Like all
other sports bowling has it's own special "language",
phrases and terms used by those who play the game to describe
special situations.
These special terms have evolved over many decades and
newcomers to the sport can find these terms confusing. You can
find out what these terms mean by using the following dictionary.
I'll be adding to this list so, if there's something you'd like
added or think you can provide a better explanation for anything
drop me an email and
I'll give you due credit.
We also have pictures and videos demonstrating many aspects of the
game which you can watch and download or articles
on key aspects of the game for you to read.
American Bowling Congress, the governing body for the
sport in the USA. Founded in 1895 the ABC developed the
specifications on equipment (e.g. dimensions, weights and
tolerances for lanes, balls, pins as well as rules).
ABT
Asian Bowling Tour
Adjusting
What good bowlers do to knock down more pins than their
un-enlightened opposition who, like sticks in the mud,
refuse to budge from their lines and their I can beat
this lane. The good bowler uses numerous adjustments (nicely
summarised in the ARSE acronym) to
obtain maximum results on any lane condition.
Adrenalin
Adult Bumper Bowling
Derogatory term used by advanced bowlers to describe a blocked oiling condition deliberately
put down to create higher scores.
Aerobic Exercise
A steady period of exertion where you use oxygen, i.e.
you breath heavier. After 10-20 mins you start to burn
fat, think of it like a fire, the fire doesn't burn
without oxygen. Aerobic exercise is thus good for keeping
fit. Walking, running, swimming would qualify.
Anaerobic Exercise
Stop/start type sports (tennis) where the energy comes
form sugar stored in the muscles: burning this sugar can
leave lactic acid in the body, making you feel stiff the
day after.
Affirmations
Positive thoughts an athlete (or Team) can use in a self-talk
process to actively keep them focused, or to get back on
track after losing focus. Examples, to reduce pressure,
could be "One shot at a time", "I can play
any lane in the world" or (as used by Team USA)
"ICE - I carry everything!". Often employed as
part of a refocusing plan after thought-stopping has
recognised a negative thought creaping into your head. (example
article)
AMF
Manufacturer of bowling balls, lanes, pinsetters and
worldwide proprietor of bowling centres. Has also run the
AMF World Cup, held annually since 1963 (Dublin) to
provide high level competition for amateur bowlers in
over 80 countries.
Analysis
Process used by coach to systematically assess a bowler.
From the analysis a Performance Profile can be developed.
Anxiety
Approach
The area on which a bowler walks to deliver their ball
onto the lane. (watch a video
of a bowlers approach).
Area
What you need to score well. Using your lane play skills
you need to get the ball into the area of the lane which
scores the best - the area (breakpoint or target) will
change depending on the lane conditions on the day.
Humans are not perfect and cannot hit the same target
time-after-time with perfect accuracy. But when you find
the right area you get away with slight imperfections.
Armswing
A term used to describe the motion of the arm as the ball
swings from the pushaway, down, up into the backswing and
then down again to the release of the ball onto the lane.
Arrows
Targetting aids placed on the lane, approximately 15ft
from the foul line. There are seven arrows spaced every
five boards across the width of the lane. There are
several 'systems' in place which use the arrows to allow
a bowler to hit a target at sixty feet with great
accuracy.
ARSE
Acronym used to describe the four basic adjustments used by higher-average
players to find the optimum strike line. Angle, Release,
Speed and Equipment. Some say "loft" is another
important factor.
Arsenal
A collection of bowling balls specifically chosen,
drilled and prepared to create different reactions, thus
enabling a player to strike on different lane conditions.
An analogy would be, in golf, not using a putter when you
need a driver.
Asymetric Core
Simply put, the a weightblock inside a bowling ball which
is not symmetrical.
ATP
Adenosine Triphosphate. A chemical (phosphate) used by
the body to store energy obtained from foods. During
exercise of a short period ATP is taken directly from the
muscles obtain energy by burning ATP obtained from the
bloodstream. Combining ATP with oxygen is called aerobic
exercise, whereas obtaining energy directly from the
muscles may create lactic acid. To recreate ATP the body
makes use of another phosphate, Creatin.
The end part of a lane, closest to
the pins, which is left dry (no oil) and on which a ball
can hook.
Backswing
A description for the part of the bowlers swing where the
ball is behind the body. The swing is intrinsically
linked with a bowlers style and timing.
Usually a higher backswing helps raise ball speed.
Backward Linking
A teaching method to aid learning a complex skill, such
as bowling.
Bad Habits
Dick Ritger has skill drills used to develop Muscle
Memory: the drills help develop good habits. Bad habits
describes in a way we can all relate to what happens when
we learn a skill without proper instruction. Habits, i.e.
muscle memory, develop with constant repetition of an
action and can be extremely hard to correct.
Baker System
An alternative way of playing a team event. Instead of
each player keeping score of their own game the team
plays a single game with players taking turns to play
each frame in turn. By removing individual scores it
encourages more teamwork and is also over faster, making
it a format suitable for television.
Balance
Good balance is essential to athletes in all sports.
Proper balance allows the athlete to generate power with
control. Without good balance it is harder to generate
power with any consistency and also increased the risk of
injury.
Ball
The tool used to knock down pins. The bowler must deliver
the ball from the approach area of the lane, but without
crossing the foul line. There are numerous systems in
place to enable more accurate lane play and adjustments
usually have to be made throughout the game as the
condition changes. More than one ball can be used and
different drillings can be used to create different types
of ball reaction.
Biomechanics
Scientific study of the human body in motion, especially
in sport. Areas studied include balance (centre of
gravity, platforms), forces (e.g. applied to a ball,
opponent), vectors (directions in which force applied).
Blocked Lane
A block is an oiling pattern
which is condusive to high scoring. By placing more oil
up the middle of the lane and leaving the outside boards
as dry as is legally possible a ball thrown too far to
the right will start to hook back towards the pocket,
while if a bowler pulls the ball left it will slide in
oil and still hit the pocket. Proprietors like this as
league bowlers score well, but serious tournament bowlers
believe it is ruining the sport by removing lane-play
skills. The Foundation is
trying to come up with conditions that are challenging
but fair to all styles.
Blue Hammer
One of the most-famous bowling balls ever made. A
urethane coverstock ball with a lightbulb weight block.
Boards
A lane is constructed of boards, laid
on their side. Just over one inch wide there are 39
boards across the width of a lane. Bowlers count boards
and use them as a targetting aid.
Bob Summerville
Editor of the "Bowling This Month" magazine.
Bowlers Journal
Long standing magazine for bowlers and proprietors.
On bowling balls where track flare is significant the two
points where the flare rings come together is called a
bow-tie.
Breakpoint
Bridge
The distance between the holes drilled into a bowling
ball for the fingers to be inserted.
Broken Wrist
Relaxed wrist position (cf. with cupped wrist) which
imparts minimal revolutions onto the ball. This release
adjustment is used for spares or when the lanes are dry
and too many revs would create over-reaction.
Bronze Level Coach
USA Bowling's first level certification for trained
coaches.
Brunswick
Manufacturer of bowling balls (e..g Zones), lanes and
automatic pinsetters.
A description of lane play adjustments where the bowler
makes small adjustments left or right on the approach
until such a point where a bigger jump is needed to move
to a different part of the lane.
Bumper Bowling
In open-play and for younger bowlers some centres have
the capability to cover the gutters and keep errant balls
on the lane so that the less skilled players get the
enoyment of scoring.
Term polularised by coach Dick Ritger. Refers to the
rhythm of the bowler during the approach. A waltz is
different from a tango because the rhythm is different.
Similary different styles of bowlers use different
rhythms and step sizes in their approach.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are sources of energy, found in foods like
rice, bread, potatoes and pasta.
Carrydown
After a period of time continued play will 'push' oil
down from the heads into the back-end.
Centering
A relaxation technique taught in the mental game of all
sports where, through concentrating on your breathing,
you change your concentration for external distractions
to the centre of your body (where your diaphram moves in
and out during breathing).
Centre of Gravity (CG)
Centre of Grip
Century
Manufacturer of oiling machines.
Ceramic Core
Certification
Chaining
A teaching technique to learn a complex skill by breaking
it down into a series of smaller components: this is the
method employed by Dick Ritger with his series of skill
drills.
Chairman
Type of oiling machine.
Chicken Wing
Term used to describe a bowler who pops out their elbow
during the follow through. This is not associated with a
good delivery.
Chopping
When two or more pins remain standing (side-by-side) in a
spare and the ball does not take down all pins on the
spare shot it's calling chopping the spare.
Choking
All sportsmen and women experience choking at some point
where, in a high pressure situation, they come-up-short
and let the opponent in.
Coach
Cocked Wrist
Coefficient of Friction (COF)
Coefficient of Restitution
Columbia
Bowling ball manufacturer. Famous for the 'white dot'
plastic ball (great for spares) and for using centre-heavy
ceramic cores which brought a new dimension to hitting
power in the early 1990's.
Comfort Zone
What an athlete is most at ease doing, getting outside
the comfort zone can create tension and stress for a
player, distracting them from the task in hand.
Comittment
What you need to succeed: there is no such thing as a
free lunch and success in any competitive environment
requires practise, practise and more practise.
Communication Skills
Concentration
An element of the mental game which allows an athlete to
maintain focus on the task in hand despite the
distractions of competitors and pressure.
Conditioner
A substrance applied to a lane to reduce the friction
between the ball and the lane. Commonly referred to as
oil.
Confidence
An athlete's believe in their ability to succeed.
Confidence is competence: without the physical skills the
bowler is reliant upon luck and any beliefs otherwise are
"over-confidence" brought about denial or lack
of information.
Conventional (grip)
A ball drilled with the conventional grip is where the
fingers are inserted to the knuckles closest to the hand,
unlike a fingertip drilling where only the tips of the
fingers are inserted.
Core
The part of the ball where the largest concentration of
mass is held. By using a dense weight block (see ceramic
core) the majority of weight can be concentrated in the
middle of the ball, making it easier to roll.
Coverstock
Rubber, Plastic, Urethane, Reactive.
Cranker
A Style of Bowling which imparts
maximum energy/revs onto the ball for a spectacular hook
and awesome strikes. Usually favoured by younger bowlers
due to the power required. The bowler will use late-timing,
a plant-and-pull type slide for strong leverage in the
finish. Unfortunatley, due to the number of boards
crossed, and the extreme power used, crankers are usually
not as accurate - needing 'area' to score - and often
leave bizarre splits.
Creatin
Croaker
A Mo-Pinelism, cross between the cranker and stroker
styles.
Any athelete burns energy during an event and without
consuming proper amounts of food and water the body can
no longer perform to it's optimum level.
Feedback
Feeback is information you receive in relation to your
performance. Most bowlers receive feedback from the
scores and want to raise their scores but their are many
other important sources of feeback, some positive and
some negative. Motivation levels can be raised by setting
goals and seeing those goals being achieved.
Feelings
A term used by coach Dick Ritger to describe the physical
feedback the bowler receives from a well executed shot.
By practising specially designed skill drills the
positive feelings can be reinforced and the bowler will
immediately recognise a bad shot by the different
feelings, without having to consciously analyse the shot.
Fingertip
Method of drilling where only the tips of the fingers (i.e.
to the first small knuckle) are inserted into the ball.
This gives the potential for greater lift, during the
release, and thus a higher rev-rate.
Finish
The final phase of the approach, including the slide and
release. Hook bowlers try to create leverage in the
finish. A good finish is only possible with good timing.
FIQ
Federation de Internationale de Quilleurs, the worldwide
governing body for the sport of tenpin (and ninepin)
bowling.
Flare
Flat Spot
Flip
Flow
Focus
Follow Through
Forward Pitch
Foul
Foul Line
A boundary line drawn on the lane between the approach
and the heads part of the lane. The bowlers sliding foot is not
allowed to cross this line or a foul is declared.
Foundation
Fred Borden
Renowned coach. Former coach of Team USA and creator of
the three level coaching USA Bowling coaching programme (Bronze,
Silver and Gold).
Free Lunch
No such thing! The competition is intense and you need to
practise.
Free Swing
Friction
Frisbee Release
Full-Roller
Describes a style of bowling where the release creates an
oil track on the ball with the track lieing between the
finger and thumbs. This release is reported to have no
axis tilt, though I have yet to understand this fully -
mathematically in theory, yes, but with an axis-tracer on
the ball it looks, to me, to be tilted down to the ground.
Bowling 'backwards'. A skill development taught by
Swedish coach Goran Bergandorff. Starting at the foul
line in the Finishing position the bowlers gradually
works back taking one, two, three and finally four (or
five) steps and thus develops a strong mental picture of
proper timing.
Goals
If you don't know where you going how will you ever get
there? By profiling your game you can identify strengths
and weaknesses, then create a plan to improve your game.
Goals can be short-term or long-term and you can use the SMARTER acronym during the goal
setting process.
Gold Level Coach
USA Bowling's highest level coaching certification, the
first being bronze and the intermediate being silver.
Gold level certification is a process that can take
several years due to the many competencies required (e.g.
skills in ball drilling, sports psychology, video
analysis, injury prevention etc.).
Good Habits
Goran Bergandorff
Former Team Sweden member, Swedish coach of international
renown.
Go Tenpin
UK bowling trade magazine. Came out of the older "World
of Tenpin" magazine.
Guardian
Plastic film placed over the top of wooden bowling lanes
to absorb the impact of the balls and prolong the
lifetime of the lanes.
Grip
There are different types of grips used, generally two
holes are drilled for the middle two fingers and one for
the thumb. The standard grips can be conventional or
fingertip.
Gutter
Two channels run down the side of the lane and the ball
will drop into these channels if the bowlers is not
accurate enough.
Bowling ball manufacturer, famous for the Blue Hammer
ball and, with the coming of Mo Pinel, the Violet 3D-Offset.
Handicap
Hard-and-fast
Spare shooting technique which creates minimal hook,
allowing straighter shots to be played at, say, single
pin spare leaves. Reducing the hook, number of boards
crossed, may improve the spare conversion rate.
HDL
Heads
The front part of the lane, between the foul line and the
arrows, where the ball is delivered onto. Due to the
continual wear-and-tear on this part of the lane the wood
(pine) here is usually harder. Nowadays synthetic lanes
can ease this problem or plastic sheeting ("Guardian")
laid over the heads.
Helicopter
A style of bowling which emerged in
the Asian region. Bowlers from Taiwan, Malaysia and the
Chinese regions developed this style to combat difficult
lane conditions. Using light-weight (10-12lb)
conventionally drilled plastic balls these bowlers 'spin'
the ball and create a lot of mix (video
of a Helicopter style strike).
Herbies
Hook
A style of bowling where the bowler imparts energy on the
ball in the release so that the ball has a larger angle
of entry into the pocket for more strikes than is
possible with a simple straight ball.
Hook Out
When a bowling ball loses it's axis rotation it is said
to have hooked out. This is different from rolling out.
An in-joke, used to illustrate the lowly opinion some
people have of the lanesperson, despite the high level of
knowledge this individual needs to have.
Jeff Briggs
Physical fitness expert and columnist for Bowling This
Month magazine.
John Davies
Founder of the Foundation and Herbies/Kegel training
centre.
John Jowdy
Renowned coach to many PBA bowlers, especially Marshall
Hollman.
The person who probably gets most abuse in a bowling
centre than anyone else. He or she has to oil the lanes:
if bowlers do well they are using their skill, but if a
bowler doesn't play well it's, obviously, because the
lanesman hasn't oiled the lane right! Better bowlers,
with a Positive Attitude, know that
their opponent is playing on the same conditions and can
use their Lane-Play skills to play
any lane in the world. If the conditions are particularly
hard a Helicopter style may score better than a hook ball.
Late Timing
LDL
Leagues
Leagues provide head-to-head competition each week for
bowlers. Leagues can be scratch or handicapped.
Leftie
Term used to describe a left-handed bowler.
Leverage (at release)
By stopping the sliding foot before the swing gets the
ball to the line a bowler creates leverage enabling power
to be transferred from the swing onto the ball. A bowlers
timing determines the amount of potential leverage which
is created.
Leverage (Drilling)
Line
Bowlers are taught at an early stage to use the arrows as
a targetting aid. Better bowlers use two points (the
point/board where the ball is delivered onto the lane and
the target, usually at the arrows) and thus visualise an
imaginary 'line' between these two points. There are many
lines to the pocket, but lane-play is all about finding
the best line to carry strikes. Lines can be "inside"
or "outside". (See graphics illustrating lines)
Linking
Skill development method in which a complex skill is
built up by breaking it down into component parts and
practising each part in turn until they can be chained
together to form a whole.
Listening Skills
What a good coach needs to make sure they don't
incorrectly judge the situation and make poor decisions.
There are active listening skills and questions that can
be asked to draw out what's going on in a players mind.
Myers Briggs Type/Temperment Index. A tool which can be
used by coaches or players to identify individual
differences (e.g. extroverted/introverted). Sixteen
possible types are identified.
Mechanic
Person employed by a bowling centre to maintain and fix
the lanes and pin-setting machines.
Mental Game
Mental Block
MidLine
Mo Pinel
Renowned ball designer, has worked for AMF and Hammer.
Moment of Inertia
There's no such thing as a free lunch - i.e. you can't
get something to move without applying some energy. The
MOI is a measure of how much force is required to move an
object. A body at rest will tend to remain in bed, as
they say.
Motivation
Why do you get out of bed in the morning? What do you
want to achieve in your life, in your competitive
bowling? Goals are things you want to achieve and they
help you practise the things you need to improve.
Muscling
Term used to describe a bowlers swing where the bowler
restricts, or tries to force the swing. Squeezing the
ball or trieing to pull it through requires the muscles
to tense up. Many coaches teach that a free, loose swing
allows the ball to move faster and with less chance of
injury.
Muscle Memory
A term used by Dick Ritger. A more up-to-date way of
referring to habits: the mind may think the body is doing
one thing but years of executing the technique one way
reinforces that way (the habit). Dick has numerous skill-drills
which break down the approach and delivery into their
component parts so the bowler can repeatadly practise the
drill and the right 'feelings' become natural.
Negative access point - the point on the other end of the
axis from the PAP.
NASC
National Association of Sports Coaches
National Bowling Stadium
Purpose built stadium in Reno, Nevada (USA). Host
prestigious tournaments and training camps there is no
open play in this centre. It features an impressive
computerised scoring/video projection system (see picture at top of page).
Oil was originally put on the lane to enable the ball to
skid, thus reducing the burns from friction between ball
and lane. Bowlers learned to use the oil to hook the
ball, creating a steeper angle of entry into the pocket to carry more strikes than a
straight line could do. The oiling pattern thus became
more important. Different styles
play the lane in in radically different ways.
Oil Track
When a ball rolls down a lane a thin line of oil is left
on the ball where the ball and lane have been in contact
- this is known as the oil track. The position of the oil
track can reveal the style of the
player, for example a spinner has a small track far from
the fingers and thumb whereas a full-roller has a large
track diameter with the track passing between finger and
thumb.
Oiling Pattern
Different amounts of oil are put down in different parts
of the lane, e.g. more in the heads to protect the part
of the lane that gets the most play. An oiling pattern
can be displayed on a chart.
Outside Line
Rolling the ball up the outside of the lane, between the
gutter and second arrow. Deep outside describes a line
between gutter and first arrow.
Positive Axis Point. Just like the wheels on a car a
bowling ball will roll around an axis. If you
Parallell moves
In lane play this means adjusting the stance by the same
distance as the target changes, i.e. the new line is
parallel to where it started. For example a 10-10 line
could be adjusted to 11-11.
PBA
Professional Bowling Association, body in charge of the
PBA tour. Founded in 1958 by Eddie Elias.
Pendulum Swing
Performance Goals
Phase I,II Instructors
BTBA first/second level certification for coaches.
Phase III,IV Coaches.
BTBA third/fourth level certification for coaches.
Phoenix
Oiling machine made by the DBA/Kegel company.
Pin
A 15" high wooden object, that looks like a club
Pin
Spot on bowling ball
Pin-In
Pin-Out
Pinboy
In the earlier 1900's there were no mechanical pin
setting machines and the pins had to be racked up by hand:
the "pin boy" sat above the lane and set the
pins up for bowlers to knock down again.
Pitch
Pivot Step
A term used to describe the last but one step in a hook
bowlers approach. Also called a power-step and used more
often by the crankers, a bowler
with good timing can push down into
a strong finish from the pivot step. You can look at a picture demonstrating the power
step.
Plan
Plant-and-pull
Describes the type of slide employed by crankers: they
will use minimal slide, instead planting the sliding foot
down solid, creating a strong position of leverage,
against which they can then pull the ball through to
release with great power.
Plastic
Coverstock on bowling ball. Introduced in the 1970's it
replaced hard-rubber compounds, but is now used primarily
for 'spare' balls due to it's minimal reaction.
A measure of the centre-heaviness of the weight block.
Dense centre heavy cores (e.g. ceramics) rev-up easier
than higher-rg balls, creating a different reaction.
Specifications on minimum/maximum rg's are laid down by
the ABC.
Reactive Resin
Special type of bowling ball. Developed in the 1990's
"reactive" balls skid more in the oil and react
more violently on the dry back end of the lane.
Refocusing
Mental technique used by athletes to change the focus of
the mind from external distractions to the task in hand,
succeeding at the game.
Release
Term used for the movement used by the bowler to impart
energy onto the bowling ball. You can watch videos of different types
of releases online.
Repetetive Stress Injury (RSI)
Resurfacing
Both bowling balls and lanes may require resurfacing.
After many months of play a lane may become dented,
uneven and grooved creating a difficult or even unfair
condition. Centres used to shut down for a few days and
bring in specialist sanding machines to strip off the
beaten up top part of the lane. Now synthetic lanes are
starting to replace wooden boards and can take much more
beating with less wear and tear. Much in the same way,
after many games, bowling balls become nicked, scratch
and clogged with oil. A pro-shop operator can sand down
the surface of the ball to create a smoother, or rougher,
ball for the desired reaction.
Rev Rate
Reverse Block
One of three common oiling patterns. Not usually
intentionally created, this pattern is created after lots
of open-play when the oil is stripped off the middle part
of the lane, leaving more oil up the outside of the lane.
To score well on this condition requires good application
of lane-play skills, correctly matching the release and
ball drilling to make it to the pocket without skidding
or rolling-out.
Reverse Pitch
Revolutions
rg
Radius of Gyration.
Rhythm
Rightie
Right-handed bowler.
Roll
Roll Out
When a ball stops hooking and rolls up straight into the
pin-deck. This usually happens on dry lanes, but
sophisticated bowlers can employ special ball drillings
to promote earlier roll to combat carrydown. Technically,
this is caused by loss of axis-tilt.
Roller
A style of bowling more favoured in
the early days when different type balls and oil were
used. The bowler can use early timing with a short follow-through
and is usually extremely accurate - not as many strikes
as a cranker, but better spare shooting and less splits.
Routine
A player with a routine does the same pre-event, pre-shot
warm up and thus brings positive associations to the warm
up. A routine, or mannerism, allows you to feel more at
'home' and comfortable, shutting out external
distractions and building concentration and focus on the
task at hand.
Rpms
Revolutions per minute. A quantative metric used to
measure the energy (revs) transferred to the ball during
release. Due to the speed of this it is normally measured
on video
Process by which the surface of a bowling ball is dulled
by using sandpaper or gritting compounds. By roughing up
or, conversely, polishing the ball the friction between
ball and lane can be changed to alter the reaction, e.g.
earlier roll or more skid.
Scenic Route
Vernacular term for the large hook used by crankers as they play deep-inside
lanes using a high rev-rate to project their ball all the
way across the lane and still bring it back with steep
angle into the pocket.
SCNI
Sports Council for Northern Ireland.
Scratch
Self Hypnosis
Self Talk
Semi-Roller
Name used to refer to a special type of ball track: see pictures of tracks.
Shaping
A teaching technique in which the instructor/coach
teaches a skill to an athlete by making subtle changes to
the technique, slowly moulding the style, until the
desired level of skill evolves.
Shellac
Short-Term Goals
Silver Bullet
Type of oiling machine produced by Century.
Silver Level Coach
USA Bowling's second level coaching certification, the
first being bronze and the highest level being Gold.
Skid
When a ball is delivered onto the lane it will skid
through the heads due to the oil applied to that part of the lane. Hook bowlers release the ball with
sideways rotational energy (revs) on the ball to create a
skid-hook-roll reaction.
Skill Development
Sleeper
A spare leave in which one pin is directly in front of
the other. The distance between them is over 20 inches
and such spares are usually not easy to convert.
Sliding
The slide is the final stage of the bowlers approach. The
bowlers foot slides towards the foul line as the ball is
delivered onto the lane.
Slump
A period of poor performance which all athletes will
experience. External factors may play a part in causing
the slump, it may be mental or the results of an injury.
A player usually needs an experienced and sympathetic
coach to provide support and help speed the recovery
process.
SMARTER
An acronym used to help in goal setting:
goals should be Specific, Measured, Agreed, Realistic,
Timed, Exciting and Realistic.
Soakers
Some clever sods back in the 1970's discovered that by
soaking their bowling balls (hard plastic) in certain
chemicals they could soften the surface and thus create
more surface contact between ball and lane - i.e. more
hook! Of course the authorities soon caught on (the
chemicals being flammable maybe speeded this process up)
and outlawed the practise.
SOB
The System of Bowling
Span
The distance between the finger and thumb holes. The span
may be measured between the holes or from the edge of any
inserts in the ball.
Spare
Special term used to describe when the bowler knocks down
all remaining pins on the second delivery of the bowling
ball: see the scoring
terminology.
Simple methods of targetting which take the guesswork out
of spare shooting so you can consistently make spares and
raise your average.
Speed
Standard measure of distance gone in a period of time. We
can measure the speed of the bowling ball to make
measurements and set goals.
Spinner
A spinner can be a mechanical device used when sanding/polishing
a ball or a technique used to deliver the ball.
Split
Special term used to describe when two pins remain
standing after the first delivery of the ball, but there
is a gap between the two pins - this is, of course a
difficult spare to convert. See the scoring terminology.
Sports Psychology
A specialised branch of science which aspires to
understand the way the mind can control or be affected in
athletic performance.
Stacked Leverage
One of the three main ways of drilling a modern bowling
ball so that the weight block creates maximum potential
for track flare and hook.
Static Weights
As specified by the ABC a drilled ball may have no more
than one ounce finger, thumb or side weight. Overall top
weight may not exceed three ounces.
STBA
Scottish Tenpin Bowling Association
Stress
Stretching
A series of movements performed to "warm up"
the body (by literally stretching the muscles) prior to
engaging in an athletic activity. With insufficient warm
up the optimum performance takes longer to reach and the
risk of injury is increased.
Strike
Term used to describe bowler knocking down all ten pins
on the first delivery of the bowling ball. See scoring terminology.
Stroker
Style of bowling. A smooth, classic,
style of delivery which creates moderate speed and revs.
Bowling styles, or techniques, are commonly referred to
as Roller, Cranker
or Stroker but we also acknowledge
the Helicopter style as
developed by Asian bowlers.
Subconscious
Surlyn
Protective plastic coating applied as an outer shell on a
bowling pin to reduce wear and tear and increase lifetime.
Susie Minshew
Writer and coach who coined the marvellous ARSE acronym.
Swing
Synthetic Lanes
Systems
There are mathematical systems
to increase your rate of making both strikes and spares.
It's usual for a bowlers thumb to shrink and swell during
competition and with the changes in temperature. Tape can
be inserted or removed from the thumb whole to provide an
exact fit.
Team USA
Team chosen to represent the USA at international level.
These players are not professionals but very good,
getting the opportunity to train at the US Olympic
Committee Training Centre in Colorado Springs and to
travel the world for international events. Many past
members of Team USA have turned professional.
Tendonitis
A sports injury afflicting the tendons, especially the
arms. Caused by repeated motion if not seen to surgery
may be required. Proper instruction and fitting of the
bowling ball by certified coach/driller is recommended.
Thought Stopping
A technique used into the Mental Game where the athlete
is aware of and able to recognise negative thoughts
during competitive events. The athlete must do more than
stop the negative self-talk, but to replace those
thoughts with positive "affirmations" that have
been specially developed in advance to restore confidence
in difficult situations.
Thumb Slug
A piece of plastic, similar in size to a round battery,
which is inserted into the ball and then drilled so the
bowler can have a consistent feel between several balls.
Timing
Good timing has been defined as getting to the foul line
at the same time as the ball: it is probably better,
these days, to call this 'stroker'
timing. Deviations from this classic timing are called
early or late. You can look at an analysis
of a bowlers timing.
Top-Hat
Another name for the blocked lane
condition. When the oiling chart is viewed from the foul
line the chart looks like a
top hat, or the Manhatten skyline.
Topping
By overturning the hand at the moment of release (bringing
the hand over the top of the ball) a spinner is created.
Torque
Track
Ring of oil left on the ball after it has rolled down the
lane. (See pictures of tracks).
Track Flare
A special kind of track (see above).
Training
What any athlete needs to do to achieve greater success.
Trigger Word
A special word developed as part of an athlete's mental
preparation. The word will trigger a desired response,
for example to reduce pressure, increase concentration
etc.
Tripping the four pin
When a right-handed hook bowler hits the pocket high it
is common to leave the four pin standing. With enough
axis-tilt it's possible, though, to bounce the one or two-pin
off the wall and come back to tip the four pin over. When
you get mix like this you can carry many strikes and will
be hard to beat. You can watch a video of a bowler leaving
the 4-pin spare.
Turkey
What bowlers call three strikes in a row. Above three we
talk about bagging them, e.g. four-bagger.
A technique used as part of the athlete's mental game. It
is used by athletes in all sports. By imagining yourself
in a situation you can better deal with it when it comes.
This might be used, for example, to reduce the pressure
felt in a tournament final or to keep up motivation
levels during a period of injury when it is impossible to
train physically.
Spare leave which would normally be a split, but in which
the head-pin remains standing.
Water
Fluid intake before, during and after competition is an
important part of any sport to avoid dehydration.
Weight Block
Modern balls are more than just round: there are
different types of balls by different manufacturers and
for different reactions. Just like one golf club is for a
short game and another for a long shot balls can be
designed to roll earlier or skid longer. The weight block
inside the ball aids this reaction.
Wet Dry
A description of a lane condition where there the oil was
not buffed down, but instead there is a clear definition
where the oil stops and the back end starts. This
condition can create a sudden reaction which is difficult
to repeat consistently, so many prefer a gradual taper or
buffed pattern.
WIBC
World Cup
Annual competition for amateur bowlers. Run by the AMF
corporation bowlers from over 70 countries around the
world take part.
Wrist Support
A device many bowlers wear. It has several uses, it can
keep your wrist firm to help develop a stronger release,
reduce wear and tear on the wrist to reduce the wrist of
injury or, for those with a strong release, it can reduce
the power imparted the ball.
When an athlete is performing at the highest level and is
'at one' with the performance. All distractions are shut
out and the athlete is mentally calm yet higly responsive
to the required stimuli. People into this may also be
into eastern philosophies, eg. zen meditation, self
hypnosis etc.
The pin in the middle of the deck - see picture of pins.
5-4-3
A lane-play system for adjusting
your angle of entry into the pocket for more strikes
7-10 Split
The worst spare you can leave, only the two-corner pins
remain standing. Because there is no angle between them
it is a once in a lifetime event to see anyone make this
spare.
10-Pin
Pin that sits on far right side of the lane. Many right-handed
hook bowlers dread this spare as the ball may drop off
into the gutter.
10:30 o'clock drilling
One of three generic ways to drill a bowling ball; it
creates the earliest possible roll and a smooth
controlled reaction. Also called Axis or Axis-Leverage.
12 o'clock drilling
One of three generic ways to drill a bowling ball; it
creates maximum flare and large reaction.
4 C's
A term used in Sports Psychology meaning Concentration,
Comittment, Confidence and Control.
Hook
