Beginners Bowling Guide

Whether you’re a complete beginner or wanting to touch up your technique, we’ve put together some simple steps and recommendations you can incorporate into your next bowling battle. Check out our bowling tips below and head to the lanes in confidence.

1. Learn how to hold a bowling ball

Bowling a ball may sound simple, but if you’re wanting to be in the lead and knock down all those pins, you’re going to want to make sure you have your technique polished. When it comes to holding the ball, it is mostly about finding the grip that feels right for you. The most traditional grip is to place your middle and ring fingers into the holes of the ball up to your second knuckle, followed by your thumb.

Once you’ve found the right grip, follow our simple steps below on how to bowl a bowling ball:

·        Line up slightly towards the left side of the lane, or right side if you’re left handed.

·        Stand approximately 4 steps back from the foul line to prepare for your starting position.

·        Look at the arrows on the lane to determine where to aim your ball.

·        Gage your shot, keep your arm straight whilst you swing it back and then as the ball reaches in line with your ankle, rotate it slightly with your fingers and release.

·        Follow the direction of the ball with your arm as you release the ball to try improving accuracy.

·        Keep practicing to master what works for you!

      How to bowl a strike

Now we all know this is everyone’s main aim during a game and it’s the ultimate feeling when you bag a strike! But what is the best technique to use to get one? Aiming for the ‘pocket’ is consider the best way to aim for a strike, the pocket is the space between the 1 and 3 pins or the 2 and 4 pins, which when targeted increases the opportunity to knock down all the pins.

How to spin a bowling ball

This is one people tend to master the more time the spend getting used to working the lanes, ‘hooking’ or ‘spinning’ the ball into the pins increases the chance of gaining a strike. It refers to making the ball rotate as it moves down the lane, to help do this you need to choose an appropriate ball with the right weight and grip for you, identify the pocket on the lane, then twist your hand slightly as you release the ball to try give it a little spin.

2. Know what to look for when choosing a bowling ball

Knowing how to choose a bowling ball will go in your favour considerably when it comes to knocking down those pins! Don’t underestimate how much the right ball will help you rack up the points, the most common recommendation is to opt for a ball that weighs around 10% of your body weight. The ball needs to have some weight to it but doesn’t want to be too heavy for you to hold comfortably. Choose on that feels the right size for you and that you can correctly hold – also why not pick a fun colour or patterned ball to claim it as yours!

3. Get to know the bowling lingo

This one isn’t essential, but it definitely helps, learning the common bowling terminology used on the lanes will make you feel more at ease and avoid any confusion when it comes to playing against more experienced bowlers. Lucky for you, we’ve got a whole bowling glossary you can use to get up to scratch with all the handy terms to know!

4. Understand how bowling rules & scores work

The last thing you want is to have mastered your technique but be disqualified due to breaking the rules! Make sure you fully understand what you should and shouldn’t do during a game of bowling to avoid any mishaps and losing out on scores. Below are some rules to keep in mind:

·        Wear appropriate footwear

·        Do not cross the foul line

·        Only bowl your frames

·        Be polite to players – don’t distract them during their bowl

We hope you’ve loved our beginner’s bowling tips, try them out and showcase your skills at a Zone Bowling venue near you!