When it comes to different techniques for throwing the bowling ball, one must know different bowling styles. Depending on the situation, a player has to use different techniques for throwing the bowling ball. There are three common bowling styles. These styles are Cranker, Tweener, and Stroker.
In the following section, you can find more information on these three types of bowling methods.
What is the Cranker Bowling Style?
What is a cranker bowling style? Why should you master this bowling style? Basically, cranker is the most aggressive style of bowling. Hence, bowling experts try to master this style with the highest dedication. With this style, one can generate a lot of power. If you want to add speed to your bowling, you should opt for this style.
Since the cranker adds power and spin to the ball, players can use this style to score high points. At the first break, the cranker technique should be used. When there are a few pins available on the court, you need to use a different technique for hitting the pins.
So, how can you master the cranker bowling style? The most important thing is to keep your body at the left of the lane to implement the cranker style. Keeping your body on the left of the bowling lane, you need to throw the ball with the maximum power to get the perfect strike. Producing power is the key thing here. With regular practice, players can generate more power for the cranker style.
When you master the cranker style perfectly, you will find that the technique helps you to give an exceptional amount of revolution to the ball. Since it gives revolution to the ball, you need to properly place it on the bowling lane. Otherwise, it will not hit the pins well. Hence, a lot of pins will remain on the court. For adding the spinning effect or impact to the ball, you need to keep the entry angle correct. If you make mistakes in placing the entry angles, the ball will not obtain the desired revolution.
Learning the cranker style is important for bowling enthusiasts. At the same time, you need to learn the right time for applying the style. Cranker should not be applied for every entry to a bowling match. You need to use this style when there is a requirement to add speed and spin to the ball. Starting a break with a cranker is ideal. When a few pins are remaining on the bowling court, you need to use other techniques to hit those pins.
What is the Tweener Bowling Style?
Tweener has been recognized as one of the most versatile styles of bowling. This bowling technique is inspired by the cranker. Hence, it is important to learn cranker first. Once you learn cranker, you should move on to learn tweener. With this style, the position of the players can be adjusted as much as the players want. You can go for a high back-swing. Alternatively, you can also go for a low back-swing.
For their main game-play, most of the experienced and skilled bowling enthusiasts use the tweener technique. This technique is versatile. You can start the match with this technique. You can also apply the style to hit the pins when there are only a few pins remaining. Players can control the speed and revolution of the bowling ball with the tweener technique. Hence, it has been frequently used by the bowlers to score points.
For beginners, learning cranker is important. Experienced bowling players, who have already mastered cranker, should opt for learning the tweener technique.
However, the tweener style is also a little confusing. For beginners, it can be confusing to master the method of a tweener. You need to practice rigorously to master your skills in tweener technique. If you cannot master the technique of tweener, you can move to the stroker technique. People who cannot master the tweener style often opt for learning stroker.
What is the Stroker Bowling Style?
Stroker style is for those who want to add elegance to their bowling technique. This flamboyant style of bowling is popular among professional bowling experts. Since the style is unique and elegant, it is used for limited reasons. One of the most notable things is that strokers have a low rev rate while playing. Hence, mastering this style will help you to score more. However, maintaining accuracy with this style of bowling is not an easy thing. When you can perform stroker effortlessly, you will become an expert in this technique.
For casual hangout bowling, this style is often used by the players. It helps the players to exhibit coolness or skill. This technique has to be used limitedly. One must know when to use the right technique for bowling. Using the right style at the right moment will make you a successful bowling player.
Stroker technique also comes with a variation, which is known as power stroker. So, what is a power stroker? How can it help you to score more in bowling? If you have a rev rate between 300 and 370, you need to achieve more power and control to score higher bowling points. For that purpose, you can opt for the power stroker technique. This technique is a blend of elegance and power. A perfect mix of the two makes it easier for the bowling players to score excellent points against the opposition.
Learning the power stroker technique is easier for those who have mastered tweener. In this bowling style, you need to apply the technique that you use for implementing the tweener style. As a player, you may have poor form. On a few occasions, players do not find their rhythm for bowling. In such a scenario, you can use the power stroker style of bowling. Trying a new style may help you to get your rhythm back. Your bad run with bowling can get over with the application of the power stroker technique.
What are the Differences between Tweener, Stroker, and Cranker?
You have learned a few basic details on cranker, tweener, and stroker. These are the three techniques that bowlers use for throwing a bowling ball. A professional bowling expert must learn all three techniques. However, it is not mandatory to master all three techniques. Many successful bowlers have mastery of one or two techniques. They rarely use the third style of bowling.
So, what are the most crucial styles to learn? In the following section, you can find a comparison between different bowling styles. Reading the comparison details will help you to pick the right style for bowling.
For the cranker technique, you need to use your wrist a lot. With this style, you can implement a high rev rate. The most notable thing is that the cranker helps you to generate power and revolution. You can produce exceptional power if you practice the style regularly. Along with power, you can add a spinning effect to the ball.
Due to the revolution, it becomes easier to hit all the bowling pins at a single attempt. Where should you implement this technique? Cranker can be used at different kinds of bowling courts. However, it is more suitable for slippery bowling lanes.
If the bowling court is well-polished and slippery, you can use this style for bowling to score high points easily. On slippery surfaces, spinning happens more smoothly. Thus, a cranker is used on such surfaces.
If you want to learn the most elegant style of throwing a bowling ball, the stroker is the best technique for you. In this style of bowling, the player learns grace and elegance in throwing the ball. You need to throw a ball in such an elegant way that it seems you have put in the limited effort.
When you can perform the style effortlessly, you can become a master in this technique. The style is easier to learn. However, it is not a style that you should use frequently. Such a bowling style is acquired for showing coolness as a player.
If you are enjoying casual bowling with friends and family, you can show bowling skills through performing stroker.
The third style is known as a tweener, and it is regarded as a blend of stroker and cranker. Tweener is a bowling style that professional bowling experts must learn. If you want to become a successful bowling player, you need to master this technique.
So, what makes this technique or bowling style so important? This style can be used on different occasions. Mastering the style will give you the strength or ability to control speed and revolution on the bowling ball. Cranker is all about showing power. Tweener is more about showing intelligence.
If a few pins are remaining on the bowling lane, you need to throw the ball slowly. In such cases, the Tweener style can help you to score points easily. This style is not suitable for beginners. As a beginner, one should learn cranker first. When you have mastered the cranker style of bowling, you can proceed to learn Tweener.
What are the Areas To Play The Lane By Strokers, Tweeners, And Cranker Style Bowlers?
There are 3 basic areas available to play the lanes for right-handed bowlers. Left-handed bowlers should reverse. These are:
- In cranker style you stand left with distance, start playing across the lane and hook the ball back to pins.
- In stroker style, you start bowl on the right side by following a straight line using your skill to maintain as much accuracy as you can.
- In tweener style, you stand in the center position and throw the bowl accordingly to produce a maximum score
In these styles, crankers are one of the most powerful bowlers that generate high power, high speed, and high revs. In fact, crankers use immense power to maximize the striking potential. So, master in cranker style is very important before going for any other style like tweener or stroker.
A Guide to Bowling Ball Layout
Along with the different styles of bowling, one should also learn about bowling ball layout. For mastering the styles, it is important to implement the right bowling layout. For different bowling styles, there are different layouts. Many beginners do not have a proper idea of the bowling ball layouts.
With the advent of time, they gain experience. With escalating experience level, they learn the tricks to deal with the bowling ball layout.
So, what is the bowling ball layout? It can be defined as the difference of the positive access point (PAP) to the bowling pin. For the bowling experts, it is crucial to keep in mind the position of the closer pin of the bowling ball.
The position has been termed VAL (Vertical Access Point). You can find a guide on different bowling layouts according to the bowling styles in the following section.
Cranker’s Bowling Ball Layout
Depending on the bowling style, the PAP rate of bowling may vary from one person to another person. For the cranker, the PAP rate stays between 5 to 6 inches. Due to such a gap, the ball can generate amazing power. So, players have to get their measurements right to perform crackers effortlessly. Players have to create their layouts for the cranker.
Tweener’s Bowling Ball Layout
As stated above, PAP measurement varies from one person to another. Commonly, it is noted that PAP for tweener remains around 4 inches. A bigger measurement will make the tweener too aggressive, while it will become less aggressive when the tweener measurement is low. PAP for the tweener layout should be around 3 to 3.8 inches for performing the perfect and effortless tweener style.
Stroker’s Bowling Ball Layout
The PAP for the stroker style of bowling is around 3 inches. Hence, the speed that you generate through this bowling technique is average. For the bowling layout for stroker style, measurement should be around 4 inches.
Final Thoughts
So, these are the basic things that bowling enthusiasts should know about bowling. All these bowling styles can prove to be useful in different gaming situations whether it is Cranker, Tweener, or Stroker. You need to apply them meticulously.