This line gives you the greatest angle to the pocket, and best possibility to strike. As I said earlier, the greater the angle your ball comes into the pocket, the better your chances are to strike. To play this line you will need more aggressive equipment and will need to have a lot of revolutions in order to get the ball back to the pocket. There are many advantages to throwing this line, but cannot be thrown by every player. This line is not thrown by a lot of league bowlers, but is thrown by a lot of the professionals on the tour. The last line I will discuss is the Inside Line. The only disadvantage to playing this line is that many bowlers throw this line in league, so you will need to make adjustments on the lane sooner than someone who plays the inside or outside line. Because there is more oil, it will typically hold a straighter line to the pocket. The reason for this is because the outside of the lane is dry, so if you miss outside, your ball will grab early and head towards the pocket. Most times this will be a great option for your average league bowler, with a typical house shot oil pattern. Playing this line, you have the ability to miss your mark by a few boards and if your speed is correct you will still strike. One of the benefits to playing this line is that hitting your target is not as important. To do this you should add the best bowling ball for hook. This line requires the bowler to hook the ball a little more and will increase the angle at which the ball enters the pocket, which increases your chance to strike. The reason this line is called the Track is because this is where most league bowlers will choose to play on a typical house shot oil pattern. The second line I will discuss is the Track, or Middle Line. Another disadvantage to playing this line is if you miss your target by a few boards you will more than likely NOT strike. Some negatives to playing this line would be that you are more likely to leave the ten pin due to the angle at which the ball enters the pocket.

Some positives to throwing this line is that you are less likely to leave splits and speed is not as important as hitting your mark. It can be useful to throw this line when there is an extreme amount of oil on the lane. Most oil patterns will be drier on the outsides of the lanes and have more oil as they work into the middle of the lane. The first line I will discuss is the Outside Line. I have attached a picture at the end of the article to give you a better visual of the three strike lines.

The three strike lines I am referring to are the Inside Line, the Track or Middle Line, and the Outside Line. I’m not saying you won’t have successful days, but what I am saying is if you want to be successful every time you step foot on the lanes, you will need to be able to shoot three strike lines. I personally think to take your game to that next level, you need to be able to play three strike lines and be an excellent spare shooter, if you want to get to that next level. Too often I see bowlers in my league throw the same shot every week and never make any adjustments. Many beginners may not know that there is more than one way to strike in a game.

Three strikes in bowling