I’m no expert myself, having played a couple of games for some time. But watching those poor oafs gave me enough motivation to share some secrets other seasoned players loathe to share.

At least, any newbie who may read this page might gain enough information not to look ridiculous during a game. And who knows, he might be playing next to my lane.

Tips For Bowling – Grips

Let’s start with grips. Bowling balls have a standard 3 holes. One hole is slightly apart from the other two which are spaced nearer. The two holes are for your ring and middle finger and the single hole for your thumb.

So grip your ball (it helps while you read this you have a bowling ball in hand), the thumb goes all the way through the hole and the fingers goes until the second knuckle (finger knuckle).

The rest of the fingers extend comfortably over the ball surface. Look at how you hold the ball. Does it resemble the way other bowlers on the center grip the ball?

Tips For Bowling – Form

Forms define approach and release. Bad forms results in bad delivery and awkward releases. Ok, start with the proper gripping. Choose your starting distance. Refer to the double rows of dots some distance from the foul line.

Use this to measure your approach; ultimately you want your final step to end within a foot from the foul line to optimize your throws. Now stand up straight. Wherever your grip is, the other hand is used to support the ball.

If you’re going straight, put your support at the top of the ball. If you’re going for a hook, have your support at the side slightly tilting the ball. For more reference on how to make a hook bowling ball, look for my article entitled ‘How to Perform a Hook Bowling Ball’.

The proper starting form would be: stand straight, feet together pointing forward, knees bent very slightly, bowling arm elbow kept close to the hip and the wrist gripping the ball firm and in a ready delivery.

If you are ready, begin your approach. It really helps if you have kept a close eye on how other players start their approach. Don’t rush it; take your time to adjust your timing. Keep in mind, approach and release.

Tips For Bowling – Swing

The trickiest part is the swing; also the defining factor between noobs and skilled bowlers. As you start the approach, try to mentally set a four step approach. That way, you can anticipate where you will end.

As you begin the steps, swing your gripping arm backwards slowly. Do the backward swing in the junction of your three steps. On the fourth step, begin your release.

The fourth step is done effectively with a slide; leg bent low and your other leg left behind stretched from the last step. As you complete the sliding fourth step, swing your gripping arm towards your target, stooping slightly to release and roll the ball.

I cannot stress this enough: always observe the other players do the forms, you will gain enough information on how to execute yours.

For more information about bowling and how to improve your play, check out my other articles.

True, bowling almost always refer to the ten pin but ten pin is only one of the many variations bowling is played.

There are many variants, actually, like the nine pin, the five pin, candlepin but ten pin bowling is by far the widely played bowling variant.

As the name suggests, ten pin bowling is played using ten pins and knocking these down by the use of balls rolled along a lane.

The object is to knock down as many pins possible with the least number of throws. Every bowler is allowed ten frames or turns, with each frame composed of two rolls. If a player manages to knock down a complete set, it is called a strike.

But when there are still remaining pins, those that are knocked down are counted and removed. Then the player has another opportunity to roll a second ball and if he manages to knock all remaining pins then it is called a spare.

This process continues until everyone has completed their turns in the frame. After which the game proceeds to the next frame. Bonus points are awarded in case of a strike or a spare.

The pins are arranged in an equilateral triangle, the back row has four pins, the next one has three, and the next has two and the last row (front of the lane, also called the head pin) consist only of one pin aligned at the center.

The pins have numberings to ease the references of pins, starting with the single pin in front as one, and ends at ten at the back and rightmost pin. With today’s technology, the pins are automatically set by the machine, unlike before with the usage of ‘pin boys’.

The playing area of ten pin bowling is a straight and narrow surface, known as the lane. Made of usually wooden boards or synthetic material made to look like wooden boards, the ten-pin bowling lane is standard 18.28 meters from the first pin to the foul line.

Fifteen feet from the foul line are guide arrows pointing towards the pins and two sets of approach dots are located about 12 ft from the foul line, and another 15 ft for the second set of approach dots.

The idea of knocking down targets with a stone, a ball, or any appropriate object is as old as the human civilization itself. There have been proofs that certain implementations of the game are found in a 7000-year old Egyptian tomb.

Similarly, there had been references of an identical sport that had surfaced in barbarian 3rd century Germany.

It was not until 1930 that efforts were made to study the history of bowling. British Anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie found a 7000-year old evidence of an Egyptian child’s tomb artifacts that are supposedly used on a game similar to bowling.

Conversely the German historian William Pehle points out substantial evidences that show Germany as the cradle of the sport.

German peasants, on a test of faith, would stab their Kegel (sort of club) on the ground as targets and knock those by using rocks or wooden balls rolled on the ground.

If they succeed in knocking down the Kegel, they are considered free of sin. This practice eventually shed its secular background to become a favorite sport of the common people.

There were also evidences of the history of bowling during the medieval England. King Edward IV had passed an edict that forbade the “hustling of stones” and other bowling-like sport to keep his troops focused because the sport has kept his troops from training.

At that time, many adaptations of the sport have emerged in Europe: the Italian Bocce for instance, the French Petanque and the Lawn Bowling of the British.

English settlers brought bowling to United States. Evidence points out that in year 1611, Capt. James Smith outlawed bowling when he arrived in Jamestown to find the Virginia colonist starving but still playing bowling happily.

But instead of fading away into obscurity, the sport gained popularity in America. Now the game was played with the standard nine-pins, mentioned in a quote from Rip Van Winkle as he wakes up to the sounds of “ninepins”.

It was believed that the Dutch immigrants in a New York colony were responsible for the nine pins form of bowling.  By 1841, a Connecticut law was passed that banned bowling, especially the nine-pin bowling. Other states followed suit.

The incident happened since bowling was then heavily associated with gambling and crime. But instead of fading away, the sport managed to get around the law by the evolution of ten pin of bowling, and bowling fame continued to rise.

Whatever the paths the history of bowling took to arrive in its state today, bowling is still one of the more interesting sports today. Bowling is still a genuine sport, a one of a kind and a definite enjoyment fun.

The history of bowling alone is the testament of how great the sport is, from where it began and how far in time it had arrived.

Physics of bowling is applied on the speed of ball, friction, etc. The maximum ball speed is at the point of release. As soon as the ball is released, it will begin to slow down because of the friction between the bowling ball and the bowling lane.

A bowling ball will typically lose about 3 to 3 ½ miles per hour from the time it is released until the time it hits the pins.

The amount of oil onto the lane can affect the friction between the ball and lane. The greater the amount of oil on the lane, the lesser the friction, and the greater the ball speed.

The kind and weight of the ball you are going to use also affect the amount of friction between the ball and the lane. These are the factors affecting the ball’s speed, according to the physics of bowling.

Logically, if your ball’s speed at release is less than 17 mph it is considered slow, 17 to 19 mph average, and above 19 mph is considered fast.

Friction resulted when a ball is thrown down the lane and slows down on its way. The scale of this force varies depending on the amount and type of oil onto the lane, and the weight of the ball.

To find the kinetic friction can be obtained through this equation: ?k=Fk/mg. ?k stands for the coefficient of kinetic friction and Fk stands for the Force due to the kinetic friction, m is the mass of the ball and g means gravity.

The physics of bowling sets in ball speed calculation. The simple way to calculate the ball speed is to time how long it takes for your ball to travel the length of the lane. The lane measures 60 ft. or 18.3 m from the foul line to the pins.

Using your stopwatch, you need to time how long it takes from ball release up to pin strike. Calculate the speed by diving the distance by time.

If it took the ball 3 seconds from release to strike the pins, the speed is: 60÷3=20 ft/sec. This is just the average speed of the ball. The speed of the ball at the time of release is greatest and the speed decreases along the way because of friction.

To calculate how many revolutions or spins your ball got after your release is like this; first you have to place a piece of white tape above your finger holes on the ball.

Roll your normal shot down the lane, and then have another person watch and count how many times the tape rotates around the ball until it hits the pins.

Or, if you have a video camera the calculation can be done more accurately. Record a few shots then watch your deliveries in slow motion.

It is important to know the physics of bowling if you want to compete in the sport of bowling. I’m pretty sure that the pros study the physics of bowling. For that matter, the study can be of help to bowlers, amateur and professionals alike.

Bowling for instance; this is a sport where the art lies in the subtlety of wrist and body movements to perform exceptional tricks like a hook or a skid hook. No pc game can emulate such aspects perfectly into a game.

But in fairness of these games, bowling Sims is still the kind of game meant to be enjoyed, and not to be faulted by the design or the lack thereof.

The thrill, the excitement of winning and the disappointment of losing are still there, depending on how you attach yourself to the game.

Here are several free bowling games for the PC that are available online:

Title: Ten Pin Championship Bowling

Developer: Skyworks

Play at: http://www.candystand.com/play.do?id=17863

This is an average free bowling game online, no frills and no quills. It’s totally free and since it is a Flash player, the game requires some plug-in to work.

No problems on that, Macromedia Flash Plug-ins are also a free download. The game comes with a game play instruction not that without such would cause problems since it really is a simplistic game.

Title: Bowling Master

Developer: www.FreeOnlineGames.com

Play at: http://www.freeonlinegames.com/play/8.html

Free Online Games is an author of several free bowling games. Bowling Master, like Ten Pin Championship Bowling suffers from the same condition -the game is pretty bland.

After a couple of hours of playing (or minutes for that matter), the novelty wears off and you just simply quit the game because it has become repetitive.

But the game itself is nice for coffee breaks; the arcade-feel action will help you regain your nerves after long stressful hours of work.

Title: World Class Bowling

Developer: Atari

Where to get: http://www.terragame.com/bowling/173.html

As the name implies, WCB is a serious attempt to a bowling sim. It has a realistic game play and has even practice mode for starters. Unfortunately, only the demo is free.

The full game is sold at $9, a fair price since the game is quite old. Check out the comments of previous buyers to know how the game really stands.

Remember, this game came out in mid 2004; the overall quality might be a little behind with today’s standards.

The ball should weigh about 1/10 of your weight. The reason why weight is a factor is that, it is only enough for your wrist to carry the ball’s weight.

And your bowling shoes should be lightweight and comfortable to wear. Bowling shoes have special soles that enable players to glide easily during the approach.

And maybe a bowling shirt to add up to your bowling player looks. Like your bowling shirt, which can be customized, you probably think that custom bowling balls can be an additional proof of your affection in the sport of bowling.

Unlike the custom bowling balls, which are not that easy to find, custom bowling shirts are very easy to find. The reason maybe, it is not that hard to customize the shirts.

The materials in which the bowling shirts are made from is soft, which make it easy to embroider or paint digitally. As for the bowling balls, the case is different.

Most of the online stores do not accept custom bowling balls orders. Instead, if you have our own design, you are advised to contact the ball’s manufacturers if they do accept custom bowling balls.

The online shops offer only ready-made beautifully designed bowling balls to choose from. The bowling balls available in the market, may it be online or in your local sports shops, already have different designs.

There are a lot of beautifully designed bowling balls on the net though. You can try checking them out; you might like one of the beautiful balls. But if you really want to have your ball customize, then by all means try inquiring bowling balls manufacturer.

My personal opinion is that only ball manufacturers can customize your bowling balls. Or you may visit at www.bowling-depot.com. This website can give you a number of ball manufacturers which can possibly help you customize your bowling balls.

If you really want it that bad, there is no impossible. Find a way to have that ball you want.  I know that it could have been great if you can have a custom bowling ball. Custom bowling balls can be an addition to your bowling accessories.

Imagine possessing a bowling ball with your own personally picked design, what else can you possibly asks for? I’m sure if you already have that ball, you will no longer have sleepless nights.

There’s no bigger disappointment than losing in a game you always prided yourself. I know, I often find myself in that situation so that feeling is no stranger for me. And the only solution to that disappointment? Get better.

Bowling is a relatively easy game to acquaint but mighty hard to master. I’ve seen scores of players who got into the game earlier than me but never got far. At some point they always fail.

Play bowling. That’s the only surest way to get a general feel of the game. After a couple of games, you’ll find out your strengths and weaknesses, like your throwing ability and your form.

Watch how good players play, particularly in delivery and approach. Subtle wrist movements may miss your eye but if you are especially observant, you will understand the effects those simple flickers will have on the ball.

Bowling Tips: Play, play, play. Practice makes perfect. If you are a novice bowler, concentrate on accuracy first by throwing ‘straight’. After you achieve a respectable accuracy, try a simple hook.

It is a sound decision to get a custom fit ball at this time. Having a personal ball means you can have it drilled to fit perfectly in your hand. If a ball if comfortable enough and provides enough hold, it is possible to deliver a consistent well timed throw.

Remember, choose a ball that will compensate your faults and compliment your style. A too heavy ball may add extra power to your throws, but if you have weaker arm strength the ball will severely hamper your throws.

Also, if you have a weaker hook, choosing a reactive core might help you get that hook you need. Balls also perform better at varying conditions, like how plastic would match perfectly in a dry lane.

Bowling Tips: Choose plastic for your first bowling ball. This is the standard bowling ball and the most manageable. It is also a great practice for your throwing accuracy since this ball won’t do any fancy tricks like doing a curve.

Shoes might not be as important as the balls but they still define your performance, especially at delivery. Bowling shoes afford a slide, and you need to slide with a foot depending if you are left handed or right.

There are others who bowl with tennis shoes or sneakers, but playing with these would totally ruin any chance of proper form learning.

Besides, vast majority of bowling centers require bowling shoes.  Aside from the savings you get, you don’t have to wear those nasty colored and smelly rental shoes.

Bowling Tips: Get a shoe. If possible, get a Performance shoe. Learning the forms early will also benefit your delivering a consistent throw.

Have you ever tried the sport of bowling? If you have not tried playing it then think again. This sport is fun and does not require a lot of sweating just to win the game. Consider participating with friends for a start.

You can never be too old or too late to experience the fun with which the game can give you. Yes, bowling is the sport of individual accomplishment and competitiveness, used by some for recreation, socializing, exercise and a method of stress relief. Bowling used to be associated with gambling.

If you are just starting to learn about this sport, here are some helpful bowling tips you can study to improve your way of playing. It is important that we have the know-how about the sport.

Proficiency and continuous playing can make you excel on bowling. You also have to remember that in every sport losing is inevitable, so prepare yourself from this circumstance.

These bowling tips will only become useful if you continuously apply these tips in every game you participate in.

First of all, you should choose the right weight of the bowling ball for you. The weight should be 1/10 of your total weight. For example, if you weigh 110 pounds, your bowling ball should weigh 11 pounds.

Second is the proper fitting of the ball. The thumb of your throwing thumb should fit perfectly into the hole and can rotate with only a slight friction, and lay your middle two fingers over the other holes.

Your second joint should be a quarter of an inch near the edge of the holes. Since proper grip is essential, make it a point to check your grip to get used to the feeling of the bowling ball in your grip.

The third tip is use wrist support. If you are just a first timer, you will find the ball heavy. Wrist support can be very helpful if you do not have the strength to hold the ball in the proper position through the swing.

The fourth tip is to look at your approach. These 3 approaches are: the five step approach, the three step approach, and one or two approach.

The fifth tip: do not over swing the ball. Just let the ball swing naturally and let roll.

Sixth tip: arch the ball above the waist. To make sure you maintain relaxed ball placement, you should hold the ball a little above the waistline while placing it into the slight upward sweep.

Seventh tip: use back or knee support.

Eighth tip: use open hand/ spread forefinger and/or pinkie finger. By adopting this compromise you will strengthen your grip and release.

Ninth tip: exercise. A few stretching can loosen the joints, muscles, and the stretching of tendons and ligaments.

Tenth tip: targeting. Looking closer could help with making the ball react sooner just like looking farther down the lane can aid in controlling the hook on the back end of the lane.

The last tip of the bowling tips: lane adjustments: adjusting to lane conditions is important to all bowlers. If your ball hooks left, then move to the left. If it hooks to the right, then move to your right.

I hope that these bowling tips can be of help to you in arousing your interest in playing the sport of bowling. Always remember that practice makes perfect. You may memorize these bowling tips word for word but not putting them into practice, you will never learn.

While others have a certain low-key with regards to this aspect, it is never lost. Even in chess, players wear some sort of a uniform to properly distinguish him from a crowd of spectators.

Most bowling centers require players to wear bowling shoes. If the player doesn’t have one, he can rent one on the center. But this is a typical scenario for a casual player. The regular bowlers often have a pair of bowling shoes.

Aside from being able to save from rentals, having your own fit is undeniably comfortable, not to mention pretty sexy too, since you won’t have to wear those size 14 shoes that you have mistaken for a boat.

The most important factor for bowling shoes is the slide effect. As you approach the lane for a delivery, you need to slide with the opposite foot, and rubber soled shoes like sneakers will not slide.

If you haven’t bought a pair of bowling shoes before, you might be a little lost. For starters, you should consider how often you play. Casual players may be better off using rented shoes. But if you are more of a regular bowler, then you should consider what type of shoe you need.

Buying Your Shoe

There are two types of bowling shoes, Athletic and Performance. Athletic shoes are recommended for novice players because they have a sliding sole on both shoes.

Performance shoe on the other hand, has the sliding effect on one shoe and the braking effect on the other, which shoe has which would depend on right/left handedness.

So if you are a competitive bowler who likes to change patterns with every game, you will probably want a shoe that has interchangeable sole pads to match a style and the surface condition you are bowling in.

Here are some sites that may prove useful for your bowling shoe hunting.

http://www.bowling.com

Phone orders: 1.800.441.2695

This site has a listing of the latest bowling shoes at a bargain price of $42.99. A real deal since normal prices are somewhere beyond $100 mark. Any purchase comes with free shipping.

You also can check products of specific brands by the ‘shop by brand’ button. Aside from shoes, the site offers a variety of bowling equipment.

Browse into their vast catalog and see if anything interests you. And oh, Bowling.com is an authorized retailer of the PBA. This should guarantee the authenticity of their products.

http://www.bowlersparadise.com

Phone orders: 1.888.969.2695

Bowlers Paradise also has a number of cool shoes on catalog and an option to check the products of a specific brand as well.

A handy bowling shoe search engine is available at the left part of the page. This site specifically wants your shopping to be as hassle free as possible.

Every sport has its own techniques on how to learn easily the game. As for the sport of bowling, even though it is not that difficult to learn, there are bowling techniques to help the beginners to learn the nature of the game quickly.

These bowling techniques are very easy to apply and any beginner can aptly execute in no time. First you have to know the right bowling ball for you. Choosing the right ball is first on the list of bowling techniques.

The sport of bowling requires timing and coordination so it is important that a bowler must select a ball that is easy to handle.

The bowling ball should not be too heavy or light, and should feel comfortable and natural on the bowler’s hand.

The thumb of the throwing hand should fit into the whole provided for the thumb and rotates with only minor friction. To measure a proper grip, the bowler’s two middle fingers should be stretched over the finger holes.

Most bowlers use a natural and relaxed four-step delivery method; that is taking four steps on the approach aiming the pins, and then gliding while releasing the ball towards the pins.

In determining your proper starting position, your feet should stand at the middle of the foul line, facing away from the pins and then take four and a half steps forward.

You should then turn and face the pins, memorizing their proportionate position to the target markings. Every time you step up to make a throw, you should start the delivery from the same spot. As you gain experience, lesser adjustments can be made for comfort or preference.

After finding the correct starting position, you should face the pins focus on them, and with the fingers of the throwing hand in the holes, let the weight of the bowling ball rest on the nonthrowing hand somewhere between the shoulder and the waist.

For right- handers, the ball should be held slightly the right side or left side for left- handers of the bowler’s body.

Most experienced bowlers keep their feet reasonably close together with the left foot slightly forward, and the knees gently curved. This applies to right-handers only.

Throwing a ball using a four-step delivery: These bowling techniques are for right-handers only.

Step one:

Move the ball and right foot down and forward in a slow, short movement.

Step two:

Keep your arm close to your body, take a step with the left foot and let the ball swing backwards.

Step three:

Take a step forward with your right foot as the ball reaches the top of the backswing, the ball should be a little above the waist. Your left arm should be extended for balance.

Step four:

Shift your body weight from your right to left foot while bending your left knee and let the ball swing naturally forward. You do not have to do anything more afterwards.

You should glide with your right leg extended back as your right arm lifts the ball over the foul line and releases it toward the pins. After the release, your follow-through should be a continuation of the arc that started with the backswing.

For first-timers, you should concentrate on tossing the ball at the front pin and develop a smooth and relaxed delivery. The common errors incurred by beginners are overswing, concentrating too much on pinpoint accuracy, and not releasing the ball close to the floor.

From the bowling techniques discussed above, if followed properly, you will greatly improve your bowling performance and with constant practice, you will surely become very good at it.