Bowling Notes

1. General Information/History

• An indoor game in which players roll balls along a runway called an alley.
• The object is to overturn 10 uprights (called pins) in the fewest possible rolls
• The balls, alley, and pins are made of wood or synthetic materials
• Bowling (sometimes called tenpins) is popular mainly in the U.S. and Canada
• The game probably originated in Germany.
• European settlers brought these earlyier forms to America: Ninepins, skittles
• More than 100 million people in 80 contries participate in bowling
• In 1875 the National Bowling League was organized in the U.S.
• In 1895 the American Bowling Congress (ABC) was formed and established rules and regulations.
• The ABC holds an annual championship tournament in which titles are awarded to teams and individuals
• The Womens International Bowling Congress (1916) holds annual torunaments for women
• The Young American Bowling Alliance governs the sport for youths.
• The game is played on a level alley 41 to 42 inches wide and 60 feet from the center of the first (head) pin to the foul line.
• The bowler must release the ball from behind the foul line
• The approach to the foul line consists of a runway of at least 15 feet.
• The player may take several running steps before releasing the ball.
• The alley extends no more than 1 7/8 inches behind the back row of pins
• Behind the pins is a pit to receive the balls and overturned pins.
• The pins are placed on pin spots 12 inches apart from center to center
• Pins are placed in a triangle of four rows (the first consists of 1 pin)
• The pins are 15 inches in height with a minimum weight of 3 pounds.
• The neck is narrow and the sides taper to the base
• The ball must not exceed 27 inches in circumference and 16 pounds in weight (smaller sizes and weights are permissible)
• The ball contains two or three holes (Thumb & middle or Thumb, Middle, & Ring fingers)
• The game may be played by any numver of contestants
• In tournament play it is usually played by two teams of up to five persons each
• Each player rolls in turn (called a frame) & attempts to knock down all the pins with 2 balls rolled one at a time
• In the beginning players bowled 3 balls per frame. It was shortened to 2 balls with bonus of 10 points for knocking all pins down with two tries.
• Enthusiasm for bowling has stedily increased since about 1952 with the introduction of automatic pinspotters that quickly respot the pins.
• Latter came the introduction of automatic scoring devices.

2. Scoring

• Players receive one point for each pin that is knocked down in a frame
• If a player knocks down all ten pins with the first ball, the player is credited with a "Strike"
  • This strike adds 10 points to the total number of pins knocked down with the next 2 balls
• If the player knocks down some of the pins with one ball and the remaining pins with the second ball, a "Spare" is scored.
  • This Spare adds 10 points to the number of pins knocked down with the next ball
• Ten frames for each player constitutes a game (Highest possible score = 300)
• The number of pins knocked down with the first ball is written in the top left corner of the scoring box.
• The number of pins knocked down with the second ball is written in the small box within the scoring box.
• A running (total) score is kept in the bottom right corner of the scoring box.

3. The four fundamentals of bowling:
   1. A smooth, rhythmic, four-step(or more) approach to the foul line
   2. The bowler's body must be square to the line of intended travel by the bowling ball.
   3. A conscious effort by the bowler to impart spin to the ball at the moment of delivery. The finger, hand, and wrist action squeeze results in the ball rotating counterclockwise and eventually hooking into the 1-3 pocket.
   4. Eyes should be kept on a definate target spot or line as you deliver the ball onto the lane with from 12 to 14 inches of loft. Follow-through straight with the right shoulder and arm until the ball is well down the lane.

4. The Language of Bowling:
   1. Alleys are now called lanes.
   2. The gutter is now called the channel.
   3. A bowler is now called a player.
   4. "Don't get that water all over me" means you "had a bad night last week".
   5. A "Water ball", "Pumpkin", "Flat one", or "Tomato" is a badly bowled ball.
   6. "Crasher"- All the pins fly backward, straight into the pit for an "unquestionable strike".
   7. "Taps"- Leaving a 10 pin or a 4 pin or a 7 pin on what appears to be a good hit.
   8. "Doubled"- A score of two strikes in a row.
   9. "Turkey"- A score of three strikes in a row.
   10. "Soft Lanes"- lanes you regularly score well on.
   11. "Rough Lanes"- lanes that are hard to score on

5. The Etiquette of Bowling:
   1. Never intentionally bother another bowler while he/she is in the act of bowling.
   2. The bowler on the right-hand lane of a pair of lanes has the right-of-way to bowl first.
   3. Do not bowl your frame until the other bowler has cleared his/her split.
   4. Never pick up your ball from the return rack while another bowler is preparing to bowl.
   5. If you are a team bowler always be on time for your bowling session.
   6. If you have to miss a night, let your captain know AND find a substitute.

6. The Terms of Bowling:
   1. Action- The movement imparted to the ball as it is released
   2. Alley- The playing surface of maple and pine boards
   3. All the way- Finishing a game with all strikes
   4. Anchorman- The last man to bowl on a team
   5. Angle- The direction taken by the ball as it enters the 1-3 or 1-2 pocket
   6. Approach- The area behind the foul line
   7. Arrows- The aiming points imbedded in the lane
   8. Baby Split- 2-7 or 3-10 Split leave
   9. Balk- An incomplete approach in which a bowler pulls up short of the foul line without delivering the ball
   10. Barmaid- A pin hidden behind another pin
   11. Bedposts- The 7-10 split
   12. Bench Jockeying- Any type of action or conversation intended to hinder an opponent
   13. Bicycle- A hidden pin
   14. Big ears- The 4-6-7-10 spare leave
   15. Big four- The 4-6-7-10 spare leave
   16. Blow- A missed spare
   17. Blowout- downing all the pins but one
   18. Break- A lucky shot or end of a number of consecutive strikes
   19. Bridge- The distance seperating the finger holes
   20. Bucket- The 2-4-5-8 spare leave (3-5-6-9 for left-handed bowler)
   21. Cheesecakes- Lanes on which strikes come easily
   22. Cherry- Knocking down the front pin of a spare leave while a pin behind remains standing
   23. Clothesline- The 1-2-4-7 or 1-3-6-10 spare leave
   24. Dead apple, dead ball- An ineffective ball, usually one that fades or deflects badly when it hits the pins
   25. Deadwood- Pins knocked down but remaining on the lane
   26. Deflection- The movement of the ball from its true path caused by a pin or pins that are hit
   27. Dump- Dropping the ball at the foul line
   28. Dutch 200- A 200 game scored by alternating strikes and spares
   29. Fence posts- The 7-10 split
   30. Field goal- A ball rolled between two pins of a wide split
   31. Fill- Pins knocked down following a spare
   32. Fit split- Any split when it's possible for a ball to hit both pins
   33. Foul- Touching or going beyond the foul line at delevery
   34. Foul line- The marking that determines the beginning of the lane
   35. Foundation- A strike in the ninth frame
   36. Foundation, early- A strike in the eighth frame
   37. Frame- One of the 10 divisions of a game
   38. Frozen rope- A ball folled with excessive speed almost straight into the pocket
   39. Goalposts- The 7-10 pin split
   40. Graveyards- Low-scoring lanes
   41. Gutter- Channel
   42. Gutter ball- A ball that goes into the channel
   43. Hang a corner pin- Leaving a corner pin standing
   44. Headpin- The 1 pin
   45. Hole- The 1-3 pocket (1-2 for left-handed bowler)
   46. Hook- A ball that breaks toward the head pin into the 1-3 or 1-2 pocket
   47. House ball- A bowling ball provided by the bowling center
   48. Kingpin- The 5 pin in the center of the pin rack
   49. Kitty- Money collected for misses
   50. Lane- Playing surface
   51. Late 10- When the 1- pin hisitates, then falls
   52. Leadoff man- The first man in a team lineup
   53. Lily- The 5-7-10 split
   54. Line- The path a bowling ball takes
   55. Lofting- Pitching the ball well out on the lane
   56. Maples- Pins
   57. Mark- A strike or spare
   58. Match play- A tournament in which bowlers are pitted individually against each other
   59. Mother-in-law- The 7 pin
   60. Open- A frame that doesn't produce a strike or spare
   61. Over- In professional bowling, a 200 average is used as "par"
   62. Pie alley- A lane that is easy to score on
   63. Pin action- The motion of struck pins that in turn knock over others
   64. Pin deck- The area at the end of the lane on which the pins are positioned
   65. Pit- The space a the end of the lane where balls and pins are caught
   66. Pitch- The angle at which holes are drilled into bowling balls
   67. Pocket- The 1-3 (1-2 for left-handed bowler)
   68. Powerhouse- A hard, strong strike ball driving all the pins into the pit
   69. Railroad- A wide-open split
   70. Return- The track on which balls roll from the pit to the ball rack
   71. Ringing 10 pin- 10 pin left standing after a powerhouse
   72. Runway-The area behind the foul line
   73. Sandbagger-One who bowls poorly on purpose
   74. Sleeper- A pin hidden behind another pin
   75. Snake eyes- The 7-10 split
   76. Soft alley- A lane on which strikes come easy
   77. Spare- Knocking all pins down with two balls
   78. Spare leave- Pins standing after the first ball is rolled
   79. Splasher- A strike where the pins go down quickly
   80. Steal- Getting more pins than you deserve on a strike hit
   81. Strike- Getting all 10 pins down on the first ball
   82. Strike out- Finishing the game with strikes
   83. String- A number of continuous strikes
   84. Swishing 7 pin- 7 pin left standing as other pins swish by it
   85. Triple- Three strikes in a row
   86. Under- Below "par" (score of 200)
   87. Venting- Drilling an extra hole to relieve suction in the thumbhole of a ball
   88. Washout- The 1-2-10 or 1-2-4-10 leave
   89. Wire it- Throwing three strikes in the 10th frame
   90. Zero in- Finding a consistent strike line on a lane

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