Reading a bowling lane oil pattern is the key to improving your bowling game.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHow Can You Tell How a Bowling Lane Is Oiled?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You can tell how a bowling lane is oiled by looking at the lane\u2019s pattern sheet. There are different patterns that can be used depending on how your bowling alley\u2019s mechanic has programmed the lane machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You need to look at two things if you want to tell how a bowling lane is oiled. You need to look at the length of the pattern, and you also need to look at the volume of oil that has been used in each unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Generally speaking, the oil pattern will have the middle of the lane heavily saturated with oil. The outsides of the lane are more lightly coated in oil. This is because this pattern lets bowlers get a better hook from the outside. Depending on the specific pattern used, this can also help bowlers correct mistakes and bad throws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Are the Different Oil Patterns on Bowling Lanes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are many different types of oil patterns that you will find on bowling lanes. However, there are two popular organizations that account for the majority of the oil patterns that you will see. They are PBA (Professional Bowlers Association)<\/a> and Kegel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PBA has two different types of patterns, Animal and Legend. You can find them both on their website, although you must sign up to view the pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PBA\u2019s Animal patterns are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, their Legend patterns are based on the names of famous professional bowlers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to be a professional bowler? Check out this article: How to Become a Professional Bowler<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kegel brand has a wider variety of patterns. They primarily organize their patterns by difficulty where they have easy, medium, and hard patterns. You can find their directory of patterns here on their website<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You do not need to worry about being able to look out at the lane and automatically tell what the lane\u2019s oil pattern is. Instead, you can figure out the pattern by looking at a publicly posted graph in the bowling alley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suppose, for whatever reason, the graph is not posted in a visible place. In that case, you can ask an employee or owner of the bowling alley for a copy of the graph. You can also ask for the name of the pattern so that you can look the pattern up online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you get ahold of this pattern sheet, you will know how long the pattern is and what parts of the lane are more saturated than others. You need to pay attention to these two factors because they are critical in determining how you should bowl with this lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You will have to adjust your bowling strategy depending on what lane pattern you see. The best way to do this is to follow the Rule of 31. The Rule of 31 says you should look at how many feet are covered by the pattern and subtract 31 from that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This helps you figure out where the ball will start to break and where you should aim your bowling ball so that it will turn in time to strike the pins at best possible point.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Type of Pattern Does Your Lane Have?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Understanding the Rule of 31<\/h2>\n\n\n\n