USEFUL BOWLING INFORMATION FOR THE BEGINNER
Bowling Terminology
Bowling Etiquette
Equipment & Attire
Basics Of Bowling
Language Of The Lanes
What Is A League
Bowling Terminology
Approach
Area at least 15 feet long on which player walks to the foul line.
Arrows
Sighting targets imbedded in the lane to help player align start position.
Back swing
The path of the arm behind the body during the next to last step in the delivery.
Count
The number of pins knocked down on the first ball.
Foul
Touching or going beyond the foul line while delivering the ball.
Frame
One-tenth- of a game. Each square on score sheet is one frame
Gutter Ball
Delivery which rolls off the lane into the gutter.
Hook
A ball that breaks sharply toward the pocket
Leave
Pins remaining after the first delivery.
Pocket
Area between 1-2 pins for a left and 1-3 pins for a righthander.
Spare
Knocking down all pins in two deliveries.
Strike
Knocking down all pins with the first ball.
Track
Path to the pins created by many balls rolled in the same general area.
Bowling Etiquette
Sportsmanship, consideration and plain common sense are important to any sport and bowling is no exception. Here are a few rules to follow on the
lanes
- Be on time for league play.
- Be prepared to take your regular turn on the lanes.
- Take your time but don't waste everyone else's due to useless posturing.
- Control your emotions.
- Don't carry refreshments onto the approach area. Any foreign matter on a bowler's shoe can cause you to slip.
- Save the kidding for later. Boasting, bragging, heckling or griping have no place on the lanes.
- Play to win but be gracious in defeat. Bowling is both a sport and a recreation that you should enjoy regardless of the score. Be a good loser as well as a good winner.
- When two persons are ready to bowl on adjoining lanes, the bowler on the right has the right of way.
- Be set when it's your turn to bowl. When you roll your ball, confine your "Body English" to your own lane.
Equipment & Attire
One of the advantages for the beginning bowler is that you don't have to invest in any equipment. Balls are available at all centers without charge and bowling shoes may be rented for a small fee. (Once you start bowling it's likely you'll become a confirmed fan and want to buy your own ball and shoes. Before you do, consult a professional ball driller. His advice will be invaluable. With your own ball, you should score higher and in a more consistent manner.)
Until you have your own ball, here are a few tips to help you select the proper house ball. Balls weigh 16 pounds or less. Pick the heaviest you can handle comfortably with accuracy. It's no how Hard you roll the ball, but how accurately you roll it that pays off in better scores. Your thumb should fit slightly loose-loose enough to rotate your thumb without friction. With your thumb in the ball all the way, stretch your two middle fingers over the finger holes. The second crease of the fingers should com one-quarter inch past the near edge of the holes.
Tight clothing will hamper your delivery. Men's shirts and trousers should fit comfortably to permit freedom of movement, especially across the shoulders and under the arms. Loose fitting blouses or sweaters are fine for the ladies.
Basics Of Bowling
- A complete game consists of 10 frames.
- Each player tries to knock down 10 pins in each frame.
- You are allowed to bowl 2 balls in each frame. Exceptions: (a) if you knock down all the pins on the 1st ball, you won't need the 2nd. (b) if you score a strike in the 10th frame, you are entitled to 2 bonus balls.
- If you knock down all the pins on the first ball, you have scored a STRIKE (indicated with an X) and have earned a bonus for that frame. Your bonus is the number of pins you knock down with the 1st ball in the next frame. Your score will be 10 (for the spare) plus the bonus pins on the next ball.
- If you knock down all the pins with 2 balls, you have scored a SPARE (indicated with a /) and earned a bonus for that frame. Your bonus is the number of pins you knock down with the 1st ball in the next frame. Your score will be 10 (for the spare) plus the bonus pins on the next ball.
- If you fail to knock down all the pins in a frame, your score is the actual number of pins knocked down.
- If your foot goes over the foul line, you have scored a FOUL (indicated with an F) on that ball, and you receive no score regardless of how many pins you knocked down.
- Handicaps are additional points given to bowlers in league or match play to give them an equal chance of winning when they bowl against other bowlers with higher averages.
Language Of The Lanes
- ANCHORMAN - Last bowler in a team lineup
- BABY SPLIT - The 2-7 or 3-10 splits
- BED POSTS - The 7-10 split
- BIG FOUR - The 4-6-7-10 split.
- BLIND - Score given a team for its absent member.
- BUCKET - The 2-4-5-8 for righthanders, 3-5-6-9 for lefthanders.
- CHERRY - Chopping off the front pin by driving it straight back past any other standing pins to the right or left.
- CROSSOVER - A ball going to 1-2 pocket side for a righthander, 1-2 side for lefthander.
- DOUBLE - Two strikes in succession.
- DUTCH 200 - A game of exactly 200 made by alternate strikes or spares.
- FOUL - Touching or going beyond the foul line as you deliver the ball.
- GUTTER BALL - A ball which goes into the gutter before reaching the pins.
- HOLDING LANE - A lane which resists hooking action.
- LOFTING - Throwing the ball in the air beyond the foul line.
- MOVE IN - To start from or near a
center position on the approach.
- MOVE OUT - To start from or near a corner position on the approach.
- PITCH - The angle at which a hole is bored in a ball.
- POCKET - Between the 1-3 pins for a
righthander, the 1-2 for a lefthander.
- RUNNING LANE - One which takes a hook.
- SHORT PIN - A pin rolling on the lane which fails to knock down a standing pin.
- SPAN - Distance between thumb and finger hole.
- SPLIT - Combination of pins left standing on first delivery with a pin down immediately ahead of or between them.
- SPOT - The place on a lane where the bowler aims.
- STRIKING OUT
- Getting strikes to finish of a game.
- TAP - Expression used to describe a pin left standing on an apparently perect hit.
- TURKEY - Three strikes in a row.
What Is A League!
The term "League" really means a social club: one whose main activity is tenpin bowling, not necessarily its only activity - but its main one. Leagues bowl every week on the same day at the same time, so every member has a regular social occasion on their calendar.
League affairs are conducted by officers elected by the members. or by bowling center management and staff. Leagues follow established rules, and can add their own when necessary.
A League organizes its season so that every team (two, three, four or five players) plays every other team at least twice, according to a draw. In this manner, members get to know each other in the nicest possible way - by bowling together. At the end of each season, trophies, prizes, etc. are handed out for a variety of awards to members, usually at a social evening.
League bowlers who bowl good games (Ladies 125 or better, Men 200 or better) are eligible for Award Pins, Awards and Cash Prizes up to $3,000 from the Center.
League games are good value because when a bowler bowls three games in a team , it takes longer to bowl - up to three hours of interesting, participating activity for the cost of the games.
New members are always welcome in a League, after all - means new friends for everybody. As a social leagues are handicapped, the lower a bowler's average game, the higher their handicap, so a team's competitive chances are not affected by adopting a new member.
Finally, don't be worried if your average game is low - you will be surprised to find out how many current members have lower averages.