The tactical game is one of the most challenging components of bowling, and extremely rewarding if it is played well. Being able to recognise the shifts in the lane pattern, making the proper adjustments, and matching up to the lanes, is probably the biggest determining factor in winning tournaments. In this article, we will introduce what each single pin leave can tell you about your first shot, and what possible adjustments can be made to improve the shot so that you can reach the pocket and improve your carry.
What does each pin leave mean and how do we adjust?
In this section, we look at each single pin leave and provide suggestions for possible adjustments, with more in-depth discussion on these adjustments available here. If you have trouble understanding the pin action required for a strike, do read our article on getting into the pocket first! For left-handed bowlers, look at the pin leaves on the opposite side!
Pin 2
Leaving Pin 2 means you hit a light pocket, such that the ball hit Pin 1 too far on the right, causing it to move across the front of Pin 2 instead of hitting it. Possible adjustments include moving your line 2-1 to the right and changing to the stronger ball.
Pin 3
The ball missed the pocket to the left, hitting a cross pocket. Possible adjustments include moving to the left by quite a bit, such as a 3-1 or 5-3 adjustment, or changing to a weaker ball.
Pin 4
You hit a high pocket, such that the ball hit Pin 1 too far on the left, causing it to hit Pin 2 too far right, and Pin 2 in turn moves across the front of Pin 4 instead of hitting it. Possible adjustments include moving 2-1 to the left, or changing to a weaker ball.
Pin 5
Adjusting from leaving a Pin 5 is a little trickier because it was a good pocket in terms of the ball position when it makes contact with the pins. However, the ball does not drive through and continue its path, but instead deflects too much, and so is not able to hit Pin 5. You may try to change the entry angle by making a small parallel shift of your line, such as a 1-1 movement left or right, or by changing your equipment and using a different ball. Either way, you will first need to identify whether you left the pin because the entry angle was too small or too large, or your ball just lacked the energy to drive through!
Pin 6
You hit a high pocket, such that the ball hit Pin 3 too far on the left, causing it to slide across the front of Pin 6 instead of hitting it. Since it is caused by almost the exact problem as leaving a Pin 4, you can adjust in the same way.
Pin 7
Leaving a Pin 7 for a right-handed bowler generally means that the shot is slightly low in the position of the pocket, or the shot is weak. What happens then is that the Pin 1 hits Pin 2 from the front, Pin 2 then falls backwards instead of diagonally onto Pin 4, causing Pin 4 to fall to the front of Pin 7 and not hit it. You may adjust your line slightly, such as a parallel 1-1 move to the right. Many bowlers may not wish to adjust your line out of a pocket shot. Instead, they may opt to increase their revolutions slightly or slow down their ball speed to let the ball to accelerate more in the ‘roll’ phase and allow it to drive through the pins better.
Pin 8
Pin 8 is left when the ball drives through a proper pocket, but hits Pin 5 directly from the front instead of slightly to the right. Theoretically, this means that the ball is a little too strong, but practically it is usually a really good pocket shot that most bowlers would not move out from unless it happens consistently. One could try using a weaker ball or moving slightly to the left, even just half a board, although our recommendation would be to just repeat the shot and see if you leave a Pin 8 again.
Pin 9
This leave is similar to Pin 8, in that the ball drove through the pocket with too much force, and possibly too large an entry angle. The ball hit Pin 5, but rolled through instead of deflecting slightly to hit Pin 9. Although this might still be a good pocket, we would recommend shifting slightly to the left, such as with a 1-1 adjustment, or using a ball that is weaker at the backend.
Pin 10
This is the big one! Leaving Pin 10 (or Pin 7 for left-handed bowlers) is probably the single biggest issue which plagues competitive bowlers. We first need to identify whether we left Pin 10 because the ball was too strong or too weak, and that takes some experience and a sharp eye. If you see Pin 6 moving across the front of Pin 10 and into the gutter, then the shot was probably too weak, or ‘flat’. We might consider moving right slightly to allow the ball to start hooking earlier. If Pin 6 goes behind Pin 10, then the shot was probably too strong, and we would consider moving left slightly. Lastly, if Pin 6 flies across the front of Pin 10, we call it a ‘ringing’ 10, and the shot probably had too large of an entry angle. Possible adjustments for this include throwing a shot with more forward roll, or using a ball with a smoother backend.
There are many aspects to the tactical games, and reading pin carry is just one of them, albeit one of the most fundamental! We provide recommendations here to help you adjust into the pocket and improve your carry, but there is no replacement for going down to the alley yourself and figuring out what adjustments work and what don’t!