How To Play Bowling
In this page you will find many tips and insights about how to play bowling. Maybe you are just a beginner looking for some advice, or an expert wanting to improve your skills. For both of you, we have several articles available.
Believe it or not, we have traces of bowling-like games from over 5000 years ago, so it can be considered as one of the oldest sports. But we have to go to the end of the 19th century for the 10 pin bowling to become a standard in the game (previously, in most places they played with nine).
Today, more than 120 contries have joined the International Bowling Federation. This sport has, believe or not, more than 110 million players in the whole world.
Now we’ve taken 101 lesson on the history of bowling, let’s move on to our main topic: how to play bowling?
The objective of the game is simple: knock down the 10 pins by throwing a rubber ball through a wooden lane. Not that simple is scorekeeping, but with the new electronic bowling alleys, that task is carried out by the computer most of the times, so you only have to concentrate in bringing those ten pins down.
In case you are wondering, the best angle for shooting is called “the pocket”. That means the ball will roll between pins 1 and 3 (1 and 2 in case you are left-handed), and according to experts, this is the best technique to aim for a strike. Most beginners aim to hit the first pin right in the middle, but that will most likely lead you to leave some pins standing.
Now here are some very simple tips you can follow to improve your bowling:
- Roll the ball, don’t throw it: The bowling ball should be rolled along the lane, not thrown away like it’s some kind of stone. It should roll smoothly from the very start, so you should not hear that very typical ‘clonk’ that all beginners get when they are just starting.
- Look at the pins, not the ball: You should always keep an eye on the pins when rolling the ball.
- Practise, practise, practise: If you want to get serious into the game, you should aim to bowl at least a couple of times a week. If you can’t make it, at least once a week. The more, the better. The best way is joining a local club, where you will find skilled people who can teach you their secrets, and also some newbies to play with
- Observe the pros and model them: Watch bowling tournaments on TV and, if possible, record it so you can watch afterwards in slow motion. Pay very close attention to their movements.
- The shoes are important: Keep them clean, specially the sole. Brush it so it won’t slide too much.
Follow those tips and a quick improvement is guaranteed!
But, of course, if you want to know how to play bowling, there’s nothing like practice! Go down to the bowling alley and have a game (or two)!
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