Useful Bowling Skills and Etiquette
Bowling Etiquette:
In bowling there are certain unspoken rules that people should follow. One rule is that if you and the person next you in the next lane are about to bowl, let the person to the right of you go first. This allows for greater concentration on throwing the ball and getting a better score.
Another rule is that your own shoes from outside that you wore should not touch the bowling lanes part. Make sure that you change into your bowling shoes before you step onto the specially designed bowling surface. This will prevent moisture from getting onto the floor and will decrease the sliding ability that bowlers need to gain momentum when they bowl.
Also if you are in a crowded bowling lanes, you should only choose one or two bowling balls to use and keep at your lane. You should return any that you are not using. This will allow other people a wider range of balls to choose from that they feel the most comfortable with.
Kepping Manual Score:
keeping score in bowling manually seems to be a lost art. Nowadays everyone uses the electronic computers that bowling lanes have to keep tack of their score. But for anyone who wants to learn how to keep track of your score hears how:
In each bowling frame there are two tiny boxes at the top of the big frame box. The first one you write how many pins you knocked down on your first bowl attempt. The second box you write down if you have knocked any more pins down and record it in the second tiny box. Then total the score and put it in the big box. After each frame you bowl, record the amount of pins you knock down. But in the big frame box add the pins and put your current total score.
for example: if in your first frame you knocked down 2 pins on first attempt and 5 more on second attempt, your frame box should say 7. then in your next box if you knocked down 3 pins and then 6 pins, your frame box should say 16, which is 9+7=16.
The marks for a spare is a ( / ) and a strike is ( X ).
The way to record your score if you got a spare is this : The frame you got a spare do not record down any #. wait till your first attempt on your next frame. Then add the amount of pins on yor first attempt only + 10 pins for a spare and that how many points you add to your current score.
for example. If my current score is a 50 and I bowl a spare, I wait for my next first bowl. Lets say I got 5 pins down. Then my score is:
50+ 10+5=65. This # goes into the frame box you have bowled a spare in. To calculate the box you have just gotten a 5 pins in, you add the 5 to the number of pins you have knocked down in your second attempt. So let’s say you knocked down 1 more pin in your next role. for example your score would be:
65 + 5+ 1 = 71.
The 71 would be recorded in your current box.
A strike is very similar to score except you add the results of your next 2 bowls. Lets look at an example. Your score is a 50 and you get a strike. The next frame you knock down 6 pins on first try and 3 more on second try. you score is:
50 + 10 + 6 + 3 = 69.
This score goes under the frame you got a strike.
your current score is 69 + 6+3 = 78.
Scores can get complicated if you bowl a couple of strikes or spares in a row. Just make sure that for a spare you add the results of your first attempt to your score while for a strike you add the results of your next 2 bowls.
Miscellaneous:
Before I end, I would just like to point out one bowling feature that most people do not know its purpose. On the bowling machine where you keep your bowling ball and the ball comes back to you, there is a circulation of air that comes out. This air is for you to place your hand under before you bowl so that your fingers don’t get stuck to the ball. The moisture creates this elusiveness.
There is also a small button on the bowling machine where the balls are placed on your lane. This button is used to reset the pins in case you want to practice certain things such as only hitting a certain pin to pick up spares. Sometime when the machine gets frozen this will resume the game by pressing this button.
And remember, you can always ask the bowling manager for help if the lanes get stuck.
Have fun bowling!
