What's the difference between board coverage and hook?

[Hendu71]

I've heard it said that balls don't hook more than others, they just hook earlier or later. However, some balls very obviously cover significantly more boards than others before hitting the pocket. If there is significantly more lane coverage between balls, how are they both hooking the same amount?

[Aslan]

It's hard to explain...and I'm sure one of the more experienced guys will do a better job.

But a ball with a solid cover stock and/or sanded surface will start to hook sooner than a polished/pearl type cover stock. They may get thrown up the same board...same arrow...cover the same number of boards and both hit the pocket...but they will take slightly different paths.

How all that ends up working out...varies immensely because it's gonna depend on your release and revs and speed.

For Example:
I used to throw 3 balls:
Solid cover, perfectscale of 211. Hybrid cover, perfect scale of 189. Pearl cover, perfect scale of 157.

Now, the solid cover...took a "backwards "C"" path to the pocket. A very smooth arc.

The hybrid cover...a less dramatic arc.

The pearl cover was virtually straight with only a slight, but more pronounced (like a reverse hockey stick) 'snap' into the pocket.

All things being equal;

The solid cover ball will definitely cover more boards, then the hybrid, then the pearl...IF (and this is important)...IF I play the SAME LINE.

Where things get complicated is...I used to not play the same line. My solid cover...thrown up the 6-board...would either hook too early AND too much and cover like 20 boards and miss left. OR...it would hook too early, enter the roll phase too early, and lose it's energy before it ever made contact with the pins. But the hybrid or pearl balls might work fine up the 6-board.

NOW....I use the same lines...but go through my balls in a progression (an arsenal style of ball selection) where I'll start with the most aggressive ball that hooks the SOONEST and progress to next soonest, then next soonest, etc...

GENERALLY, the ball that hooks SOONEST will cover more boards...and hook MORE. But that is not always true...because after the HOOK phase is the ROLL phase. If a ball hooks too early...sometimes it enters the ROLL phase too early...and then doesn't continue hooking and continuing to cover more boards.

I mentioned "PerfectScale" (even though Rob doesn't like it) because I've found that it works well for answering the question "which ball hooks MORE". It does NOT do a great job at answering the question "which ball hooks WHEN"...that can only be answered by throwing the ball because it's highly dependent on how you throw the ball. It's also highly dependent on the strength of the cover stock. It's also highly depoendent on how you surface the ball (sanding/polishing/etc...).

But looking at my arsenal SPECIFICALLY (and it's dependent on how a person throws the ball)...

Bullet Train: 222.8
Rhythm: 211.3
Encounter(s): 203.8
Slingshot: 157.6

That is also the exact progression in terms of soonest to latest hooking. So the PerfectScale system actually was spot on in terms of which one hooks soonest AND more....given the SAME LINE.

Think of it like a car. If two cars are racing and one turns "just slightly", a second before the other car turns "just slightly"....the one that turns SOONEST WILL end up hooking furthest by the time they reach the finish line. But if the car that turns first "corrects" and straightens out (ball going from hook phase to roll phase)...then maybe it ends up covering more boards...maybe not.

Another example:
My 157 pearl ball hooked MORE boards when playing an INSIDE line than my 211 solid ball. How?

Because with the solid/211 ball, I stood 31 and targeted 16...it would cover 15 boards back into the pocket.

The Pearl/157 ball, I stood 35 and targeted 19...and it covered a total of 16 boards back into the pocket.

Why/How? Because if I got too far outside (16) with the 157/pearl ball...it wouldn't come back. So I HAD TO move further inside with my target. The 211/solid WOULD come back...but I couldn't get TOO FAR left with my feet...or it stayed in the oil too long and IT wouldn't come back.

But even that example...the differnce is a total of ONE BOARD of hook. I have a 180-260 rev rate. I'm not gonna see a huge difference in hook from ball to ball. If a person has a 450 rev rate...a 210PS ball versus a 190PS ball might be HUGE. The more revs...the drier the conditions...the bigger and more noticeable the difference from ball to ball. The more you can open up the lane. The more drilling layouts matter. Etc...

So all that rambling aside...generally if it hooks soonest, it'll hook more boards.

[YODA]

It's hard to explain...and I'm sure one of the more experienced guys will do a better job.

But a ball with a solid cover stock and/or sanded surface will start to hook sooner than a polished/pearl type cover stock. They may get thrown up the same board...same arrow...cover the same number of boards and both hit the pocket...but they will take slightly different paths.

How all that ends up working out...varies immensely because it's gonna depend on your release and revs and speed.

For Example:
I used to throw 3 balls:
Solid cover, perfectscale of 211. Hybrid cover, perfect scale of 189. Pearl cover, perfect scale of 157.

Now, the solid cover...took a "backwards "C"" path to the pocket. A very smooth arc.

The hybrid cover...a less dramatic arc.

The pearl cover was virtually straight with only a slight, but more pronounced (like a reverse hockey stick) 'snap' into the pocket.

All things being equal;

The solid cover ball will definitely cover more boards, then the hybrid, then the pearl...IF (and this is important)...IF I play the SAME LINE.

Where things get complicated is...I used to not play the same line. My solid cover...thrown up the 6-board...would either hook too early AND too much and cover like 20 boards and miss left. OR...it would hook too early, enter the roll phase too early, and lose it's energy before it ever made contact with the pins. But the hybrid or pearl balls might work fine up the 6-board.

NOW....I use the same lines...but go through my balls in a progression (an arsenal style of ball selection) where I'll start with the most aggressive ball that hooks the SOONEST and progress to next soonest, then next soonest, etc...

GENERALLY, the ball that hooks SOONEST will cover more boards...and hook MORE. But that is not always true...because after the HOOK phase is the ROLL phase. If a ball hooks too early...sometimes it enters the ROLL phase too early...and then doesn't continue hooking and continuing to cover more boards.

I mentioned "PerfectScale" (even though Rob doesn't like it) because I've found that it works well for answering the question "which ball hooks MORE". It does NOT do a great job at answering the question "which ball hooks WHEN"...that can only be answered by throwing the ball because it's highly dependent on how you throw the ball. It's also highly dependent on the strength of the cover stock. It's also highly depoendent on how you surface the ball (sanding/polishing/etc...).

But looking at my arsenal SPECIFICALLY (and it's dependent on how a person throws the ball)...

Bullet Train: 222.8
Rhythm: 211.3
Encounter(s): 203.8
Slingshot: 157.6

That is also the exact progression in terms of soonest to latest hooking. So the PerfectScale system actually was spot on in terms of which one hooks soonest AND more....given the SAME LINE.

Think of it like a car. If two cars are racing and one turns "just slightly", a second before the other car turns "just slightly"....the one that turns SOONEST WILL end up hooking furthest by the time they reach the finish line. But if the car that turns first "corrects" and straightens out (ball going from hook phase to roll phase)...then maybe it ends up covering more boards...maybe not.

Another example:
My 157 pearl ball hooked MORE boards when playing an INSIDE line than my 211 solid ball. How?

Because with the solid/211 ball, I stood 31 and targeted 16...it would cover 15 boards back into the pocket.

The Pearl/157 ball, I stood 35 and targeted 19...and it covered a total of 16 boards back into the pocket.

Why/How? Because if I got too far outside (16) with the 157/pearl ball...it wouldn't come back. So I HAD TO move further inside with my target. The 211/solid WOULD come back...but I couldn't get TOO FAR left with my feet...or it stayed in the oil too long and IT wouldn't come back.

But even that example...the differnce is a total of ONE BOARD of hook. I have a 180-260 rev rate. I'm not gonna see a huge difference in hook from ball to ball. If a person has a 450 rev rate...a 210PS ball versus a 190PS ball might be HUGE. The more revs...the drier the conditions...the bigger and more noticeable the difference from ball to ball. The more you can open up the lane. The more drilling layouts matter. Etc...

So all that rambling aside...generally if it hooks soonest, it'll hook more boards.

Someone more experianced LOL I think you covered the subject just fine. I came in to write something but really cant add much to what you said

Great post!

[Hendu71]

So, hook is how dramatic the angle change is? Like a hockey stick has "more hook" than a banana shape, even if the banana shape covers more boards?

[Aslan]

So, hook is how dramatic the angle change is? Like a hockey stick has "more hook" than a banana shape, even if the banana shape covers more boards?

No...the opposite.

Total boards of hook is based on where you lay the ball down, how far out it goes (to the right for rightys), and how far back it comes. But a ball's coverstock/surface is going to change "how" it accomplishes that feat.

A Pearl/polished ball will go very straight at first...then make a "hockey stick" move at the end...also called "skid/flip" (I'm not going to get into skid/flip because it'll confuse both of us). A solid/sanded ball might allow you to move further inside....the ball may cover more boards (or not) and make a "backwards C" type of "big hook" into the pocket.

But again...despite Yoda's props...there's a TON that goes into a ball motion discussion and I'm very much a novice at explaining it. For example...I (intentionally) and not mentioning things like:
- RG
- cores
- cover stock chemistry
- flare/differential
- drilling layout
- etc...

All those things could be an entire post of their own...and some of them I barely understand myself.

Bowl1820 and Rob M and MWhite...VDubtx...Hampe...those guys could probably say kinda what I said but in a shorter (please God) and more understandable (maybe more accurate) way.

Also, not to steal Hammer's thunder, but if you google it and take a look at bowlingball.com's bowlversity...that gentleman does a good job explaining it as do the characters that do the bowlingtalk videos.

[Mike White]

My 157 pearl ball hooked MORE boards when playing an INSIDE line than my 211 solid ball. How?

Because with the solid/211 ball, I stood 31 and targeted 16...it would cover 15 boards back into the pocket.

The Pearl/157 ball, I stood 35 and targeted 19...and it covered a total of 16 boards back into the pocket.

You might as well just grab your magic 8 ball in ask it how many boards your ball hooked.

Lets take tour first example.

You stand 31, and target 16. Assuming you actually hit your target lets calculate the path of the ball.

While you're standing on the approach, your foot is on 31, but the center of the ball is more like above the 24 board.

Now you walk towards the target and release the ball. At the point of release your ball should be above the 20 board.

In the first 15 feet your ball has moved to the right 4 boards.

If your ball hooks 0 boards, it will be on the 4 board at 60 feet.

If you hit the pocket, your ball has "hooked" about 13 boards.

35 approach 19 arrows to pocket would result in 17-((19-(35-7+19)/2)*3+19) = 11.5 boards of hook.

I don't think I've ever seen you release a ball that hooked 5 boards, so 13 is a big stretch.

[Mike White]

Total boards of hook is based on where you lay the ball down, how far out it goes (to the right for rightys), and how far back it comes. But a ball's coverstock/surface is going to change "how" it accomplishes that feat.

To give you an idea how wrong this concept is...

Lets take my shot at a 10 pin.

I start with my feet at 33, and hit the arrows at 17.

I lay the ball down at 21, and it slides all the way out to 3 board when it contacts the 10 pin.

It goes out 18 boards, and comes back 0 boards.

Therefore the ball covered 18 boards.

It would be a big stretch to call any of those boards a "hook"

[bowl1820]

I've heard it said that balls don't hook more than others, they just hook earlier or later. However, some balls very obviously cover significantly more boards than others before hitting the pocket. If there is significantly more lane coverage between balls, how are they both hooking the same amount?

So, hook is how dramatic the angle change is? Like a hockey stick has "more hook" than a banana shape, even if the banana shape covers more boards?

Most of the time when people say "Hook" what they are referring to is backend, that dramatic angle change.

You have:
Frontend Boards Covered (FBC): This is the number of boards crossed from the laydown point to the breakpoint.

Backend Boards Covered (BBC): This is the total number of boards crossed from the breakpoint to the entry board at the pocket.

Total Boards Covered (TBC): This is the total number of boards crossed from the time the ball contacts the lane until it enters the pocket.

Here's a simple example:
The illustration is not remotely to scale and so the ball paths are slightly distorted and would look different on a actual lane.


Which hooked more?

Most would say the Red ball "Hooked" more because they see it make that dramatic angle change, It went long and snapped hard. But both balls (Red & Black) have covered the same amount of boards, The main difference was just where the ball made the change in direction "hooked". The Red ball hooked later than the Black one.

Heres another one:


Now most would say the green ball "Hooked" more here. Because it made that big angle change turning back toward the pocket.

But while The Green ball has covered more total boards, as for the backend it has covered the same amount of boards as the other two.

[fortheloveofbowling]

Instead of board coverage and hook it needs to be thought of in terms of matching up ball motion to lane condition in order to get to the pocket and through the pins correctly. My skid flip stuff will cover more boards on certain conditions than one of my balls with surface drilled to roll early. Conversely, a heavy condition the opposite will be true. Same 2 balls, different motions dictated by the lane. That is the challenge sometimes to determine what type of motion and where to play a lane to maximize not only your ability to hit the pocket but make the pins act the right way. Make the wrong choices and as the saying goes, it is hard to out bowl a bad ball reaction.

[rv driver]

Most of the time when people say "Hook" what they are referring to is backend, that dramatic angle change.

You have:
Frontend Boards Covered (FBC): This is the number of boards crossed from the laydown point to the breakpoint.

Backend Boards Covered (BBC): This is the total number of boards crossed from the breakpoint to the entry board at the pocket.

Total Boards Covered (TBC): This is the total number of boards crossed from the time the ball contacts the lane until it enters the pocket.

Here's a simple example:


Which hooked more?

Most would say the Red ball "Hooked" more because they see it make that dramatic angle change, It went long and snapped hard. But both balls (Red & Black) have covered the same amount of boards, The main difference was just where the ball made the change in direction "hooked". The Red ball hooked later than the Black one.

Heres another one:


Now most would say the green ball "Hooked" more here. Because it made that big angle change turning back toward the pocket.

But while The Green ball has covered more total boards, as for the backend it has covered the same amount of boards as the other two.

Sooo... Cliff's Notes Version: "total boards covered" =/= "hook." Right?

Now, for something (related, but) completely different: I'm confused by the term "flare potential." What is "flare potential?" Is it the number of boards covered in the roll phase only? Such that all 3 balls in ex. 2 have the same flare potential? Or is flare potential the "measure" of total boards covered, such that the green track has a higher flare potential? Or is it something completely different?