Learn How to Play Bowling & Improve Your Skills Fast

Both coordination and athletic ability are crucial to bowling. For most beginners, it is normal to find it difficult to roll a bowling ball down the lane without falling into the gutter and hit the right spot.

The way in which a bowler rolls the ball can vary differently as each person tends to develop a bowling style they feel most comfortable with.

There are no fixed rules as to how one can begin rolling the ball down the lane, but people have come up with a variety of ways to achieve this. 

The first bowling style of rolling the ball that most people learn as a child is to roll the ball with both hands from between their legs. Of course, bowling in this manner will not produce a consistent high score nor is it stylish, but this is a good technique for small children to start learning the game of bowling, as the weight of the ball is way too heavy for them to use the typical single-handed throwing method. 

Once children are strong enough, they can start rolling the ball with one hand, which is a more conventional technique that will help them get more power behind the ball for striking pins down.

To use this more conventional bowling style, one simply holds the ball using the finger holes by inserting the middle and ring fingers in two adjacent holes and the thumb in the other.

First holding the ball in front of the body near waist level, standing upright and using the other free hand to support the weight of the ball. Take up a position well behind the foul line.

When ready, the bowler takes a few steps forward while lowering the ball with one hand down in a backward pendulum motion behind his body to gain momentum for the throw.  Being careful of not stepping over the foul line, the bowler then brings the ball forward beside his body completing the pendulum motion and rolls it down the lane toward the pins. 

It takes much practice to perfect this technique since it involves a great deal of timing to coordinate the movements of one's arm with the steps. But with the help of a bowling guide, you'll probably learn faster as you're better equipped with the right knowledge.

When watching professional bowlers on television, you will notice that they are able to execute shots that curve the ball down the lane, especially on their first throw of a frame. This technique is known as a "hook". It allows the more advanced bowlers to hit the pins at an angle, which has a better chance of producing a strike. 

If you use your wrist and fingers correctly, you can put spin on the ball to cause it to change direction midway down the lane. The direction most bowlers spin the ball toward is their non-throwing hand, so right-handers would spin the ball to the left and vice versa.

The goal of this technique is to hit the "pocket", which is an area to the right or left of the head pin (or #1 pin). This area has been determined to be the best target area to maximize a bowler's score on their first shot.

Another advantage of using a hook is that it widens the target area when one is trying to hit a smaller number of remaining pins on the second throw. By hitting the pins at an angle, it creates a greater margin of error, thus increasing the chance of a successful shot.

Find your progress of improvement in bowling slow?

If you don't get expert advice on how to bowl correctly and only learn through trial and error, you'll sure improve your game S-L-O-W-L-Y. Don't make this mistake! You still need lots of practice, but your progress of improvement might be much faster when you're equipped with the right knowledge, probably from a bowling guide or coach.