How to bowl a bowling ball

A Beginners Guide to Bowling

Switch up your skills and improve your technique with our bowling tips and tricks! We’ve put together everything you need to know to get you closer to becoming a pro on the lanes. Whether you’re starting from scratch or have only played a few casual games, our simple guide to bowling will give you the best head start.

How to bowl a bowling ball

Let’s start with the basics and master the technique of holding and bowling a bowling ball.

How to hold a bowling ball

Learning how to grip a bowling ball and how to bowl it correctly is at the core of improving your bowling skills. A bowling ball can be held in many ways, but the traditional grip is a firm favourite and is said to work best! Place your middle and ring fingers up to around the second knuckle (try up to the first knuckle once you’ve built up your confidence!) followed by your thumb into the three holes of the bowling ball. 

How to throw a bowling ball

Once you’ve mastered your grip, get set to throw the perfect bowl:

1. Line up your feet slightly to the left-hand side of the bowling lane if you're right handed (switch for those of you that are lefties).
2. Put your heels around 4 steps back from the line to help determine your starting position.
3. Aim your ball at one of the arrows or dots on the lane, these markings will help you gage your shot.
4. Keep your arm straight during your swing.
5. As your ball approaches your ankle, rotate it slightly using just your fingertips and not your wrist, and then release to create a spin.
6. Follow the ball through with your hand as you release it – this will keep the consistency and accuracy as you create an outward lift into the lane rather than upwards.

Stay patient, it’s all about trial and error to learn what technique works best for you!

How to choose the right bowling ball

When it comes to choosing a bowling ball there’s no one-size fits all rule – the most important factor is comfort. The common recommendation is that a bowling ball should weigh around 10% of your body weight, you want the ball to have some weight but not to be uncomfortably heavy for you to hold. The numbers on the side of the ball indicate the weight of the bowling ball in pounds, so instead of getting out your phone and calculating your weight in pounds, choose one that feels right to you. Test out different sizes to find the right weight, size, grip and of course, colour! You want a cool, colourful ball to be your signature ball on the lane.

Bowling rules and scores

So, you’ve found the correct grip and the right ball for you – now it’s time to learn how bowling scores work and what the rules are!

• 10 frames per game

A ‘frame’ consists of each bowler taking a maximum of two bowls, if they get a strike in the first ball, that turn then ends until it gets to their next frame.

• Players must stand behind the foul line

When it comes to releasing the ball, the player must be stood behind the foul line. Avoid standing on or over the line, as this will mean your points are not counted.

• Wear proper bowling shoes

It’s important to wear either bowling shoes or closed in shoes of your own to avoid any accidents or injuries.

• There’s a maximum score

When it comes to scores in bowling the maximum is 300, which would occur if a player scored 30 points/a strike in every frame during the game.

Learn bowling terminology

If you’re spending time on the lanes, it’ll go in your favour to understand all the bowling lingo!

‘Strike’

Bowling a strike is when all ten bowling pins are knocked down with one ball, strikes are the equivalent of 10 points (a point per bowl) but the final score depends on your next frame e.g. if you get a strike and then knock down 5 in your next frame total your score would be 15 (10 points + 5 points).

‘Spare’

A spare is when the ten bowling pins are knocked down over two consecutive bowls. Similarly to strikes, the final point for a spare is dependent on the next bowl, however, just the first bowl of the frame. So, if you knock down 4 in your first bowl then 5 straight after, the first bowl of 4 will be added to your spare, scoring 14 (10+4).

‘Double’

A double refers to getting two strikes in a row.

‘Turkey’

A turkey is a term used for getting three strikes in a row.

‘Frame’

A frame is a players turn, consisting of a maximum of two bowls.

‘Gutter’

The gutter is the side of the lane where the ball goes if it misses the pins and comes off the lane.

‘Foul line’

The foul line is the start of the bowling lane, which as we mentioned earlier, shouldn’t be stepped over!

There you have it, some of the key basics to learn before you master the art of bowling! Head down to a Kingpin venue near you to polish up your technique and enjoy some time with friends and family on the lanes.