By Michael Russell
There are some shots in the game of bowling that most people will agree are just a pain in the backside to try to make. They may not all agree on the order of difficulty, which is why we're not going to list these in any particular order except for the one that everyone agrees is the hardest, but they do agree that these shots give them more fits than a night out with a nun.
Oddly, one of the most difficult shots in the game for a right handed bowler is making the 10 pin. You would think that knocking down a single pin wouldn't be that hard. But the problem is that, unlike all other one pin spares, the 10 pin has no room on the right side of the pin for missing it as it is right next to the gutter. You either have to hit it head on or slightly to the left. If you throw it too far right, your ball lands in the gutter. If you throw a hook ball, this makes it even more difficult as you can't throw the ball out right of the 10 pin and let it hook back. It will end up in the gutter before you know it. This shot just gives right handers fits. For left handers, it's the 7 pin, which has the same problem.
After the single pin shots, the next difficult double pin shot is when you have what they call double wood. That's when you have one pin in back of another, such as the 2-8 or 3-9 shots. These are difficult because you have to hit the 2 or 3 pins dead on. If you hit them to the right or left, you won't take out the pin behind it because the pin goes in one direction and the ball deflects in the other direction, leaving the pin behind standing and staring you in the face. This is another shot that gives all bowlers fits.
After these shots come the splits. Splits are where there is more than one pin standing on the lane with at least one space between them. Pros generally consider the easiest splits to be the baby splits, such as the 3-10 or 2-7. With these splits you have to place the ball just inside of the 2 pins that are standing. The ball will deflect off the first pin and into the second pin. These aren't too difficult as far as splits go, but they do need pin point control.
There are splits, however, that are very difficult, such as the 5-7 or 5-10, which requires you hit the 5 pin into either the 7 or 10, depending on which pin is standing. The 5 pin must be hit in just the right spot in order to send it sailing into the other pin. There are other splits which are harder variations of this one such as the 4-10 or 6-7.
All bowlers agree that the hardest split to make is the dreaded 7-10 split. These pins are 180 degrees apart and because of this it is almost impossible to send one pin into the other. Most pro bowlers try to bounce one of the pins out of the pit in the back into the other pin. It is rare that this split is made, though it does happen.
Bowling can be a fun game. But with shots like these, it can be a real headache.
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - The Game For The Masses
Showing posts with label Bowling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bowling. Show all posts
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Monday, 11 August 2008
* Bowling - The Game For The Masses
By Michael Russell
When people talk about sports, it's usually about baseball, basketball, football or hockey. Soccer is supposedly the worlds game, but soccer is an unpopular sport in the US. Golf, as a sport, has risen in popularity, but the expense associated with golf makes it a sport mostly played by people with high incomes. A sport, which is popular, but rarely gets talked about, is bowling. Bowling is played all over the world, but it's probably one of the most unappreciated sports in history.
The true origin of bowling is in dispute, but there is evidence that a form of bowling existed as far back as 3200 BC. The first mention of a bowling type game occurred in England, in the 1300s. King Edward III supposedly outlawed the game because it was distracting his troops from archery practice. Many forms of bowling have originated from Europe and these include, Italian bocce, French pentanque and Britain's lawn bowling. Some give credit to the Dutch, for bringing bowling to America, but in actuality, the English, German and Dutch settlers, all brought their own version of the game over.
Bowling landed in America in the 17th century and spent most of its life as an outdoor game that used nine pins. Indoor bowling became popular in the 19th century, after indoor lanes opened in New York, in 1840. Bowling became so popular, that people started gambling on it. Connecticut and New York both banned nine pin bowling, because of the gambling. In 1842, a tenth pin was added to bowling. Some thought the tenth pin was just a ploy to get around the ban.
The American Bowling Congress was formed in 1895. This organization was responsible for establishing rules, creating standards for equipment and promoting bowling as a competition. The first ABC tournament was held in 1901, this tournament allowed amateur and professional bowlers to compete against each other. In 1916, the Women's International Bowling Congress was formed, this organization created the rules and regulations for women bowlers. The Professional Bowlers Association was formed in 1958. The PBA created a tournament tour. In 1961, ABC was the first network to televise PBA competition.
Bowling is not immune to technology. There have been many changes affecting the game. The most important being to the bowling balls. Stone and wood was used in the earliest days of bowling. Rubber balls came in the 1960s, polyester in the 1970s and urethane in the 80s. The 90s saw the invention of the reactive resin balls and the latter part of the 90s introduced the proactive resin balls. Bowling lanes have also been upgraded. In the past, most lanes were made of wood, but now a lot of lanes have synthetic surfaces.
In spite of the lack of publicity, bowling is still one of the most enjoyable games around. And unlike a lot of sports, bowling is a game the whole family can participate in. The simplicity of the game makes it easy for anyone to learn. Considering how many people bowl in the world, it's amazing that people forget about bowling when they're discussing the most popular sports.
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling – The Basics (The Game)
When people talk about sports, it's usually about baseball, basketball, football or hockey. Soccer is supposedly the worlds game, but soccer is an unpopular sport in the US. Golf, as a sport, has risen in popularity, but the expense associated with golf makes it a sport mostly played by people with high incomes. A sport, which is popular, but rarely gets talked about, is bowling. Bowling is played all over the world, but it's probably one of the most unappreciated sports in history.
The true origin of bowling is in dispute, but there is evidence that a form of bowling existed as far back as 3200 BC. The first mention of a bowling type game occurred in England, in the 1300s. King Edward III supposedly outlawed the game because it was distracting his troops from archery practice. Many forms of bowling have originated from Europe and these include, Italian bocce, French pentanque and Britain's lawn bowling. Some give credit to the Dutch, for bringing bowling to America, but in actuality, the English, German and Dutch settlers, all brought their own version of the game over.
Bowling landed in America in the 17th century and spent most of its life as an outdoor game that used nine pins. Indoor bowling became popular in the 19th century, after indoor lanes opened in New York, in 1840. Bowling became so popular, that people started gambling on it. Connecticut and New York both banned nine pin bowling, because of the gambling. In 1842, a tenth pin was added to bowling. Some thought the tenth pin was just a ploy to get around the ban.
The American Bowling Congress was formed in 1895. This organization was responsible for establishing rules, creating standards for equipment and promoting bowling as a competition. The first ABC tournament was held in 1901, this tournament allowed amateur and professional bowlers to compete against each other. In 1916, the Women's International Bowling Congress was formed, this organization created the rules and regulations for women bowlers. The Professional Bowlers Association was formed in 1958. The PBA created a tournament tour. In 1961, ABC was the first network to televise PBA competition.
Bowling is not immune to technology. There have been many changes affecting the game. The most important being to the bowling balls. Stone and wood was used in the earliest days of bowling. Rubber balls came in the 1960s, polyester in the 1970s and urethane in the 80s. The 90s saw the invention of the reactive resin balls and the latter part of the 90s introduced the proactive resin balls. Bowling lanes have also been upgraded. In the past, most lanes were made of wood, but now a lot of lanes have synthetic surfaces.
In spite of the lack of publicity, bowling is still one of the most enjoyable games around. And unlike a lot of sports, bowling is a game the whole family can participate in. The simplicity of the game makes it easy for anyone to learn. Considering how many people bowl in the world, it's amazing that people forget about bowling when they're discussing the most popular sports.
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling – The Basics (The Game)
Sunday, 10 August 2008
* Bowling – The Basics (The Game)
By Mike Kolar
Bowling is a fairly simple game. There are 10 pins and you knock them down on two balls per frame. Here is some basic information about how the game.
The Game
So what comprises a game you ask? 10 Frames (actually 12, but we will cover that later)
So what is a frame you ask? One or two balls, depending on what happens on your first shot, except the 10th when you may throw three balls.
OK, so 10 frames of 1 or 2 shots, this should be easy right? Nowadays with the electronic scorekeepers it is, but it wasn’t always that way. I actually used to keep score manually for tournaments bowlers, and get paid to do it!
Frames
There are 10 frames in a game of bowling, with one caveat. If you get a strike or a spare in the 10th frame, you get another shot. So, up to 3 shots can be thrown in the 10th frame of a game. At the risk of making this more confusing, if you get a spare, you get one extra shot (you have already thrown the ball twice this frame), but if you get a strike, you get 2 extra balls, thus you get 3 balls in the 10th frame if you get a mark (a strike or a spare).
Strikes and Spares
What are those words that you hear pouring out of bowlers mouths like “I got 6 strikes, 3 spares and missed a ten pin for an open!”? Strikes, Spares, Splits, and Opens are the fundamental results of throwing the ball down the lane.
Basically a “strike” is when you get all 10 pins down on the first ball. A “spare” is when you get all 10 pins down on two balls in the same frame. An “open” is when you don’t get all 10 pins down on two balls in the same frame. When you “pick up” a spare, you were able to knock down the rest of the pins on the second ball in the frame (you never “pick up” a strike).
A “Split” is a little more complicated. A split is when you leave at least two pins that are separated by where another pin would have been (see diagram above). So, if you leave the 4 and 5 pins (the 4 -5 split), you would have a split. The worst of the splits is the 7 – 10 split. These are the two pins that are farthest from each other on the lane and is almost impossible to hit.
Keep bowling and having fun!
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - The Basics (Pins)
Bowling is a fairly simple game. There are 10 pins and you knock them down on two balls per frame. Here is some basic information about how the game.
The Game
So what comprises a game you ask? 10 Frames (actually 12, but we will cover that later)
So what is a frame you ask? One or two balls, depending on what happens on your first shot, except the 10th when you may throw three balls.
OK, so 10 frames of 1 or 2 shots, this should be easy right? Nowadays with the electronic scorekeepers it is, but it wasn’t always that way. I actually used to keep score manually for tournaments bowlers, and get paid to do it!
Frames
There are 10 frames in a game of bowling, with one caveat. If you get a strike or a spare in the 10th frame, you get another shot. So, up to 3 shots can be thrown in the 10th frame of a game. At the risk of making this more confusing, if you get a spare, you get one extra shot (you have already thrown the ball twice this frame), but if you get a strike, you get 2 extra balls, thus you get 3 balls in the 10th frame if you get a mark (a strike or a spare).
Strikes and Spares
What are those words that you hear pouring out of bowlers mouths like “I got 6 strikes, 3 spares and missed a ten pin for an open!”? Strikes, Spares, Splits, and Opens are the fundamental results of throwing the ball down the lane.
Basically a “strike” is when you get all 10 pins down on the first ball. A “spare” is when you get all 10 pins down on two balls in the same frame. An “open” is when you don’t get all 10 pins down on two balls in the same frame. When you “pick up” a spare, you were able to knock down the rest of the pins on the second ball in the frame (you never “pick up” a strike).
A “Split” is a little more complicated. A split is when you leave at least two pins that are separated by where another pin would have been (see diagram above). So, if you leave the 4 and 5 pins (the 4 -5 split), you would have a split. The worst of the splits is the 7 – 10 split. These are the two pins that are farthest from each other on the lane and is almost impossible to hit.
Keep bowling and having fun!
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - The Basics (Pins)
Thursday, 7 August 2008
* Bowling - The Basics (Pins)
By Mike Kolar
Bowling is a fairly simple game. There are 10 pins and you knock them down on two balls per frame. Here is some basic information about the pins.
Layout and Numbering
There are 10 pins in a single rack (after all, this is ten-pin bowling we are talking about, right?). Each pin is exactly 1 ft from the ones nearest it (center to center) and they are set in a triangle form. The rack (the set of 10 pins) looks kind of like this (see below) and the pins are called by number:
(1)
(3)(2)
(6)(5)(4)
(10)(9)(8)(7)
So when a bowler mentions the 1 - 3 pocket or the 7 - 10 split you now know what they are talking about (look at that, you learned something new already!).
Specifications
Pins are 4.75 inches wide at their widest point and 15 inches tall. They weigh 3 pounds(lbs), 6 ounces(oz). In 1998 pins weighing 3 lbs, 10 oz were approved (these are the gold pins that the pros use sometimes). These specifications are set and maintained by the USBC (see Chapter 2).
The object of the game is to knock down these pins with two ball per frame, see my article Bowling - The Basics (The Game) for more information on that.
Keep bowling and having fun!
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - Spot Bowling
Bowling is a fairly simple game. There are 10 pins and you knock them down on two balls per frame. Here is some basic information about the pins.
Layout and Numbering
There are 10 pins in a single rack (after all, this is ten-pin bowling we are talking about, right?). Each pin is exactly 1 ft from the ones nearest it (center to center) and they are set in a triangle form. The rack (the set of 10 pins) looks kind of like this (see below) and the pins are called by number:
(1)
(3)(2)
(6)(5)(4)
(10)(9)(8)(7)
So when a bowler mentions the 1 - 3 pocket or the 7 - 10 split you now know what they are talking about (look at that, you learned something new already!).
Specifications
Pins are 4.75 inches wide at their widest point and 15 inches tall. They weigh 3 pounds(lbs), 6 ounces(oz). In 1998 pins weighing 3 lbs, 10 oz were approved (these are the gold pins that the pros use sometimes). These specifications are set and maintained by the USBC (see Chapter 2).
The object of the game is to knock down these pins with two ball per frame, see my article Bowling - The Basics (The Game) for more information on that.
Keep bowling and having fun!
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - Spot Bowling
Monday, 4 August 2008
* Bowling - Scoring
By Michael Russell
For some reason, many people consider keeping score in bowling to be a nightmare and will do everything they can not to do it. The truth is, scoring in bowling is a lot easier than scoring in a bar. There are just a few simple rules that you have to learn. But, if you're still not up to it, with today's technology, you can have the alley do it for you.
To make this simple, let's first start with what the highest score is that you can roll. The highest possible game is 300 over the course of 10 frames, which is what a game of bowling consists of. Now, one might think that with only 10 pins to knock down each frame, scoring more than 100 would be impossible. Well, that's the wonderful thing about the game of bowling. It gives you a bonus for making either a strike or a spare. How much of a bonus depends on which.
For example. If you get a spare, which is knocking down all 10 pins with two shots, your bonus is whatever you knock down on your next shot added to that spare. So let's say you get a spare in the first frame. You don't compute your score yet. You wait until you roll your first ball of the second frame. Let's say you knock down 8 pins. What you do is add the 8 pins you knocked down to the 10 pins you knocked down in the frame before and place that total in the first frame. So your score through one frame is actually 18 instead of 10. This is where the bonus comes in.
With a strike, the bonus is whatever you roll on your next two shots. So let's say that you get a strike in your first frame, which is knocking down all the pins with one shot and in the second frame you get 7 pins with your first ball and 2 pins with your second ball. You would add the 7+2 to the 10 pins you knocked down in the first frame because the bonus is two shots. That would give you a total of 19 in your first frame. To compute the score of your second frame you simply add the 9 pins you knocked down in that frame to your score of the first frame. That gives you a total of 19+9 or 28.
So, how do we get a score of 300? Easy. If we roll a strike in every frame and keep adding the bonuses, you end up with 30 in the first frame (10 pins plus the next 2 shots as bonus which is 10+10), 60 in the second, 90 in the third and so on. The reason we get to 300 is because the tenth frame has 2 bonus shots in the frame itself. So if you roll a strike in the tenth frame, you get two more shots to roll two more strikes. When you add it all up, you get to 300.
With just a little thought and basic math skills, keeping score in bowling is really not all that hard. Bowling a 300 game, now THAT'S hard.
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - Money Leagues
For some reason, many people consider keeping score in bowling to be a nightmare and will do everything they can not to do it. The truth is, scoring in bowling is a lot easier than scoring in a bar. There are just a few simple rules that you have to learn. But, if you're still not up to it, with today's technology, you can have the alley do it for you.
To make this simple, let's first start with what the highest score is that you can roll. The highest possible game is 300 over the course of 10 frames, which is what a game of bowling consists of. Now, one might think that with only 10 pins to knock down each frame, scoring more than 100 would be impossible. Well, that's the wonderful thing about the game of bowling. It gives you a bonus for making either a strike or a spare. How much of a bonus depends on which.
For example. If you get a spare, which is knocking down all 10 pins with two shots, your bonus is whatever you knock down on your next shot added to that spare. So let's say you get a spare in the first frame. You don't compute your score yet. You wait until you roll your first ball of the second frame. Let's say you knock down 8 pins. What you do is add the 8 pins you knocked down to the 10 pins you knocked down in the frame before and place that total in the first frame. So your score through one frame is actually 18 instead of 10. This is where the bonus comes in.
With a strike, the bonus is whatever you roll on your next two shots. So let's say that you get a strike in your first frame, which is knocking down all the pins with one shot and in the second frame you get 7 pins with your first ball and 2 pins with your second ball. You would add the 7+2 to the 10 pins you knocked down in the first frame because the bonus is two shots. That would give you a total of 19 in your first frame. To compute the score of your second frame you simply add the 9 pins you knocked down in that frame to your score of the first frame. That gives you a total of 19+9 or 28.
So, how do we get a score of 300? Easy. If we roll a strike in every frame and keep adding the bonuses, you end up with 30 in the first frame (10 pins plus the next 2 shots as bonus which is 10+10), 60 in the second, 90 in the third and so on. The reason we get to 300 is because the tenth frame has 2 bonus shots in the frame itself. So if you roll a strike in the tenth frame, you get two more shots to roll two more strikes. When you add it all up, you get to 300.
With just a little thought and basic math skills, keeping score in bowling is really not all that hard. Bowling a 300 game, now THAT'S hard.
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - Money Leagues
Saturday, 2 August 2008
* Bowling - Money Leagues
By Michael Russell
If you enjoy the game of bowling and want to earn a few bucks playing it in the process, but not quite good enough to go pro, you may want to consider joining what is called a money league.
As a kid growing up, if you bowled in leagues, you bowled in non money leagues. Here, the bowlers bowled only for trophies and patches. This was a great way for a kid to get some experience competing against others and prepare him for bowling with the big boys.
In most states, once you reach the age of 18, you can then participate in what they call money leagues. These are leagues that also compete for trophies but also for a monetary prize that is paid out at the end of the year for certain achievements.
Unlike kids leagues, which are fairly inexpensive, money leagues can run you a pretty penny each week because the prize pool is actually made up of the money paid in each week. And since the bowling alley itself gets a portion of these fees, they can run pretty high if you want the money paid out at the end of the year to be an amount worth the bowlers participation.
The prizes vary greatly from league to league depending on the number of players and teams. A common league will pay prizes for first, second and third place finishes. They will also pay individual prizes for bowlers who had the high average, high series and high game for the year. These individual prizes are relatively small in comparison to the team prizes which are distributed evenly between all the bowlers on the team.
In addition to this, each team may have what they call individual pools. These are not sanctioned by the league itself but are not disallowed either. These individual pools are set up to make the night a little more interesting. Some examples of individual pools are below.
One common pool that a team will set up each night is what they call the "beer frame". In the old days, the loser of the beer frame would buy the other members a beer. Some still practice this but many teams now put a certain amount of money into a pot for each beer frame. The loser of the beer frame puts a certain amount of money into the kitty. This money is then distributed to the whole team at the end of the year. The loser is the bowler who shoots the lowest score for the frame. If all bowlers shoot the same score that frame, then the beer frame is extended to the next frame until there is a loser.
Another team prize pool that is set up is paying the team member who has the highest game for that game and finally the highest series for the night. Each member may pay a dollar to the person who holds these nightly records.
There are of course variations of these and many other things that each team comes up with to make the night more interesting.
Bowling in a money league can cost you a pretty penny but it can also make you quite rich by the end of the year with prizes being in the thousands of dollars. So if you have a good paying job or a big trust fund, you may want to think about joining a money league, even if you don't need the money.
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - How To Pick Up Spares
If you enjoy the game of bowling and want to earn a few bucks playing it in the process, but not quite good enough to go pro, you may want to consider joining what is called a money league.
As a kid growing up, if you bowled in leagues, you bowled in non money leagues. Here, the bowlers bowled only for trophies and patches. This was a great way for a kid to get some experience competing against others and prepare him for bowling with the big boys.
In most states, once you reach the age of 18, you can then participate in what they call money leagues. These are leagues that also compete for trophies but also for a monetary prize that is paid out at the end of the year for certain achievements.
Unlike kids leagues, which are fairly inexpensive, money leagues can run you a pretty penny each week because the prize pool is actually made up of the money paid in each week. And since the bowling alley itself gets a portion of these fees, they can run pretty high if you want the money paid out at the end of the year to be an amount worth the bowlers participation.
The prizes vary greatly from league to league depending on the number of players and teams. A common league will pay prizes for first, second and third place finishes. They will also pay individual prizes for bowlers who had the high average, high series and high game for the year. These individual prizes are relatively small in comparison to the team prizes which are distributed evenly between all the bowlers on the team.
In addition to this, each team may have what they call individual pools. These are not sanctioned by the league itself but are not disallowed either. These individual pools are set up to make the night a little more interesting. Some examples of individual pools are below.
One common pool that a team will set up each night is what they call the "beer frame". In the old days, the loser of the beer frame would buy the other members a beer. Some still practice this but many teams now put a certain amount of money into a pot for each beer frame. The loser of the beer frame puts a certain amount of money into the kitty. This money is then distributed to the whole team at the end of the year. The loser is the bowler who shoots the lowest score for the frame. If all bowlers shoot the same score that frame, then the beer frame is extended to the next frame until there is a loser.
Another team prize pool that is set up is paying the team member who has the highest game for that game and finally the highest series for the night. Each member may pay a dollar to the person who holds these nightly records.
There are of course variations of these and many other things that each team comes up with to make the night more interesting.
Bowling in a money league can cost you a pretty penny but it can also make you quite rich by the end of the year with prizes being in the thousands of dollars. So if you have a good paying job or a big trust fund, you may want to think about joining a money league, even if you don't need the money.
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - How To Pick Up Spares
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
* Bowling - Common Mistakes And How To Fix Them
By Michael Russell
I want to address one of the most common mistakes facing most bowlers. Fast feet is a huge problem that most bowlers deal with, fast feet is when your feet are ahead of the swing during or at the end of the approach. When bowlers are facing fast feet they are generally slightly off balance and are turned sideways by the end of the approach.
Fast feet also cause mistakes in other areas of the bowler's game, such as dropping the shoulders, the inability to stay down with the shot and maintain balance at the foul line once the ball is gone, and inconsistent release.
These are some ways you can solve the fast feet plague, oops I meant problem.
The big mistake: Poor ball placement
Listen closely when I say good ball placement is absolutely necessary, fast feet is related to poor placement of the key step. Another mistake is pushing the ball upwards from a waist high position.
How to fix it: When the heel of your foot touches the floor during the step, try to time your ball placement.
The big mistake: Shoulders too far forward
When your shoulders are too far forward it causes too much bend at the waist and not enough bend at the knees which results in the ball reaching the lane way too early, leading to loss of leverage and an unbalanced feeling during the approach.
How to fix it: Shoulders need to be upright and your knees should be a bit flexed. As you begin your approach, your knees should gradually deepen their bend (not too far though) and your waist should be slightly bent forward.
General rule of thumb: The deeper the knee bend the less the waist needs to be bent forward.
The big mistake: Steps too long
When you take your steps, they're each as slow as molasses (I was kidding, I hope they're not that slow). Holding your steps too long result in your swing floating through the approach which means you won't get any power behind the ball.
General rule of thumb: If you're taking a five step approach, the second step is crucial so you must definitely watch the length of that step.
How to fix it: Since I'm playing the role of the bowling mechanic in this section I want to help you fix this problem. Take a normal walking step and all the other steps will fall in place, during the five step approach, the first step is for the momentum and it's usually shorter than a normal key step.
The big mistake: Walking on your toes
This is a very common problem, I throw a chair every time I see somebody walking on their toes during the approach, well maybe I don't get that upset, but I think you get the point. When you walk on your toes you have too much speed in the approach, your shoulders will be too far forward and you'll lose lots of leverage.
How to fix it: To avoid walking on your toes, place the heel first and the toes last in each step, this results in a much more smooth approach. When walking in this way you can slow down the entire approach.
General rule of thumb: Since you build momentum from the back to the front movement of your feet, your leverage will also increase.
The big mistake: Muscled arm swing
Most bowlers I deal with think that having their muscles all flexed up during the swing will give them more power when releasing the ball. I am here to tell you that flexing your arms during the arm swing will not increase your throwing ability but it'll probably win you a body building contest or an arm wrestling contest if you're lucky. A muscled arm swing can also lead to injury such as pain in your arm, shoulder or wrist.
How to fix it: When you swing the ball, it needs to come from the shoulder with a minimal amount of muscle flexing. If this seems difficult, practice on relaxing your arm and just swing it back and forth without a ball in your hand. Your goal here is to get the arm as relaxed as possible. Doing this allows the weight of the ball to direct the swing throughout the approach.
Well there you have it folks, the most common mistakes facing most bowlers who always wonder why they can't consistently throw a strike or why their game won't improve. My mechanic shop has just given you the fix - it's to go out and bowl the right way.
A niche topic for you :
* Bowling - Choosing A Delivery - The Release
I want to address one of the most common mistakes facing most bowlers. Fast feet is a huge problem that most bowlers deal with, fast feet is when your feet are ahead of the swing during or at the end of the approach. When bowlers are facing fast feet they are generally slightly off balance and are turned sideways by the end of the approach.
Fast feet also cause mistakes in other areas of the bowler's game, such as dropping the shoulders, the inability to stay down with the shot and maintain balance at the foul line once the ball is gone, and inconsistent release.
These are some ways you can solve the fast feet plague, oops I meant problem.
The big mistake: Poor ball placement
Listen closely when I say good ball placement is absolutely necessary, fast feet is related to poor placement of the key step. Another mistake is pushing the ball upwards from a waist high position.
How to fix it: When the heel of your foot touches the floor during the step, try to time your ball placement.
The big mistake: Shoulders too far forward
When your shoulders are too far forward it causes too much bend at the waist and not enough bend at the knees which results in the ball reaching the lane way too early, leading to loss of leverage and an unbalanced feeling during the approach.
How to fix it: Shoulders need to be upright and your knees should be a bit flexed. As you begin your approach, your knees should gradually deepen their bend (not too far though) and your waist should be slightly bent forward.
General rule of thumb: The deeper the knee bend the less the waist needs to be bent forward.
The big mistake: Steps too long
When you take your steps, they're each as slow as molasses (I was kidding, I hope they're not that slow). Holding your steps too long result in your swing floating through the approach which means you won't get any power behind the ball.
General rule of thumb: If you're taking a five step approach, the second step is crucial so you must definitely watch the length of that step.
How to fix it: Since I'm playing the role of the bowling mechanic in this section I want to help you fix this problem. Take a normal walking step and all the other steps will fall in place, during the five step approach, the first step is for the momentum and it's usually shorter than a normal key step.
The big mistake: Walking on your toes
This is a very common problem, I throw a chair every time I see somebody walking on their toes during the approach, well maybe I don't get that upset, but I think you get the point. When you walk on your toes you have too much speed in the approach, your shoulders will be too far forward and you'll lose lots of leverage.
How to fix it: To avoid walking on your toes, place the heel first and the toes last in each step, this results in a much more smooth approach. When walking in this way you can slow down the entire approach.
General rule of thumb: Since you build momentum from the back to the front movement of your feet, your leverage will also increase.
The big mistake: Muscled arm swing
Most bowlers I deal with think that having their muscles all flexed up during the swing will give them more power when releasing the ball. I am here to tell you that flexing your arms during the arm swing will not increase your throwing ability but it'll probably win you a body building contest or an arm wrestling contest if you're lucky. A muscled arm swing can also lead to injury such as pain in your arm, shoulder or wrist.
How to fix it: When you swing the ball, it needs to come from the shoulder with a minimal amount of muscle flexing. If this seems difficult, practice on relaxing your arm and just swing it back and forth without a ball in your hand. Your goal here is to get the arm as relaxed as possible. Doing this allows the weight of the ball to direct the swing throughout the approach.
Well there you have it folks, the most common mistakes facing most bowlers who always wonder why they can't consistently throw a strike or why their game won't improve. My mechanic shop has just given you the fix - it's to go out and bowl the right way.
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* Bowling - Choosing A Delivery - The Release
Friday, 18 July 2008
* Bowling - Choosing A Delivery - The Release
By Michael Russell
The release is probably the most important part of the game of bowling. No matter how good you look going up to the foul line, if you don't have a good release you're not going to score very high. We're going to take a look at some of the options open to the bowler and try to explain the pros and cons of each release.
There are basically 3 types of releases, with variations on each one. If you ask a pro bowler he will probably tell you that in this case a certain release is better than another. But that's not going to help the average bowler if the "better" release is too hard for him to control. So we'll just cover the 3 releases and explain the good and bad of each and let you make your own decision on what to use.
The most common release for the casual bowler is the straight underhand or straight ball. This is where, when the bowler approaches the foul line and releases the ball, he lets it roll off of his fingers while keeping the palm straight pointed toward the ceiling. This is not only the simplest release but the easiest to control as the ball will go in a straight line, unless lane conditions are so dry (more on conditions in another article) that the ball will start to go either to the left or right anyway. This also depends on how straight the arm is at the release point. The downside of this release is that it doesn't allow the bowler to take the most advantage of the lane conditions and place the ball in a way where he will get the most pin action. This is why almost no pro bowlers use this release.
The most common release for the pro and better bowler is the hook. This is where, at the point of release, the bowler rotates his hand, if he's a right handed bowler, to the left. This has the effect of causing the bowling ball to hook to the left as it travels down the lane. The biggest benefit of this release is that it allows the bowler to hit the pins at an angle that will cause the best pin action. The downside is that this release is very hard to control. If you turn your hand too much to the left the ball can get away from you and head wildly for the gutter. Perfecting the hook takes a lot of practice.
The least common release for anyone, pro or novice, is the backup ball. This is where, at the point of release, the bowler rotates his hand, if he's a right handed bowler, to the right. This causes the ball to go from left to right instead of from right to left. The reason people will use this release is because it is easiest on the wrist for those who don't have strong wrists. The downside is this release is going to give you the least chance of scoring high. You have to shoot for the 1 and 2 pins instead of for the 1 and 3 pins on your first shot, which is just not good bowling. There has probably never been a pro bowler who used a backup ball.
A niche topic for you :
Bowling
The release is probably the most important part of the game of bowling. No matter how good you look going up to the foul line, if you don't have a good release you're not going to score very high. We're going to take a look at some of the options open to the bowler and try to explain the pros and cons of each release.
There are basically 3 types of releases, with variations on each one. If you ask a pro bowler he will probably tell you that in this case a certain release is better than another. But that's not going to help the average bowler if the "better" release is too hard for him to control. So we'll just cover the 3 releases and explain the good and bad of each and let you make your own decision on what to use.
The most common release for the casual bowler is the straight underhand or straight ball. This is where, when the bowler approaches the foul line and releases the ball, he lets it roll off of his fingers while keeping the palm straight pointed toward the ceiling. This is not only the simplest release but the easiest to control as the ball will go in a straight line, unless lane conditions are so dry (more on conditions in another article) that the ball will start to go either to the left or right anyway. This also depends on how straight the arm is at the release point. The downside of this release is that it doesn't allow the bowler to take the most advantage of the lane conditions and place the ball in a way where he will get the most pin action. This is why almost no pro bowlers use this release.
The most common release for the pro and better bowler is the hook. This is where, at the point of release, the bowler rotates his hand, if he's a right handed bowler, to the left. This has the effect of causing the bowling ball to hook to the left as it travels down the lane. The biggest benefit of this release is that it allows the bowler to hit the pins at an angle that will cause the best pin action. The downside is that this release is very hard to control. If you turn your hand too much to the left the ball can get away from you and head wildly for the gutter. Perfecting the hook takes a lot of practice.
The least common release for anyone, pro or novice, is the backup ball. This is where, at the point of release, the bowler rotates his hand, if he's a right handed bowler, to the right. This causes the ball to go from left to right instead of from right to left. The reason people will use this release is because it is easiest on the wrist for those who don't have strong wrists. The downside is this release is going to give you the least chance of scoring high. You have to shoot for the 1 and 2 pins instead of for the 1 and 3 pins on your first shot, which is just not good bowling. There has probably never been a pro bowler who used a backup ball.
A niche topic for you :
Bowling
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
* Bowling
Bowling is a game in which players attempt to score points by rolling a ball along a surface to knock down objects called pins. There are many forms of bowling, and the earliest known form has been dated back to ancient Egypt. Probably the best known form today is the American game of Ten-pin bowling. This form, in both amateur and professional versions, is played around the world, making it one of the largest participation sports available.
History
Historians have discovered forms of bowling as early as 3200 BC in Egypt, though some argue that it originated later in Germany in 300 A.D. The first written reference to bowling was in reference to King Edward III of England banning his troops from playing the game in the 14th century. European settlers brought forms of the game to the United States in the colonial era.
The first standardized rules were established in New York City, on September 9, 1895. In that year, the American Bowling Congress (ABC) was formed. The female equivalent, the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC) was founded later, in 1917. Later, the Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA) became the sanctioning body for junior bowling.
Originally, pinspotters manually set up pins. However, in 1952, the first automatic pinsetters were commercially produced, greatly speeding up the game and allowing its popularity to blossom.
Since bowling was an indoor sport without extreme movements, several early television shows featured bowling, including "Championship Bowling," "Make That Spare," "Bowling For Dollars," and "Celebrity Bowling."
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) was founded in 1958 by Eddie Elias. While the first season only featured three events, the tour blossomed, especially after joining the ABC's Saturday afternoon time slot in 1961. Through the years, professional bowling on ABC typically outdrew college basketball, even in its final days on the network in the late 1990s. The PBA continues to showcase the best bowlers in the world, with telecasts currently on ESPN.
In 2005, the ABC, WIBC, and YABA merged to form the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) to serve as the single sanctioning body for all American bowling.
Forms
Most forms of bowling may be categorized as either indoor or outdoor. Most indoor forms are played on a "lane", a flat surface made of wood or a synthetic imitation, which is several times longer than it is wide.
Included in the indoor category:Ten-pin bowling, which evolved from ninepin bowling in the 19th Century.Five-pin bowling, played in Canada.Nine-pin skittlesCandlepin bowling, played in eastern Canada and northern New England, is a variation of ten-pin bowling.Duckpin bowling, commonly found in the mid-Atlantic and southern New England United States and eastern Canada, is a variation of ten-pin bowling involving small, squat pins, sometimes with rubber at their widest points (rubber band duckpin bowling).Feather Bowling (Belgian trough bowling) originated in Belgium and is played in Mount Clemens, Michigan.Cocked Hats, fluorescent pins and music to create a dazzling atmosphere.]]
For nearly a century, ten-pin bowling lanes had a surface made of wood. Beginning about 1980, most ten-pin lane surfaces have been converted to or built with a synthetic material imitating a wooden surface. In ten-pin bowling, a building containing many lanes has traditionally been called a bowling "alley" but in more recent times, to upgrade the image of the sport, bowling "center" is preferred.
The second category of bowling is usually played outdoors on a lawn. Here the players throw a ball, which is sometimes eccentrically weighted, in an attempt to put it closest to a designated point.
Included in the outdoor category: Lawn bowls Bocce Pétanque
A niche topic for you :
Better Bowling Guide
History
Historians have discovered forms of bowling as early as 3200 BC in Egypt, though some argue that it originated later in Germany in 300 A.D. The first written reference to bowling was in reference to King Edward III of England banning his troops from playing the game in the 14th century. European settlers brought forms of the game to the United States in the colonial era.
The first standardized rules were established in New York City, on September 9, 1895. In that year, the American Bowling Congress (ABC) was formed. The female equivalent, the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC) was founded later, in 1917. Later, the Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA) became the sanctioning body for junior bowling.
Originally, pinspotters manually set up pins. However, in 1952, the first automatic pinsetters were commercially produced, greatly speeding up the game and allowing its popularity to blossom.
Since bowling was an indoor sport without extreme movements, several early television shows featured bowling, including "Championship Bowling," "Make That Spare," "Bowling For Dollars," and "Celebrity Bowling."
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) was founded in 1958 by Eddie Elias. While the first season only featured three events, the tour blossomed, especially after joining the ABC's Saturday afternoon time slot in 1961. Through the years, professional bowling on ABC typically outdrew college basketball, even in its final days on the network in the late 1990s. The PBA continues to showcase the best bowlers in the world, with telecasts currently on ESPN.
In 2005, the ABC, WIBC, and YABA merged to form the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) to serve as the single sanctioning body for all American bowling.
Forms
Most forms of bowling may be categorized as either indoor or outdoor. Most indoor forms are played on a "lane", a flat surface made of wood or a synthetic imitation, which is several times longer than it is wide.
Included in the indoor category:Ten-pin bowling, which evolved from ninepin bowling in the 19th Century.Five-pin bowling, played in Canada.Nine-pin skittlesCandlepin bowling, played in eastern Canada and northern New England, is a variation of ten-pin bowling.Duckpin bowling, commonly found in the mid-Atlantic and southern New England United States and eastern Canada, is a variation of ten-pin bowling involving small, squat pins, sometimes with rubber at their widest points (rubber band duckpin bowling).Feather Bowling (Belgian trough bowling) originated in Belgium and is played in Mount Clemens, Michigan.Cocked Hats, fluorescent pins and music to create a dazzling atmosphere.]]
For nearly a century, ten-pin bowling lanes had a surface made of wood. Beginning about 1980, most ten-pin lane surfaces have been converted to or built with a synthetic material imitating a wooden surface. In ten-pin bowling, a building containing many lanes has traditionally been called a bowling "alley" but in more recent times, to upgrade the image of the sport, bowling "center" is preferred.
The second category of bowling is usually played outdoors on a lawn. Here the players throw a ball, which is sometimes eccentrically weighted, in an attempt to put it closest to a designated point.
Included in the outdoor category: Lawn bowls Bocce Pétanque
A niche topic for you :
Better Bowling Guide
Monday, 7 July 2008
* Advantages Of Bowling
by Michael Russell
Bowling can be considered one of the all time favorite sports in the world. Its popularity throughout the history of its evolution has a consistent trend that people seem to adapt and accept. In 1976, about 25 percent of the total population of the United States played the game. By the start of the millennium, the percentage has gone down by about 10 percent because of the changes of interest of many people to different activities.
There was a resurgence when bowling alleys realized that they had to modernize their facilities and equipment to keep with the trend of modern technology. There was a total transformation within every facility and with all equipment. Computer generated scoring was one of the futuristic adaptations of the game. There were also improvements in the bowling lanes and pin machines to provide faster setting of the pins in the target area.
Many venues have realized that there was an increase in the number of casual bowlers when they cut the schedules of leagues and shortened their events by a few weeks. More people have time to go bowling because the availability of the lanes was improved. By the start of the new millennium, many people were working less than eight hours a day and this led to the adaptation by bowling alleys to a schedule suitable for employees that wished to enjoy bowling after work.
Many people have considered the change of the concept of bowling from a sport to a social activity. Some people see bowling as a recreational or social activity while others see it as a competitive opportunity.
People find many advantages when bowling. Playing the sport on a regular basis will enable a person to develop a fitness activity by learning how to balance and coordinate body movements. The bowling executions a person uses provides exercise through walking and swinging of the arms. It not only provides good body exercise for the arms and back, but the joints, fingers, hips, and legs as well. The muscles limber up when a person bowls on a regular basis, keeping the body in good condition.
A niche topic for you :
A Short And Snappy History Of Bowling
Bowling can be considered one of the all time favorite sports in the world. Its popularity throughout the history of its evolution has a consistent trend that people seem to adapt and accept. In 1976, about 25 percent of the total population of the United States played the game. By the start of the millennium, the percentage has gone down by about 10 percent because of the changes of interest of many people to different activities.
There was a resurgence when bowling alleys realized that they had to modernize their facilities and equipment to keep with the trend of modern technology. There was a total transformation within every facility and with all equipment. Computer generated scoring was one of the futuristic adaptations of the game. There were also improvements in the bowling lanes and pin machines to provide faster setting of the pins in the target area.
Many venues have realized that there was an increase in the number of casual bowlers when they cut the schedules of leagues and shortened their events by a few weeks. More people have time to go bowling because the availability of the lanes was improved. By the start of the new millennium, many people were working less than eight hours a day and this led to the adaptation by bowling alleys to a schedule suitable for employees that wished to enjoy bowling after work.
Many people have considered the change of the concept of bowling from a sport to a social activity. Some people see bowling as a recreational or social activity while others see it as a competitive opportunity.
People find many advantages when bowling. Playing the sport on a regular basis will enable a person to develop a fitness activity by learning how to balance and coordinate body movements. The bowling executions a person uses provides exercise through walking and swinging of the arms. It not only provides good body exercise for the arms and back, but the joints, fingers, hips, and legs as well. The muscles limber up when a person bowls on a regular basis, keeping the body in good condition.
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A Short And Snappy History Of Bowling
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
* A Hint On Bowling Safety
Before we get into the methods of bowling, I want to take up a most important safety feature which cannot be overemphasized— the matter of correctly picking up the ball from the rack. Two good rules to remember are: "Never turn your back to the alley," and "Never pick up a ball by inserting your fingers and thumb when lifting it off the rack."
If you always face the alley, you are able to see balls passing swiftly through the ball-stop or balls that might roll toward you in the gutter and seriously injure a foot or ankle. Always face the lane when you pick up your ball, and take the ball from the rack by placing one hand on each side of it.
After you have picked it up, transfer the weight of the ball to the palm of your left hand. The ball can then be carried easily, held against the body near waist level, as you walk to your starting position. All this time your right hand is relaxed but held lightly against the ball in a steadying fashion for additional safety. In this way your right hand is under no strain, and when time comes to insert your thumb and fingers into the ball, you are assured of a dry, comfortable grip.
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7 Tips for the Advanced Bowlers
If you always face the alley, you are able to see balls passing swiftly through the ball-stop or balls that might roll toward you in the gutter and seriously injure a foot or ankle. Always face the lane when you pick up your ball, and take the ball from the rack by placing one hand on each side of it.
After you have picked it up, transfer the weight of the ball to the palm of your left hand. The ball can then be carried easily, held against the body near waist level, as you walk to your starting position. All this time your right hand is relaxed but held lightly against the ball in a steadying fashion for additional safety. In this way your right hand is under no strain, and when time comes to insert your thumb and fingers into the ball, you are assured of a dry, comfortable grip.
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7 Tips for the Advanced Bowlers
Friday, 27 June 2008
* 3 Striking Facts About Bowling For Soup
by Michael Russell
Since its inception, bowling has consistently obtained and retained its recognition in the sports category. In the United States alone, there are 50 million people that participate in the sport.
Because of its extreme popularity, the fascination for bowling has reached all classes of society, including musicians. Yes, the concept of bowling is so popular that even musicians or band members have used bowling terms when naming their bands. Bowling for Soup coined their band name from the sport.
Bowling for Soup is an all-male band that engages in pop-punk music. Originally from Wichita Falls, Texas; this band was recognized for its hit singles like Girl All the Bad Guys Want that was released in 2002. Their newest hits were Almost and 1985.
The bands popularity soars as they continue to create songs that are widely accepted by the pre-teen group.
For those who are not yet familiar with the band, here are five amazing facts:
1. The band got its name from Bowling for Shit, a routine from Steve Martins comedy album, Wild and Crazy Guy, that was released in 1978.
2. They are known as musical heavyweights and drunk-rockers. But all of that changed when they were nominated for the 2003 Grammy Award for their category, Best Performance Pop, By a Duo or Group.
Since then, they are no longer known as the fat guys from Texas. After the Grammys, they now acclaim themselves as the Grammy-nominated fat guys from Texas.
3. Their name has nothing to do with the sport of bowling, but they do bowl; they are not true-blue bowlers which is what they call themselves. Jaret Riddick, the bands lead vocalist and lead guitarist has stated that they play badly when it comes to bowling. They participated in a bowling event known as a Bowl-a-thon, where Chris Burney, their bassist and vocalist, was able to score a scorching 70.
On the other hand, the term soup has nothing to do with edible soup either the fact is that Riddick admitted that he is not a soup eater.
Given all of the above, this band has made a great impact on the entertainment scene. They are very popular even if they are not into the sport of bowling. Whether it has been a strike or a spare, they have hit their way to fame.
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