Bowling seems simple enough; you throw the ball down the lane and hit the pins. Correct! BUT there is so much more to bowling, and today, you will learn a small snippet of how complex each component is. Honestly, each section deserves its own lesson!
Let’s begin and look at the history of bowling. Every time you head over to your favorite bowling lane to try and hit a few STRIKES (knock over all the pins on the first roll of the ball), you are participating in a ritual that has amused and challenged humans for over 5,000 years, found in ANCIENT EGYPT 3200 years BC (Before Christ).
SPELL: STRIKES SPELL: LANE SPELL: CHALLENGED
What are we talking about today? 10 PIN BOWLING
Which country did bowling originate from? ANCIENT EGYPT
How was the word strike described with regards to bowling? KNOCK OVER ALL THE PINS THE FIRST ROLL OF THE BALL
What is a synonym for strike? HIT, RAID, ATTACK, ASSAULT, WALKOUT, INDUSTRIAL ACTION, WORK TO RULE.
What is synonym for bowling? THROWING, PITCHING, HURLING, TOSSING
How many years ago was bowling founded? 5,000
Which continent is Egypt in? AFRICA
VAKT- show client image below of bowling recorded in ancient Egyptian times.
OK! Let’s keep it real, we don’t have time to talk 5,000 years of bowling today, but to summarize; not much really has changed. Originally the game had 9 PINS known in the UK as SKITTLES, which was brought to America around 1670s. In the early 1800s it was made ILLEGAL across AMERICA, due to the ASSOCIATION of gambling and organized crime. But a very smart person recommended “Why don’t we bowl with 10 pins instead?” a simple, yet obvious idea, what a genius! This allowed people to continue to play the game legally. This version still stands today in our modern game of 10 pin bowling.
SPELL: ILLEGAL SPELL: PINS SPELL: GAME
Which country did some states start to make 9 pin bowling illegal? AMERCIA
What was bowling called in the UK? SKITTLES
A very _____ person recommended to use 10 pins instead of 9? SMART
Name one reason why the game was made illegal? CRIME, GAMBLING
What is synonym for genius? CLEVER SMART, BRILLANT, GIFTED
Which year did they make 9 pin bowling illegal? 1800s
In your words what does illegal mean? Forbidden or not authorized by law of the government, country, state.
The game was not truly STANDARDIZED (enforce a level of consistency or best practiced rules to adhere to) and REGULATED until nearly the end of the 1800s. After the development of AUTOMATED mechanical PINSETTERS (a machine that can reset the pins after they are knocked over with no human help) the sport enjoyed a “GOLDEN AGE” (a period of time where a specified art, skill or activity is at its most popular) in the mid twentieth century.
SPELL: REGULATED SPELL: DEVELOPMENT SPELL: PINSETTER
How is a period of time described when a specific art, skill or activity is at its most popular? GOLDEN AGE
Which century was the sport most enjoyed? THE MID TWENTIETH CENTURY
Name one way standardized was described above. ENFORCE A LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY OR BEST PRACITICED RULES TO ADHERE TO
What is another word to describe something that is regulated? CONTROLLED, ORDERED, AJUSTED, NORMALIZED MEASURED, STRUCTURED
VAKT: Video Name: Pin Setting Operation by Matt Bowlin, 4.30 start video at 0.29 seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caj-K85ulZQ
What years were the mid twentieth century? 1930-1960
Let’s move on and look at the equipment needed to bowl
A bowling lane is typically made of wood, PINE, OR MAPLE specifically, but nowadays it can be made of a mixture of SYNTHETIC (made by chemicals typically to imitate a natural product) material. It is 42 inches wide and 60 feet long, with the length being measured from the FOUL LINE (A line you do not cross, or you will be PENALIZED) to the head pin. The lane on either side has a GUTTER, (TRENCH) that must be avoided for a ball to knock down any pins. But don’t worry if you are new to the game, they have BARRIERS that stop your ball from going into the gutter. The lane is covered in oil, as it not only protects the surface of the lane, but also influences the behavior of the ball as it progresses down the lane.
SPELL: BARRIERS SPELL: GAME SPELL: TRENCH
What is the name of the side of a bowling lane? GUTTER
What happens when you step over the foul line? YOU WILL BE PENALIZED
Synthetic material is made by chemicals typically to imitate a? NATURAL PRODUCT
What is synonym for penalized? PUNISHED, FINED, PENALTY, DISCIPLINED
Name one material a bowling lane can be made of. PINE MAPLE SYNTHETIC MATERIAL
What length is halfway down the bowling lane? 30 feet
If you have bowled, do you prefer to use the barriers or risk a gutter ball?
VAKT: Show client a picture of the bowling lane and trace a straight line down the middle of the lane.
A general rule is to pick a ball 10% of your body weight with a maximum ball weight of 16lbs, the lightest being 7lbs.
Early bowling balls were made of wood called “LIGNUM VITAE (hard wood). Modern bowling balls are made up of 2 parts. THE COVERSTOCK (outer layer of the bowling ball) and the WEIGHTBLOCK the inner part of the ball (The motor of the ball) and then the 3 holes for your fingers and thumb in. They can be made of POLYESTER, URETHANE AND RESIN (reactive urethane)
SPELL: WOOD SPELL: MODERN SPELL: INSIGHT
What is the name of the wood called bowling balls used to be called? LIGNUM VITAE
What is the inside of the ball called? WEIGHTBLOCK
The outer layer of the bowling ball is called the? COVERSTOCK
Name one material the coverstock can be made out of. POLYESTER, URETHANE, RESIN
What is a synonym for insight? VISION, UNDERSTANDING, AWARENESS PERCEPTION, COMPREHENSION
We talked about the heaviest and the lightest bowling ball. What is a medium weighted ball? 11lbs or 12lbs
How many holes are needed for the placement of our fingers? 3
VAKT: Check out some cool designs of bowling balls below.
VAKT: 5.09 minutes, BOWLING BALLS| How Its Made https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAOX1ekylnQ
Continue to read on to the last section of the lesson on techniques to find out how to hold and bowl your ball.
Beginner Open question
What color would you want your bowling ball to be?
Advanced Open question
If you could design your own custom-made bowling ball, what would it look like?
There are 10 pins lined in FOUR rows in an EQUILATERAL (all the sides the same length) triangle. Check out the picture below.
Pin specifications are set by the UNITED STATES BOWLING CONGRESS (USBC). Pins are 15 inches (380 mm) tall, 4.75 inches (121 mm) wide at their widest point and weigh 3 pounds 8 ounces (1.6 kilograms). The ICONIC (famous and well known) colors of bowling pins are WHITE with 2 RED STRIPES. Modern pins are made of maple wood and then coated with plastic and glossed to protect them from getting damaged. However, due to the scarcity of wood they can be made of synthetic material.
SPELL: ICONIC SPELL: COLORS SPELL: SPECIFICATIONS
What shaped triangle are the pins set in? EQUILATERAL
What do the initials USBC stand for? UNITED STATES BOWLING CONGRESS
Moden pins are coated in plastic and ______ to protect them from getting damaged. GLOSSED
What are the 2 colors bowling pins are iconic for? WHITE AND RED
What is a synonym for scarcity? SCARCENESS SHORTAGE, LACK, RARE, UNCOMMON
How tall are the pins in millimeters? 380
Check out the video link below to hear the difference between wood and synthetic bowling pins. Next time you’re bowling you can wow your friends with your bowling knowledge and tell them exactly what pins you are bowling with just by the sound.
VAKT: Video Bowling Pin Sound Test Synthetic pin (Twister) vs Wood Pins (Brunswick & Qubica AMF) 1.52 seconds
The one thing we can all agree that is not fun about bowling is the SHOES. Best not to think about how many sweaty, stinky feet have stepped in those RENTAL (loan or borrow) shoes and focus on why it’s important to wear bowling shoes. Now don’t worry because if you plan to bowl regularly you can buy your own bowling shoes and there are many colors and designs to choose from.
SPELL: SHOES SPELL: SWEATY SPELL: FEET
You can _____ your own bowling shoes. BUY
There are many colors and _____ of shoes to choose from. DESIGNS
What was one word used to explain rental shoes? LOAN, BORROW
What color/s would you choose if you could custom design your own bowling shoes?
Name another sports shoe? ICE SKATES, CLEATS, TENNIS SHOES, RUNNING SHOE, SNEAKER
Bowling shoes are typically made from LEATHER and RUBBER. The soles are made to be slippery. This is important because it enables you to achieve smoother motion. If you’re sticking to the floor while you go to throw your bowling ball it will affect your PERFORMANCE and potentially cause injury by tripping or pulling a muscle. The heels on the other hand are typically made of rubber, which acts as a STOPPER, without this you might just become the bowling ball and slide right on into the pins.
SPELL: PERFORMANCE SPELL: STOPPER SPELL: STICKING
The soles of the shoes are made to be. SLIPPERY
What part of the shoe acts as a stopper? HEEL
Name one material bowling shoes are typically made from. LEATHER, RUBBER
Other than performance what else can potentially happen if you stick to the floor? INJURY, TRIP, PULL A MUSCLE
Typically, what colors are the shared shoes worn at bowling alleys. RED AND BLUE
Keeping Score and Rules
We are lucky as we have computers to keep score for us, but it’s pretty simple so let’s take a look. Check out the score card below.
A game is made up of 10 FRAMES (a person’s turn to bowl). In each frame a BOWLER (the name given to a person who bowls) has 2 rolls within the frame, with the EXCEPTION of the 10th frame where you have potential to roll 3 times. Each pin is worth 1 point each. The highest score is a strike (10 points), you can only score a strike on your first roll of a frame, which will be marked as an X on your score sheet? The strike earns you the points of your next two rolls added to its frame. Check out the example of a strike below on a score sheet.
SPELL: ROLL SPELL: HIGHEST SPELL: POINT
What is the name of a person who bowls? BOWLER
A persons turn to bowl is called a? FRAME
What’s a synonym for points? OPINONS, FACTS, IDEAS, THEMES,
What is a synonym for exception? SPECIAL CASE, IRREGULARITY, ALLOWANCE, COMPROMISE
On the 10th frame you have the opportunity to roll ___ times. 3
A game is made of ___ frames? 10
Just quickly before we look at our example of a strike, we need to quickly look at what an OPEN FRAME is, it is used in the EXAMPLE. It means knocking down 9 or fewer pins using both of your rolls. An open frame will only earn you the number of pins knocked down.
SPELL: EXAMPLE SPELL: QUICKLY SPELL: BOTH
An open frame is knocking down 9 or _______ _______ using both rolls? FEWER PINS
An open frame will only earn you the________ of pins knocked down? NUMBER
Use frame in a different context. I FRAME MY PICTURE TO HANG ON THE WALL
What’s the maximum points you can earn in a frame? 10
Example of a strike: A bowler scored a strike, 10 points. Then on the next go they scored a 5 and a 1, totaling 6 points. The 6 points were added onto the strike totaling 16 points, and then both scores are added up. 16 + 6 = 22 points.
If a person scores a strike and then scores an 8 and a 1 on their next frame what is their total going to be? 10 + 9 + 9 = 28
Your next score is called a SPARE, which is where you knock down all 10 pins in 2 rolls in a frame. A spare earns 10 points plus the sum of your first roll in the next frame. Check out the example after these couple of questions.
SPELL: SCORE SPELL: COUPLE SPELL: NEXT
Knocking down all the pins in 2 rolls in a frame is called a? SPARE
A spare earns 10 points plus the _____ of your next roll SUM.
What is a synonym for SPARE? EXTRA, UNUSED, BACK UP ADDITIONAL, SECOND, ANOTHER, RESERVE
What’s one thing you like to do in your SPARE time?
Example of a spare: The bowler knocks down 8 pins on their 1st roll and the last 2 pins on their 2nd roll of their frame, a spare (10 points). On the next roll the person rolls a 5 on their 1st roll which is then added to the spare total in the first frame totaling 15 points. They then roll a 4 on the 2nd roll of the 2nd frame totaling 9 points in that frame. Finally, add all the points together totaling 24 points.
How many pins did the bowler knock down in their first roll of the first frame? 8
If a bowler hits a spare and then scores a 3 and a 2 on their next frame what would their score be. 18
10+ 3= 13
Finally let’s look at the 10th Frame. As mentioned, there is POTENTIAL to roll 3 times in this last frame. If you roll a strike in the first roll of the 10th frame, you get 2 more rolls. If you roll a spare in the first two goes of the 10th frame, you get 1 more roll. If you leave the 10th frame open after two rolls, the game is over, and you do not get an ADDITIONAL shot. The score for the 10th frame is the total number of pins knocked down in the frame.
SPELL: LAST SPELL: LEAVE SPELL: ADDITIONAL
As mentioned, there is_______ to roll 3 times in the last frame. POTENTIAL
If you leave the 10th frame open after 2 rolls the game is? OVER
The score for the 10th frame is the total ______ of pins knocked down in the frame. NUMBER
What’s the Maximum points you can earn in the 10th frame? 30
How would you earn those 30 points? 3 STRIKES
Finally, let’s look at how you can earn those strikes. We are going to look at a simple TECHNIQUE broken down into 7 simple steps.
1. Choose your ball and place your MIDDLE and RING finger into the top two holes and your THUMB into the hole behind. Make sure your fingers fit nice and snug into the ball; you want minimal grip. Check out the picture below.
2. Place your ball side elbow onto your hip and support the ball with your other hand.
3. The ball should be held between the shoulder and chin, called the BALL SLOT
SPELL: TECHNIQUE SPELL: SHOULDER SPELL: SUPPORT
What is the name of the space where the ball should be held between the shoulder and the chin? BALL SLOT
A general rule is to pick a ball size _______ of your body weight. TEN PERCENT
What was the word to describe the fit of your fingers in the bowling ball? SNUG
Name one finger that is used to bowl with MIDDLE, FINGER, RING FINGER, THUMB
What’s another word for Cozy? WARM, HOMELY, TIGHT, COMFORTABLE
VAKT: Show client the positioning of the fingers from the picture and have them copy, or have client trace the hand from the picture.
4. Feet placement technique: your ball side foot should be SLIGHTLY behind you and the other foot in front, with legs bent, this is called a STAGGERED SET UP STANCE.
5. Bend your body slightly forward.
6. Push the ball forward and let it swing back and release on the 2nd forward motion. Your ball side foot will land DIAGONALLY behind the other foot to finish for balance.
SPELL: MOTION SPELL: PLACEMENT SPELL: SLIGHTLY
What is the name of the foot placement technique? STAGGERED SET UP STANCE
Which direction should your foot land when you finish to balance? DIAGONALLY
What’s a synonym for swing? SWAY, ROCK, DANGLE, SEE-SAW WOBBLE, MOVE
What is a synonym for bend? CURVE, TWIST, TURN, BOW
If you could add your own rule to bowling, what would it be?
VAKT- Watch Video- 5 bowling Hacks in 5 minutes to help you bowl your best 5.07minutes https://youtu.be/L2xhQ3fctnE
VAKT- walk client through the steps and help them position and move their body through the steps and pretend to bowl.
That’s its friend, I hope you enjoyed this lesson and that it has inspired you to bowl forth and STRIKE A PIN!
Creative writing piece for new spellers?
If you were to put together your own bowling team, what name would you call your team?
Most people like to give themselves their own nickname when bowling. What would be your nickname?
Advanced creative writing.
Describe bowling in a rhyme, rap or poem.
She has spent her life trying to find her purpose and passion, jumping from hospitality to backpacking around the world, to rescuing and training dogs; and then in 2021 she found herself working with adults with learning disabilities of all levels at a day program in Los Angeles, working as their mentor. She was inspired to become a S2C practitioner after her client went through the program and became an open communicator and they started to share conversations for the first time after not being able to communicate for 8 months of working together. Since then she has found her purpose and is never looking back.