Guide to Becoming a High Roller

1. Positioning. Line up your left foot (right foot if you are a lefty) in the same spot in front of the machine every time you roll. Your rolling arm should line up with the center of the skeeball lane. Consider this like finding the home row on the keyboard when typing. Once you do it for a season or two it will become second nature.

2. Three ball method. If you grab 3 balls at a time you only have to reach for additional balls twice versus after every ball or two. This makes it much easier to get in a groove. You will also be less likely to lose your center position.

3. Stance. Bend your knees slightly and relax. You want to be in a comfortable position, not standing up straight and stiff as a board.

4. Pick a target. Don’t look up at the holes; they can be overwhelming. The best place to focus on is on the ramp, dead center. Figuring out the speed is the easy part… rolling straight is the tough part.

5. Grip. You should be gripping the ball like a golf club. Don’t play golf? Stop squeezing the life out of the ball, let it float off of your fingers!

6. Release. It is important to release the ball at the right time. If you release it too early you lose the feel for where it is going. The ball should not slam off the lane. If you release it too late it will fly down the lane and bounce right before the ramp, usually resulting in a gutter-ball. You want to begin to release the ball at a perfect 90 degree angle, giving you a nice, smooth roll.

7. Follow through. That’s right, the follow through after releasing the ball is just as important as anything. It’s similar to basketball, except you follow through to the spot you are aiming at instead of the basket.

8. Balance. When you roll you should remain balanced throughout the roll. If you are falling to the left or right you are not going to be consistent. Falling forward onto the lane is also a foul.

9. Find your 40. Your goal should be to hit the 40 hole. If you roll a little long, you get a 50, a little short, you will hit a 30.

10. Practice. The best rollers in the league are the ones that stay late for free-skee events and practice.

Note: If you can’t roll the ball straight, banking can sometimes help. Same philosophy, except pick a spot on the rail versus the ramp.