Almost 95% of bowlers begin bowling by throwing the ball straight.
This is OK if you are learning how to bowl and in fact many casual bowlers maintain this style of throwing the ball.
Throwing the ball straight is not a bad thing.
Sure it is going to get you strikes and spares, and it is much easier to do than "hooking" or curving the ball.
But in the long run, if you want to take bowling seriously, you need to learn how to hook properly.
Throwing the ball straight will only yield, at highest, an average score of 180.
To further better yourself as a bowler and to start knocking down more pins and upping your personal average, one must learn the art ofhooking.
Bowlers you use a straight-throw method play what is known as the "spare-game".
Ten bowling pins weigh almost double of what a sixteen pound bowling ball weighs.
When the ball hits the pins, there is a lot of pin deflection on the ball.
Usually this ends up with leaving a decent amount of center pins up.
If you can aim a straight ball, then making these spares can get your average up to 180-190.
What serious bowler wants to play the "spare-game"? Scoring an average of 180-190 isn't terribly bad, but any serious bowler knows they need to do better than that.
Bowling strikes is a must.
The easiest and most consistent way of bowling strikes is through the hook.
All pro's know this.
Learning how to hook the ball and developing your form is difficult though.
As a bowler, one must develop a "release" of the ball, where with your thumb aiming the ball and putting a rotation on with your fingers, the ball curves into the pins for optimum strike potential.
In time and practice, any bowler can learn this bowling feat.
You will notice that as your hook gets better, you will knock down more pins and have better control over pin deflection.
Hooking is a bowling must.