Three ingredients: spin, oil, and friction
A hook needs three things working together. Spin from your release, oil on the front of the lane, and friction on the back. Take away any one and the ball won't hook.
The front of the lane is oily
Lanes are coated with oil in a pattern — slick in the front, drier toward the pins. On the oily part, your spinning ball slides without gripping. It's storing energy and traveling fairly straight, even though it's spinning.
The back of the lane grabs it
As the ball reaches the drier back end, suddenly there's friction. The spin you put on it finally bites into the lane, and the ball changes direction — hooking toward the pocket. That sharp move you see is the moment friction wins.
Your release creates the spin
The spin comes from how you let go of the ball. As it leaves your hand, your thumb exits first and your fingers roll up the side, imparting rotation. The more rotation (and the more revs), the more potential hook. Our hook guide walks through building one step by step.
Why you can't hook a house ball much
Try to hook a plastic house ball and you'll get very little — its smooth shell doesn't grip the dry boards no matter how much you spin it. That's the difference a reactive coverstock makes: it grabs the friction your spin needs. Equipment and technique work together; neither does it alone.
Want to build your own hook?
Our step-by-step hook guide shows you how, and the best hook balls guide covers the gear that grips hardest.