>>190
The reverse hook has become obsolete except in situations
where a back-up ball is used to get the 10-pin.
A few players practiced it more generally in the 1940s through the 1960s.
Unlike bowlers who threw back-up balls at 10-pins or baby splits,
they stood on the left side of the lane and used it as their strike shot.
Reverse-hook bowlers applied extraordinary finger rotation from approximately
a 5 o'clock position to an 11 or 12 o'clock position.
The drive and path of the ball were very similar to those delivered by left-handed players,
and, unlike back-up balls that deflect, reverse hooks maintained enough drive
to carry through the pocket with efficient force.
Ernie Hoestery, a standout player from New England, averaged between 200 and 210
in an era when only the most elite bowlers recorded 200 averages.