Rev Rate vs. Rotation in Bowling: What’s the Difference?

When you’re analyzing or troubleshooting your bowling shot, there are a few different numbers you’ll hear getting thrown around.

There’s the shot’s revolutions, which means how much the ball revolves on its journey towards the pins.

But then there’s also the rotations that your ball makes as it heads down the lane.

These may sound like the same thing at first, but they aren’t. There are some important distinctions between revs and rotation that you’ll want to be sure you understand.

First, revolutions, which are commonly referred to as one’s “rev rate,” are expressed as a number that can be a little confusing to truly grasp. This is because it’s usually measured per minute, giving you a number in the hundreds, but in reality, of course, the bowling ball is only on the lane surface for a couple seconds. So the actual revolutions it makes, then, is much less. But still, we refer to a rev rate of something like 400 or 500, even though that has nothing to do with what you will actually see the ball do on the lane. A little confusing, we know, but that’s just the way it is!

Rotation, on the other hand, refers to the direction that the ball’s revs are taking it. This can range from a end-over-end roll that is rotating in the direction it is traveling, meaning down the lane. But bowlers who employ any degree of “hook” are utilizing different types of rotation, such as 45 degrees, when the hand is a bit off to the side of the ball at release instead of straight behind the ball. A 90 degree axis rotation is even more extreme: your ball is still traveling straight down the lane but it is rotating at a 90 degree angle from the direction it is moving.

Importantly, rotation isn’t all that makes the ball behave the way it does as it searches for the pocket. The degree of hook involves your rev rate too, as well as additional factors like your ball speed and tilt. There are general guidelines for “matching” your rev rate and speed that you’ll want to learn about (take a look at the chart shared in the linked article). And don’t forget lane conditions, which are always a major factor in how your ball behaves on the lane and what type of shot is optimal.

So in summary, don’t treat revs and rotation as the same thing, and be sure to remember the distinct roles they (along with other factors like speed and axis tilt) play in the context of a bowling shot.