right hander) taking advantage of areas of friction that have been provided by other bowler's ball paths."

I don't believe I'd quite agree with that.

That's describing a player taking advantage of where someone else has already "Opened up the lanes", Not that player "Opening the lanes up".

I would go more with how As John Jowdy put it, "Opening up the lanes" refers to the widening of the track or area, that the ball covers on it's path to the pocket.

So if someone says he or they are trying to "open the lanes up", then they'd be saying they are the ones trying to widen the track area. To create that area of friction, not take advantage of one that is already there.

Now if someone say's the "Lanes have opened up" that could be described as saying that the track has widened and you can now take advantage of areas of friction that have been created by you or other bowler's ball paths.

[fortheloveofbowling]

In layman terms, what do these actually mean? I hear it all the time and have a good idea of what they mean but in layman terms someone know the real meaning:

Opening Up The Lanes: Meaning making the lanes looser and giving more miss room?

Tight Lanes: Lanes that don't have any margin for error?

Clean Through The Heads/Mids/etc: Meaning ball doesn't react to that part of the lane which may or may not be a desirable thing?

So someone might say "The lanes are tight tonight, I moved left to open up the lanes". So they had to move left because they had no miss room and were afraid to miss left/right so they moved in to open up the lanes hoping the lanes would be more forgiving?

Opening up the lanes: This refers to the point where you have migrated in and have the inside line to the pocket and miss room right. Some house shots have this out of the gate though. Some shots starting out have such a cliff where the dry meets the friction you have to wait until the inside develops a little. It is all about finding that shim and playing at the correct part of the lane.

Tight Lanes: This generally refers to the back ends of the lanes. If your shot is based on angle through the fronts then you could say they are tight through the fronts/mid lane as well. But usually if they are playing tight your break point down lane to get to the pocket is smaller. Lanes that are very slick are generally referred to as Fast. Remember the ball has to slow down in the correct spots wherever that may be and depending on what you are trying to do.

Clean through the heads/mids/etc: The ball is not over reading those parts of the lane. Again, depending on your plan of attack and what you are trying to do can change what you may want the ball to do at different points on the lane.

[NewToBowling]

Thanks for the explanations. Makes more sense now

[J Anderson]

Please see text in your original message reproduced above.
Tight Lanes: Lanes that are oily yielding less hook than lanes that are dry.

Rob, I respectfully disagree with this answer. Anytime I've heard this expression, whether it was Nelson Burton Jr., Mike Durbin, or Randy Pederson, the implication has been that of the O.P.: there was not very much miss room at the break point.

I can see where a long oil pattern, where there is less than 18' of dry lane for the ball to react, would be inherently "tight". Likewise, a flat pattern the USBC Open always starts out "tight". Yet many house patterns have a large amount of oil in the middle of the lane and are anything but "tight".

[bowl1820]

Tight Lanes: Lanes that are oily yielding less hook than lanes that are dry.

Rob, I respectfully disagree with this answer. Anytime I've heard this expression, whether it was Nelson Burton Jr., Mike Durbin, or Randy Pederson, the implication has been that of the O.P.: there was not very much miss room at the break point.

I can see where a long oil pattern, where there is less than 18' of dry lane for the ball to react, would be inherently "tight". Likewise, a flat pattern the USBC Open always starts out "tight". Yet many house patterns have a large amount of oil in the middle of the lane and are anything but "tight".

A +1 here.

Yeah a "Tight lane" would typically be a oily lane (not hooking much) and one without a lot of miss room (not much room for error).

[RobLV1]

A +1 here.

Yeah a "Tight lane" would typically be a oily lane (not hooking much) and one without a lot of miss room (not much room for error).

The difference can also be where the "miss room" is located. Often lanes that are referred to as "hooking lanes" give you miss room to the right (for right handers). These are lanes that are easily opened up. Lanes that are referred to as "tight" often give you tug room left, allowing misses to the left to hold pocket. Take a look at my website, at an article I wrote several years ago entitled, "Where's My Misses?": http://modern-bowling.com/Bowling-Coach-Bowling-Balls-Las-Vegas-NV.html. It's in the Bowling Ball Section.

[fordman1]

New now that you have a definitive answer ask another good question. All good answers and probably right but many different.
Tight lanes mean the ball isn't hooking much.
Opening up the lanes means throwing in an area until it starts hooking.
Clean through the heads/Mids/etc. means its not hooking until it gets past those areas.
Or something else???

[LOUVIT]

Interesting thread, I once again learned something else from this site:) I would also think adjusting ball speed helps a bit at least it does for me..

thank you
Lou