Have you noticed that all bowlers, regardless of bowling style, will aim to get their balls to contact the pins at around the same area? This is called the pocket, and getting our ball into this area maximises the strike rate of our shots. In this article, we will discuss the pocket in detail and how it helps us strike.
What is the pocket?
The pocket is the area right in the middle of Pins 1 and 3 for right-handed bowlers (Pins 1 and 2 for left-handed bowlers). This is exactly on Board 17.5, but we would consider shots that land on Boards 17 and 18 as hitting the pocket too because it is hard to differentiate half a board from 60 feet away.
How does a pocket shot lead to a strike?
Understanding how a pocket shot leads to a strike builds the foundation for explaining our pin carry. In a proper pocket shot, the ball makes contact with Pin 1 and Pin 3 at approximately the same time. Pin 1 takes out Pin 2, which then takes out Pin 4, which in turn takes out Pin 7. Similarly, Pin 3 takes out Pin 6, which then takes out Pin 10. The ball ideally drives through Pins 1 and 2, and aided by a slight deflection to the left by Pin 3, takes out Pin 5. It then deflects off Pin 5 to the right to take out Pin 9, while Pin 5 takes out Pin 8.
Going high or going light
When we miss the pocket, it means that our ball does not make contact with Pin 1 at the 17-18th boards. If we miss left, meaning our ball makes contact with Pin 1 at the 19th board and above, we call this a high pocket. Missing even further left such that the ball makes contact with Pin 1 on the left side is called a cross pocket or a Brooklyn shot. If we miss right, such that our ball makes contact with Pin 1 at the 16th board and below, we call this a low or light pocket.
What is the entry angle
We should also realise that our ball is a moving object, and can enter the pocket from different directions. We call the angle at which the ball enters the pocket the entry angle, and we measure this as the angle from a line at the pocket drawn parallel to the gutter.
What next?
Now that you know what the pocket is, the next step is to put this into practice and try to hit the pocket consistently! If you are unable to do so, you should identify the reason why, and what adjustments to your bowling you might need to make!