Coach, I’ve Got a Question! – March 2026

In this recurring feature, I answer questions from Bowling This Month readers and bowlers that I work with. If you have questions, please leave them in the comment section below so I can address them in a future installment of Coach, I’ve Got a Question!

On a typical house shot, would you say that a bowler would have a higher carry percentage using the friction on the outside of the lane or the friction at the end of the pattern to create hook? What are some clues bowlers could look for when deciding between the two options?

This is certainly a good question, and one I faced when I was younger and bowling competitively. Many tournaments take place on house shots, and each can create slightly different challenges for bowlers. Adapting to them quickly is important, especially when the scoring pace can be pretty high.

While there are some clues about the environment that you’ll want to pay attention to, I want to address the bowler first. When choosing between friction at the back of the pattern and friction to the outside, it can depend more on the bowler than the pattern itself.

Individual considerations

Some bowlers’ games will naturally favor one of the two approaches. Related to this, the bowler’s eye has a lot to do with it. As a player, if you are looking for a certain ball motion, you’ll tend to play the lanes in a way that creates that shape.

For example, I always liked smoother motions, even as a rev-dominant player. As a result, I usually opted for stronger balls to play in the oil and use the back end for hook, whereas other high rev rate players would often open their angles ...