We've heard it many times before... practice makes perfect. And for good reason-it's the truth! The best way to get better at anything is to practice; bowling is no exception. However, how you practice will mean the difference between slowly improving and supercharging your game! Bowling Tip #1: Use the right tools In any sport, using the correct equipment for the job you have to do improves your performance. In bowling, the ball is the most important piece of equipment you will use, so choose the right one for the job! Be sure to try out many, and select one that's the right weight, material and finger-grip fit. Bowling Tip #2: Are you bowling enough? To progress at bowling, you need to bowl at least once or twice a week. The most economical way to get this amount of practice in is by joining a league. Usually, the more experienced players show up before the game to practice. This is when you can learn the most, from people committed to the sport. Bowling Tip #3: Learn to walk the walk While professional bowlers tend to use a 5-step approach, that's just not suitable for someone just learning the sport. Beginners are usually more comfortable with a 4-step approach. You can practice your approach without throwing a single ball. Keep your shoulders square to the front, your head up, arm swing smooth, and your pace consistent and even. Bowling Tip #4: Let 'em roll Spend time rolling the ball. A bowling ball should never be thrown. How do you tell the difference? A thrown ball will land with a loud 'clunk' and then slide a few feet before beginning to roll. A rolled ball lands quietly and quickly rolls down the lane. If you find that you're in the habit of throwing the ball, simply slow down. Try taking a slow, deep breath or two before bowling to settle any anxiety. You will hit more pins with a rolled ball than with a thrown one. Bowling Tip #5: What you think is what you do Spend time visualizing and analyzing your shots. Visualize your movements and your shots before you do them. If your ball goes consistently too far right, begin a little further left. You will learn to 'feel' when you've bowled a good ball. When you do, write it down before you forget. What did you do? How did the ball feel? Where did the ball hit? Keep it for future reference so you can do it again. Bowling Tip #6: What if I can't be at the alley enough to practice? Any smooth surface with a long, clear distance is suitable for practicing your approach. It's not safe to practice the release, however, as a bowling ball will easily roll straight through walls if you miss your target! Not to mention you'll ruin the surface of your ball. When practicing at home, mark your foul line and arrows in masking tape or other material that will not damage your floor. Also mark where your toes need to be for each step. Practice your approach until it's second nature. You can practice your arm swing outdoors with a bucket of water with a small hole at the bottom. The water drops on the ground will mark the path of your arm and the direction the ball would go. It's a good way to see if you arc around your body when you bowl and which direction your arm is going. This can be a very enlightening experience. Bowling Tip #7: Don't spare yourself the trouble It's a very good idea to practice picking up your spares. A bowler who can consistently pick up his spares can easily hold a 180 average without getting any strikes. It's especially useful to practice bowling at the 7-or 10-pins by aiming at them and bowling across the strike zone (the 'x' on the lane) from the opposite side of the lane. By practicing these bowling techniques on a regular basis, you'll be honing the skills that will help you improve your bowling game! |
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Scoring a bowling game is not straightforward and that is why I made the bowling score calculator above. To understand the scoring let's take a look at the three. Tons and tons and tons of repetition. Bowl until you have bleeding blisters on your thumb, and the tips of your fingers. Bowling is a game of muscle memory, and the more you bowl, the better you will become. When I began bowling, I watched the best bowlers and tried different things.
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In case of knocking down pins, a player scores one point for every knocked-down pin. As there are two chances in a single frame, the combined score of both the chances are the final score of that frame. In case, a player fails to knock down all ten pins even after the two chances of a frame, the frame is called an open frame.
If all the ten pins are knocked down in a single frame, bonuses are awarded to the player based on the number of chances taken by him to knock down all pins. If all ten pins are knocked down by the player in the first chance itself, it is considered as a strike. A strike is specified with a “X” symbol in the score sheet.
In case of a player scoring a strike, he gets 10 points for the knocked down pins plus whatever is scored in the next two balls as bonus point. In this way, the points scored in the next two frames of the strike are counted twice. The bowler gets a chance to play two extra balls in case of achieving a strike in the first ball of the 10th frame and one extra ball in case of scoring a spare in the second chance.
For example, if in the first frame the player hits a strike and in the second frame’s first chance he scores 5 and in the second chance of the same frame, he score 3, his total score for the first frame will be 10 + 5 + 3 = 18 and for the second frame, his score will be 5 + 3 = 8 thus making a total score of 18 + 8 = 26.
Double
In case of two consecutive strikes in two consecutive frames, a player scores a double. In case of a double, the scoring of the player can be explained through an example. Suppose Frame 1 = 10 (Strike) and frame 2 = 10 (Strike), then in frame 3, if the player hits thee pins in the first chance and four pins in the second chance, the total will be calculated as follows.
- Frame 1 Total = 10 + 10 + 3 = 23
- Frame 2 Total = 10 + 3 + 4 = 17
- Frame 3 Total = 3 + 4 = 7
- Total score from 3 frames are 23 + 17 + 7 = 47
Triple
If a player scores three consecutive strikes in three frames, he scores a Turkey or Triple. In case of a turkey, the total scoring is explained below. Suppose Frame 1 = 10 (Strike), frame 2 = 10(Strike) and frame 3 = 10(Strike) then in frame 4 if the player hits thee pins in the first chance and four pins in the second chance. Then the totals will be −
- Frame1 Total = 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
- Frame2 Total = 10 + 10 + 3 = 23
- Frame3 Total = 10 + 3 + 4 = 17
- Frame4 Total = 3 + 4 = 7
- Total score will be 30 + 23 + 17 + 7 = 77
Long Consecutive Strikes
The longer consecutive strikes are called by various names like Llama (4 consecutive), pack (6 consecutive) mostly by local languages. Six strikes in a row are referred as wild turkeys, whereas nine strikes in a row are referred as golden turkeys. A game with 12 strikes is rare and is called a perfect game. It is also referred as thanksgiving turkey.
Clean Game
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A clean game is a game in which a player shots at least one strike or spare in each frame. The maximum points that can be scored from a strike is 30. In case of the 10th frame, if the player scores a strike, he/she will be awarded two more chances. If he again scores two strikes, for that frame he will be awarded 30 points which is also called striking out.
In case of a spare, when the player knocks out all pins in the 2nd chance of a frame, the player will be awarded 10 points plus the points scored in the next chance as a bonus. For example, in the first chance of frame, a player hits six pins and in second chance he hits four pins, then he has scored a spare. Now in frame two if the player hits three pins in the first chance and four pins in the second chance, the totals will be −
- Frame 1 total = 6 + 4 + 3 = 13
- Frame 2 total = 3 + 4 = 7
- The total score will be 13 + 7 = 20 for the two frames.
The maximum score that can be scored in a single game is 300 with 12 consecutive strikes which is also called a perfect game. In the bowling score machine, different symbols are shown for different instances. Here “X” stands for a strike, “/” stands for a spare. A – (dash) symbol signifies no pins were knocked down in that frame whereas F indicates a foul.