Bowling Info 101 » Bowling Instruction

New to Bowling? What should you work on to advance to the next level?

Jim Newell — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:24:59 +0000

By Jim Newell

There are a number of things you could work on and all of them would make a difference in your bowling scores, and therefore the enjoyment you get from the game.

However if you at the raw beginner stage, you will probably get the fastest improvement in your scores and most benefit from learning and concentrating on executing a proper controlled approach and delivery.

Many new bowlers do not know the correct number of steps they should take for their approach and delivery style, they do not know what style has the best possibility of producing the best results for them, they do not know the proper sequence, they do not have a sense of what the timing should be. Many new bowlers are very erratic in what they aim at, or do not know what to aim at. They are not aware of how their ball will react with the bowling lane. Many try to make the approach too fast, or too slow and throw the ball either too slow too fast. These errors compound to cause an approach and delivery that is not efficient at getting the ball on the lane, in a position where it has a chance to get to the pins properly.

First you need to determine how many steps you will take and where you should stand on the approach to begin. Most new bowlers should start with 4 or 5 steps, stand on the approach with your back to the pins with your heels at and on the approach side of the foul line, take 4 or 5 long casual steps away from the foul line. Now turn and face the pins, look for the set of alignment dots on the approach that are in front of you and align the toe of your right foot with the center dot, the center dot is usually a little larger than the others. From this position start a normal paced slow approach to the foul line, be sure you walk in a straight line, you want to slide to 3 or 4 inches short of the foul line with the foot opposite of your dominant hand. (if you are right handed you will slide on your left foot).

As you take your first step forward, you want to be pushing your bowling ball away from your body and letting it start to swing down, on the next step your arm swings straight back to about waist high and then starts straight forward, as you begin your slide the ball should be just approaching the level of your ankle, as the ball crosses just above the foul line , with your thumb at about the 1:00 position the ball slides off your thumb and the off your fingers. You should be aiming at the second arrow from the right gutter, if your ball crosses that arrow it should somewhat naturally angle to the strike pocket. If your ball stays right of the pocket on the next ball move your feet a board or 2 more to the right, use the same target and watch where your ball hits. If your first ball goes to the left of the head pin you want to make adjustments to the left, again only a board or 2 at a time.

As you practice this smooth controlled approach and delivery, you will find the spot to start your approach on that works best for you. Starting from a set spot each time you bowl will allow you to adjust to the lane conditions you are on, lane conditions do change.
The important part of this lesson is to stay calm and relaxed throughout the entire approach and delivery. Watch some of the better bowlers in your bowling center for visual clues. Ask to have a bowling coach work with you to fine tune your approach.

Watch this video for an expert approach.

Improving Your Game…You Can Practice Bowling at Home…No Bowling Lane Needed!

Jim Newell — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:15:30 +0000

Many of the various bowling information sources suggest that practice will help you improve your bowling game and help you raise your bowling average. They are right, concentrated practice will improve your game.

The kicker is that bowling requires a lot of equipment in order to practice effectively. First you need a bowling lane and pins, a few bowling balls, bowling shoes, etc. Not things available in the typical home.

There is however a readily obtainable way to hone your swing mechanics, spare shooting angles, and strategies without leaving the comfort of your living room.

Enter the Nintendo Wii™, one of the newest electronic home game systems on the market and the sports pack of games that comes with it. Included are a few bowling games that can actually give immediate quality feedback for a variety of bowling skills.
Now before you get really excited, this would not be a substitute for learning the game of bowling, you will still need a real bowling alley to learn the basics.

The movements involved with the Wii controller are very close to the actual moves involved in the release of the actual bowling ball, wrist movement is very similar, in order to make a good delivery in the Wii game you have to “release” the ball at the bottom of your swing, this is identical to real bowling. In my opinion the more you play the Wii bowling game, the more smooth and accurate your swing mechanics will become, you will learn more about spare angles and how ball speed and hook affect how the ball hits the pins. These are skills that are transferable to actual bowling.
The scoring functions on the Wii game are accurate and exact, so you get the added benefit of learning how to keep score. Yes I know that most bowling centers offer computerized scoring, however there are times the computers are not working, there are also instances when they are not accurate, knowing how to keep score is still important. You can “bowl” by yourself or against up to 3 other players.

Featured in the Wii bowling suite of games is a “billiards” game that has you shooting at a 1 pin spare, then a 2 pin spare, followed by a 3 pin spare and so on, this game does make you think about spare angles, and how the ball hooks and hits the pins. Planning how you are going to make these spares is identical to the planning and ball movement in actual bowling. Also included are an obstacles game and another game that adds a row of pins to each additional frame, getting up to really ridiculous numbers, these 2 game while entertaining do not really depict real world ball movements and are not much use as training devices.

The Wii system, because the controller senses actual body movement is very popular with the younger crowd and is also becoming very popular with older people, now being used in many retirement or nursing homes as a way to keep seniors active.

Raising your Bowling Average…Scoring Facts and Oddities

Jim Newell — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:32:42 +0000

Recent statistics suggest a mean bowling average for all bowlers in the US at somewhere between 150 and 155 per game. Bowling at this level can be accomplished with converting about 50% of your spares; however most bowlers will also throw 1 or 2 strikes per game.

Raising that average to the 175 to 190 level only requires that you start throwing 3 to 4 strikes a game and convert about 60% of your spares. This could be accomplished by most recreational bowlers with practice and some instruction on picking up your spares.

Moving your average above 190 and up into the 200′s will require rolling 4-6 strikes per game and converting about 90% of your spares. If you want a game over 200 those strikes must include at least one double (2 strikes in a row).

From the above it is easy to see that can raise your average the quickest by learning to pick up a larger percentage of your spares. Of course it never hurts to have a good mix of strikes as well.

Below are some interesting facts and oddities about bowling scores.

How hard is it to throw a 300, or perfect game? It is estimated that there are 4 million plus avid bowlers in the US, if each of those bowlers, bowl an average of 20 games per year (which would be a very conservative estimate) that means that there are at least 80 million games bowled in the US each year. In a typical year there will be between 40,000 and 50,000 perfect games bowled, according to the USBC, the official keeper of annual sanctioned game statistics. So doing a little math shows that 0.0005 to 0.0006 percent of all of the games bowled in a typical year might be a 300 game.

Is it harder to bowl an 800 series than it is to bowl a 300 game? To bowl an 800 series you have to average over 266 for your 3 games. According to USBC statistics a typical year will yield 11,000 to 15,000 800 series. So yes it is about 4 to 5 times harder to bowl an 800 series, than it is to bowl a 300 game.

If someone offers to teach or show you how to bowl 300 every time, or to average over 260, think of the above statistics, and don’t waste your time or money.

A 279 game requires 10 or 11 strikes and can be scored by bowling 11 strikes and one 9 pin count spare anywhere from the second to the ninth frame. It can also be bowled by having a 9 pin count and converting the spare in each of the 1^st and 2^nd frames and then striking all remaining shots, or by having strikes in each of the first 9 frames, a 9 count on the first ball in the tenth, converting that spare and then a strike on the last ball.

The rarest score in bowling is a 292 game, which requires 11 strikes in a row followed by a 2 count on the last ball, and has only been accomplished about 20 times.

For more information on bowling records go to the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) site at http://www.bowl.com

Are Common Swing and Delivery Faults Keeping You from Bowling High Scores?

Jim Newell — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:35:15 +0000

By Jim Newell

The correctly executed bowling swing and delivery is a simple, smooth, in control, and accurate method of getting the bowling ball from you to your strike target. When done correctly, and on a trajectory that takes advantage of the current lane conditions, more strikes and hence higher scores will be the result.Most bowling swing and delivery faults are created by the bowler, some are unconscious and others are purposeful.The most egregious of the purposeful faults has to be trying to throw the bowling ball without using the thumbhole. Unless you have a physical handicap or injury that prevents you from using your thumb, there is no reason to attempt this delivery. You lose a lot of control, you have to work too hard to keep the ball and yourself balanced. It is almost impossible to cover most spares effectively, and the ball usually lacks power and energy at the point of impact with the pocket. One of the characteristics of this type of delivery is that the ball approaches the pocket at a huge angle. Contrary to popular opinion, the smaller the entry angle to the pocket, the more effective you will be at getting strikes. Younger, less accomplished bowlers who are showing off and think it looks cool attempt this style of delivery. Very few advanced bowlers ever use this technique, I can only think of one or two professional bowlers who used the no thumb delivery, and they were not superstars.One of the most common swing faults is not keeping your arm close to your body during the swing. Some bowlers will swing their arm away from the body on the back swing, which results in the extra step of trying to make a smooth forward delivery at the target during the forward swing. Often this extra step will result in a shot that is pulled across your body resulting in a backup ball or just seriously off line to the target. Another result could be hitting your leg or ankle with the ball on the forward swing, making it almost impossible to keep the ball online to the target.

Another bad habit that some bowlers create is twisting or turning their hand to an open position in comparison to the target line; this creates the extra step of rotating your hand back to the correct release position to deliver the ball to the correct target line. When I first started bowling I developed this swing fault, one of the coaches from the bowling center I was at came up and said that any movement I make that causes me to have to make another movement to get back to the correct delivery position, is wasted energy and another opportunity to throw a poor shot.

Releasing the ball too far back of the foul line is another issue. Probably caused by a fear of going over the foul line, many bowlers will take shorter or fewer steps and end up 1 or even two feet behind the foul line. A ball delivered form this position wastes a lot of positive energy just getting back to the lane, and in rare cases could even cause the foul light to activate. To correct this problem; practice your footwork and slide so that you end up 3-4 inches behind the foul line, with your slide foot pointed straight at the pins, your shoulders square to your target, your bowling ball should be slightly lofted over the foul line and smoothly contact the lane surface a few inches up to a foot beyond the foul line.

This is by no means a complete list of bowling swing faults, but some of the more common ones. To become really aware that you may be making some of them, have a friend or certified bowling coach watch your delivery, or even have your swing video taped. Eliminating swing and delivery faults will help you bowl higher scores on a more consistent basis.

Adjusting Your Shot to the Lane Condition – Find Your Strike Line.

Jim Newell — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:07:09 +0000

By Jim Newell

Bowling lanes require an application of oil to protect and maintain the lane surface. This oil or conditioner is usually spread across the lane surface by machine according to a set pattern depending on what the bowling venue is for that session; it could be open bowling, a league or a tournament. The various oil patterns will affect how your ball reacts to the lane and thus how it gets to your target.

How quickly you determine how the oil pattern is affecting your ball and how quickly you adjust to it can greatly influence what your score will be.

Most accomplished bowlers will use their practice shots before league starts to see if they can find clues to what the pattern is. Sometimes you may have the advantage of being told what the pattern actually is and even have a graphic representation of it available.

Check the following link for sample representations of various oil patterns.
http://www.pba.com/resources/oilpatterns/laneconditions.asp

You should, over time, establish a shot and starting point that you are very comfortable with, This would be the shot to start with on any given lane, paying particular attention to where it hits in relation to your intended target, and how it got there. If the ball finished right of your target, you should move your feet right, only a board or two at a time, on the approach and try to use the same target, again observe how the ball reacts and adjust again if needed. Conversely if the ball finishes left of your target you would start moving to the left, again only a board or two at a time, and still using the same target.

When you encounter very dry lane conditions, which would cause your ball to move very aggressively away from your intended target, this may require that you move and also change your target line. You could also be on a lane condition that is heavily oiled, in this case the ball will skid through the oil and then grab the lane when it gets to the un-oiled part, this kind of pattern may even require a ball change.

Lane conditions change constantly even while you are bowling, this is caused by the oil drying up or carrying further down the lane, making your ball either over react or not react as well on the back parts of the lane. Because of this shifting of the oil pattern you may have to make adjustments throughout your bowling session.

Oil and conditioner patterns greatly influence scoring conditions, being watchful and aware of the need to change your delivery will help shift that influence in your favor.

When you practice you may want to experiment with different targets to see how your ball reacts. Releasing the ball with a different hand position or a different angle toward your target will also affect ball travel. The more shots you can develop will give you a greater chance of being able to adjust to changing lane conditions.

Making Your Spares…Is This really the Secret To a Higher Scoring Average?

Jim Newell — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:08:44 +0000

By Jim Newell

Let me begin with a true story about a spare that I missed that may have cost me a lot of money. Some years ago, I was bowling in the qualifying rounds of an “over forty” tournament. This was at the time a fairly popular local tournament club that attracted a lot of older very accomplished bowlers, qualifying consisted of bowling a four game set across 8 lanes, with the high 16 bowlers moving on to a match play format, the eventual winner would collect about $1000.00, along with what ever he won from the “brackets” he had entered.

“Brackets” are a mini tournament using your game scores in whatever event you are competing in, there are typically 8 bowlers starting each bracket who are eliminated from the bracket as soon as they lose a game. The bowler has the option to buy as many of these “mini tournaments” as he would like, usually at a cost of $5 – $10 dollars each. The bowler competes, on a blind draw basis against another bowler in the event, if he wins his first game, he moves on to another winning bowler for the second game, and then again on to the third game. The payout for brackets is made form the entry fees for the brackets. It is not unusual for a bowler who is hot to make more money from brackets than from the original tournament. So this one spare miss really could have cost me more than $2000.00. But alas we will never know, however on to the story.

I was not bowling well on this particular day only averaging about 190 for the first 3 games, at the end of the third game I calculated that I could still make the cut with a final game of around 250. I switched bowling balls, changed to another line and led off with strikes for the first 6 frames, in the seventh frame I left the dreaded “ringing ten pin” the destroyer of more great bowling games than any other pin. I then proceeded to miss the spare, and score strikes in all of the remaining frames for a score of 258. If you are familiar with bowling scoring, had I picked up that ten pin and still struck out, my score would have been 279. The last qualifier made it into the match play round with a score of 268.

Now ask yourself, how important is picking up your spares?

You may have heard the adage “Pick up your spares and the strikes will take care of themselves” this is the honest truth; even professional bowlers do not succeed if they are not good spare shooters. In the preceding paragraph I made reference to the dreaded “ringing ten pin”, in my own bowling experience this is the pin I leave most often, and also the one I miss most often. Several years ago, when looking back at my league scores for the just completed season it struck me, that if I increased my conversion ratio of just the ten pin spares, my average would probably be 5-10 pins higher than the 193 I had just finished with. The next summer I bought a new plastic ball, to use for straight shots at the ten pin, and practiced a lot at hitting just the ten pin, my finishing average the following year was 204. Most of that increase can be attributed to concentrating on just one particular spare. Picking up your spares is the difference between being a good high average bowler, and a mediocre average bowler. Actually the difference between a 190 average and a 210 average is about one more spare per game.

If you want a little help with increasing you conversion ratio on all spares, I recommend the ebook and video instruction set “Bowl Them Away”, this instruction set is based on the teaching and techniques of Hall of Fame bowler Joe Wilman, coupled with the added videos, that actually show the correct targeting procedure for all your spare shots, this an unbeatable combination.

The Keys to Bowling at the Intermediate and Advanced Levels

Jim Newell — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:15:46 +0000

By Jim Newell

As a beginning bowler you may feel that the intermediate and advanced levels are out of reach, in reality you probably have all of the necessary skills, you just need to know how to use them.

If you have made the decision to try getting to a higher skill level, you must first realize that you will have to make a commitment to practice. Not just showing up and throwing the ball, but actually picking a few techniques or skills to work on and practicing them over and over, until you have them cold.

Because many recreational bowlers never take lessons, they start with a lot of bad habits that just need be changed when they do decide to advance their skill level. Working a couple of sessions with a certified bowling coach would be a great help in getting started correctly. Having someone help you identify what to start working on first will be to your advantage. The goal should be to help you identify what your natural style tends to be. They can also give you some pointers on the following items.

How heavy a ball you should be using.
What style grip should work best for you?
How aggressive you should want your ball to be.
Get you using the more powerful 5-step approach.
How your arm swing affects the track and speed of your shot.
What your release should look like.
How to use lane marking as your target.
How to read the lane and adjust your target.
How to adjust using different hand and release positions.
How to use different angles to the strike pocket.
Where to stand on the approach, and how to target different spare shots.

Using some of the information and recommendations from your certified bowling coach now would be the time to start thinking about investing in your own equipment. Having your own bowling balls that are correctly fitted to your hand, the correct weight, and chosen for what you want them to do is a giant step. Having your own shoes may not seem important, however shoes that fit well and that you are used to sliding with will help to improve your confidence in your approach. And of course you will need a bowling bag to carry all of your gear.

The jump from beginning recreational bowler to being a good higher average bowler is not huge; it does require correct knowledge, dedication and practice. The reward could be a lifetime of enjoyment, national honor scores, and if you really catch on, there are a lot of tournaments where money can be made. It only takes a minimum 200 average in league play to get to the professional level, if that is your goal.
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Bowling Style: What is It? How Do I Get It?

Jim Newell — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:43:50 +0000

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mike_Kolar]Mike Kolar

What is Bowling Style?

If you are reading this article, I am assuming that you are interested in improving your average. Further I am assuming that you are not already a 190 or better bowler…

I am a 210 average bowler and have averaged over 200 for over 10 years. I am a certified Level I coach and have coached a lot of people helping them to increase their averages as much as 50 pins!

While I am no genius when it comes to bowling, the old adage, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” holds true when it comes to bowling. I have had several coaches who have all led me down their specific paths, and have found that no matter how much I tried to imitate them; ultimately I needed to have my own style…

What is bowling style? Style is the way that you approach your bowling shot. What you do before you get on the approach, what you do when you get on the approach, how you hold the ball, how you make your approach, and how you release the ball. Wow, that was a mouthful! Basically style is how YOU throw the ball down the lane. I do not know you and have never seen you bowl, so I cannot tell you what your current style is. However, I can give you basic pointers on what you need to do so that you are more consistent in your style, thus improving your scores on the lanes.

Answer the following questions. Are you serious about getting better? Are you will to do what it takes to get better? Do you have the time to put in to improve?

If you can answer yes to the questions above, then you are ready to work on your style and form. If you cannot, then you are in bowling to have fun… That is not a bad thing… But don’t think that without working at it you are going to improve (that statement is true with anything you do, by the way). There is not a lot I can do to help you at this point, so just go out and have fun, bowl what you bowl and enjoy it… it is fun!

If you answered yes to the questions above, then this article is for you.

To improve your bowling, you will need to develop your own style of bowling. This is not to say that you have to invent a style, you just need to find one that you are comfortable with. Some people like the 4 step approach, others the 5, for example. Style is a personal thing… to an extent. Good form is almost a requirement for consistency. You can read and practice all kinds of people’s styles and still not bowl well. At some point in your career as a bowler, you will need to make a decision on what you are most comfortable with and go with that. Usually this is not the same as one person’s style, it is a combination of all of the styles that you have seen and attempted to mimic.

Before you get to this point, however, you will need to watch bowlers that are better than you (preferably higher average bowlers) and mimic there styles to the best of your ability. Also, don’t be afraid to ask a higher average bowler for some help. However, if you begin to ask several different people for help you will probably become confused and frustrated as each of these higher average bowlers has a style his/her own. You are better off talking to a single individual whom you think that you can imitate or that has a style that you think that you can handle doing. Don’t be discouraged if you ask for some help and the person doesn’t want to help you, find someone else. Most of the higher average bowlers that I know are willing to help out when they see someone taking an interest in the sport.

Once you have begun to imitate someone else’s bowling, you will need to watch what you are doing from the point when you approach the ball return to get your ball all the way until you deliver the ball. It is important to recognize that the only part of bowling that you can control is the delivery of the ball. How the ball reacts on the lane you cannot control (for the most part), how the pins fall you cannot control. You can control your release, where it is thrown, and how hard it is thrown, that is all. This is what style is all about.

In general there are three parts to a bowling shot. Pre-shot (prior to getting on the approach), approach (steps), and release (how the ball is released on the lanes. Your style is a combination of these three. You may be a quick bowler, pick up the ball and go. You may be a slow bowler, study the lane, wipe your ball, stand on the approach and rethink everything, slow steps and slow release. You may be something in between (most bowlers are). Your style will determine your consistency. If you are a quick bowler one time, a slow bowler the next, and something in between the next time, you will never be consistent. Style is the all important piece of the pie that you need in order to improve your consistency, and thusly your scores.

Your scores will improve with the improving of your style. I have always found that by being consistent in my bowling style, I have much better games. When I am inconsistent, especially when I get angry, my scores reflect that also.

I hope that this article has helped you to understand the importance of style in your bowling. Without your own style, that you are comfortable with, you will have a hard time maintaining a good average. But always remember that bowling is supposed to be fun!!! So don’t get so frustrated with your style and or score that you don’t have fun…

Keep bowling and having fun,

Author BIO

Mike Kolar has been bowling for about 20 years and has taught several bowlers helping them to improve their averages by over 30 pins!

Click on [http://www.BowlersEverything.com]Free Bowling Information for all of your bowling needs from balls and bags to articles and advice.

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Bowling Tips For The Recreational Bowler

Jim Newell — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 01:32:55 +0000

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins]Lee Dobbins

Yearning to become a better bowler? Here’s how to bowl your best game and bowl your mates over.

Get in the moment

Remember, bowling is a game. Leave your cares outside the bowling alley and concentrate on what you’re doing. Not only will you have more fun, but your game will improve as well.

Have a ball

Choose your bowling ball with care. Pick a ball that is neither too heavy nor too light for you. It’s a good idea to have a ball of your own because it will save you the time and effort of choosing from rental balls at every bowling alley you go to. Besides, if you like your ball and are comfortable with it, you’re more likely to enjoy bowling and to do it well.

Step by step

How you approach the foul line is up to you. Some bowlers use three steps. Others use a four-step or five-step approach, which allows the bowler to develop more momentum and makes the ball seem lighter.

It’s hip to be square

For a consistent delivery, keep your shoulders square to the foul line and keep your back straight. At first you may have trouble remembering to do this, but keep reminding yourself, and it will eventually become automatic. Keeping your back straight doesn’t mean that your upper body should point straight to the sky at all times. You may have to bend slightly when you release the ball, but you should bend from the waist instead of bending your back.

Around the bend

When throwing, don’t bend your arm or swing it away from your body. Keep it relatively straight and close to your body. It’s okay to bend your arm slightly at the elbow as long as the inside of your elbow is pointed down the lane.

Relax, don’t do it

Don’t rush your approach to the foul line, or you’ll have trouble maintaining proper position and keeping your balance.

Get close…

…to the foul line, that is. You should be about six inches from the foul line when you release the ball. This will lift the ball a short distance over the foul line before it touches the lane, allowing it to go farther. If you release the ball too far from the foul line, it will lose speed before it hits the pins.

Easy does it

Keep your fingers, especially your thumb, relaxed as you hold the ball. Don’t squeeze your fingers or grip the ball too tightly, or you’ll mess up your throw. This is another good reason to have a ball of your own that fits your fingers properly. Use finger inserts if the holes on your ball don’t fit right.

The art of letting go

You should release the ball as it is moving past the ankle of your sliding foot, that is, the foot you take your last step with. If you are right-handed, you slide with your left foot, and if you are left-handed, you slide with your right foot. As you slide, or take your last step, you need to bend your knee to get the ball low enough to pass your sliding ankle, then straighten the knee as you release the ball. This is a difficult movement to perfect, but your coordination will improve as you practice.

As you bend your knee, you can bend your upper body 15 to 20 degrees forward. Remember to bend from your waist and keep your back straight!

Remember, remember

Always remember to follow through. This completes the movement and increases the power of your delivery. To check if you’re following through, freeze your arm after you release the ball. Your hand should be at the level of your shoulder or higher, and it should face the target.

Eyes on the prize
Keep your eyes on the target at all times. This will keep your head steady and your body properly aligned.

Think it through

If you’re not happy with your game, ask yourself what you might be doing wrong. Analyze your movements from the moment you take your first step to the moment you let the ball go. Whether you’re playing or practicing, think about what you’re doing. Be aware of the position of your shoulders, back, and throwing arm.

Be yourself

Develop your own style and don’t try to copy another bowler. Your game depends on how well you can make your own movements work. That said, it would be helpful to watch the games of professional bowlers on TV and pay close attention to they way they move. Seeing how the pros do it might help you identify and correct your own mistakes.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://bowling.unique-articles.com where you can learn more about bowling and get more bowling tips.

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Bowling Instruction – Getting from Beginner To Intermediate

Jim Newell — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:33:41 +0000

By Jim Newell

More than 50 million Americans participated in the sport of bowling at least once last year. About 4 million participate in a weekly league each year. While these figures are not as high as they were in the bowling peak of the 1960′s and 70′s it is easy to see that bowling is still a wildly popular sport.

For many people the first exposure to bowling is a recreational outing of some sort, a birthday party, a school function, a family outing, a date, etc. For many it ends there, they have decided they either had a bad experience, or just have no desire to explore the sport further. Others, maybe got lucky, threw a few strikes and are now hooked, they would like to learn to play the game better, and maybe even bowl in a league, or competitively.Getting from the raw beginner stage to an intermediate level, does involve some education, just getting on the approach and throwing the ball as hard as you can in the general direction of the pins is not going to allow consistent high scores.Lets begin with an overview of where the game is played. A bowling center usually consists of an even number of lanes anything from 2 and up; some centers have 80 plus lanes. A bowling lane is 60 feet long, 41 to 42 inches wide, with a 9 and 1/4 inch gutter on each side for errant balls, there is a foul line at the start of the bowling surface that you must stay behind, and an approach area of about 15 feet. At one time all lanes were constructed of 39 maple boards placed on edge and laminated together, however over time wood wears down and needs an expensive refinishing job. Many lanes are now constructed with an approved plastic surface that does not wear as easily; these surfaces are stamped the still look like the original wood boards. When you hear someone refer to the 5 board or really any other board number, start counting at 1 from the right.Originally, there were no markings allowed on the lane surface, accomplished bowlers would identify a wood grain feature in the area they wanted their ball to cross and use that as a target. Now there are consistent targets in the form of locator dots, arrows, and others embedded or stamped into the surface of the lane, these targets are a great help in controls how your ball gets to your target. The locator dots are allowed at specific distances from the foul line both on the lane and on the approach, the seven arrows are placed from 12 to 16 feet from the foul line starting with the 5 board, then the 10 board and so on and are usually arranged in a pattern with the center arrow farther away, however they could also be in a line across the lane. The other 4 equally placed targets, if used are at about 33 feet down the lane, and are a visual clue as to where your ball should start hooking into the pins.

The approach and basic delivery will be described for a right handed bowler, if you are left handed, you will just reverse most of the instructions.

The swing is next in the sequence of events, make a normal natural swing back with your hand still under the ball to about waist high, this position should be reached at about the last step before you start your slide step, you immediately begin swinging your arm forward, as you slide to the line the ball is lofted slightly over the foul line and directed at your target, the normal hand position at release would feel as if you are raising your hand to shake hands. Some bowlers try to aim at the pins, however the arrow targets are only 12-16 feet from the foul line while the pins are 60 feet away, accurately hitting the arrows is easier. The normal natural target for a right handed bowler, bowling on a typical league lane condition will be somewhere near the second arrow, or 10 board, from the right. If your ball crosses over to the left, in front of the headpin, then you will want to move your feet father left on the approach, and still use the same target on the lane. If your ball stays out to the right and hits about the 3 pin, you will want to move your feet to the right on the approach, still using the same target on the lane.I realize that this sounds complicated, however with a little practice, you will find that it gives you a solid foundation to work from, and you will soon begin scoring higher and more consistently.