When you are about to throw the ball, what is the general consensus of where on the lane you look at for your mark? Right at the foul line? 1st/2nd set of dots?

Another question I have is, how do you determine if you hit your mark? Do you watch the ball roll down the lane and see where it hits the breakpoint or is it physically where the ball hits the lane?

For a beginner, it's best to look at one of the arrows. When you set up in your stance, you should start looking at one of the arrows and then keep your eyes on it until the ball rolls over it. Then, you should follow the ball until it hits the pins.

A lot of people have the tendency to look at the target in the stance and then lose focus during the approach (this usually is caused by bending forward too much at the hips). Then, after they throw the ball, they immediately look at the pins to see if they will strike or not.

You should train yourself to keep your eyes on your target until the ball passes over it. You'll be much much more accurate and you'll also be able to see if you have hit your target or not.

Alex, at least use the arrows for targeting, and watch your ball all the way. If your ball crosses your target at the arrows, at least you know that the direction was correct. That doesn't happen using the dots.

Later on, you will be looking for a target that equates to your breakpoint, farther down lane. Many people refer to the ball trajectory as 15-6, which would mean 15 board at the arrows (third arrow) and out to the 6 board at the breakpoint.

Alex, you should really go to Ron Clifton's site and just read everything you can find, start with this : http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/btm01_files/btm1.htm
then this: http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/btm02_files/btm2.htm
after that then try this one so you don't develop bad habits: http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip46_files/tip46.htm

He has plenty more in the tip archive, so dive right in.

The third article CoachJim linked to really echoes what I wanted to mention regarding eye dominance. My coach went through some exercises with me to determine that I am left eye dominant, and I have a hard time not missing my target by two boards consistently. It's good to know if you have an eye dominance and how to correct for it (something I'm still battling with!)

I spot at the foul line and the boards at the arrows. Some bowlers spot further down the lane as where their breakpoint is.
My method of targeting is called 'line bowling' as opposed to 'spot bowling'. Line bowling is the next step up from spot bowling and uses two spots (in my case) as opposed to using a single spot.

The problem with using only one spot is that you can hit your spot and still miss your target at the pins. Recalling your high school geometry "an infinite number of lines can be drawn through a single point". Therefore if I roll the ball over my spot at the wrong angle, I will miss my target. rolling the ball over your spot at the wrong angle can be eliminated if you line bowl. Again referring to high school geometry, "two points determine a straight line". So if I can roll the ball over a spot at the foul line (or the 6 ft dots if there are any) and the boards at the arrows I have a good chance of hitting my target at the pins while taking into consideration ball speed and lane conditions.

In all cases, the other spot to be factored into the equation is where to stand on the approach when using a specific target line.
Where you stand is being able to walk in a parallel path 5 boards from the line that your ball is taking.

All of the above requires experimentation with regards to establishing Target Lines for specific situations.

During my stance I align my armswing with the line that is determined by the spot at the foul line and the target board at the arrows. Once I take my first step I don't look at the spot at the foul line but try and keep my armswing in line with the spot at the foul line so that I release the ball over that spot and out to the target board at the arrows.

To help keep everything moving in the right direction, my followthrough is toward where I think the breakpoint might be.

Thanks those articles are very insightful and are really going to help me with my game.

My focus is around 15-17 feet down the lane, around the arrows. I don't always use the arrows as the actual target. Its easy to see what board I want to roll over at that point, and what board I actually rolled over. Even before the ball gets to the breakpoint I can normally tell if the shot was good by the angle it crosses the target. Then I watch the ball as it goes down the lane to my target breakpoint and as it starts to turn to the pocket(hopefully) and then how it hits and drives through the pins.

There are some bowlers that look at the dots at the foul line, such as Wes Melot, others target further down the lane. Its usually what works best for you, but hitting that target(s) is still dependent on everything you do from the set up to the follow through.

There is really no definate depth to target. As you advance, you will find that being versital enough to vary your targetting depth to suit your style and the lane condition will greatly add to your ability to score.

Erin

I'm not sure if my experience is the same as everyone else's...as I've only restarted bowling in the past 9 months...but I've noticed that the amount of loft I put on the ball tends to change with how far down the lane I place my aim point/line. When I'm looking for early roll, I tend to look down at the 1st or 2nd set of dots...when I want more length/loft I tend to set my eyes on the arrows. I suppose that it has more to do with my head position...when I look at the dots, my head is further down, causing an earlier release...but when I look up, my head is up causing me to release the ball later in the swing.

Or...it could just be that small shifts like that alter my game because I'm a newbie. :-)

Well if you're wrong so am I, because thats exactly what I do.

I've been bowling for about 10 years, and I still look at my arrow as I'm preparing my approach. I like to watch it as the ball goes over the arrow because I know that 9 out of 10 times it will hit the pocket. I rarely look down the lanes, it may work for some but not for me. You just have to choose the best for you and your game.

I haven't gotten very good at seeing my exact breakpoint but I use the arrows and watch to see if it's gets close to my desired breakpoint and see what to adjust from there.

Just a point here. Length and loft are 2 very different things.

Length is carrying the ball farther down the lanes before it begins to hook.
Loft actually shortens the lanes, when lanes have early friction.