If you’ve bowled for any length of time, you’ve probably thrown a great shot and left a corner pin. For righties, the 10 pin offers the same information about your ball reaction that a 7 pin can give to lefties, so for simplicity, we’ll focus on the 10 pin in this week’s tip. Lefties can simply switch the references below to the 7 and 4 pins.

Leaving corner pins can be frustrating. However, if you’re paying close enough attention, how the pin stands can tell you what you need to do about it to get back to striking.

  • A solid 10, also known as a wrap 10, is when the 6 pin flies right around the 10 pin. This is often a sign that the ball is entering the pocket a bit too aggressively and you should look for a slightly smoother motion.
  • A flat 10 is when the 6 pin just falls into the gutter. This is often a sign that the ball is losing too much energy going down the lane and you need to find a sharper reaction or look for a bit more oil to help the ball retain more energy.