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Hitting the pins at the right angle is one the most influential
aspect of bowling
on a bowlers ability to get a strike. You can throw a ball with
as much force as
you want and you can still not get a strike if you don't hit the
pins right.
The hook of of ball is the key to getting the right angle. This
is why bowlers
who bowl a straight ball generally have lower scores than
bowlers that bowl
with a hook. The optimal strike angle is about 6 degrees from
the direction of
the lane boards in between the one and three pin, this is also
referred to as
the pocket.
Source:http://www.evancfa.org/
This angle allows for the maximum contact with all of the pins
to knock them
over. Even if you hit the head pin straight on you risk the
chance of not making
contact with the pins to the back in the corners (the seven and
ten pin).
To get this angle with a straight ball a bowler would have to
stand 6.3 feet
into the next lane and throw it at an angle. Obviously this is
not ideal hence the
reason for the curve.