HISTORY OF BOWLING
www.bowl-nj.com/history.htm
Bowling is one of the oldest and most widely played of the world’s games. Its
history has been traced back to the Stone Age, to the Egyptians, Romans, and
right up to today’s modern bowling centers. Chances are that the caveman’s
idea of bowling was to roll or throw a round stone at other stones or
possibly logs.
The earliest record of bowling goes back 7000 years to ancient Egypt where a
round object, resembling a bowling ball, and marble bars, resembling bowling
pins, were found in the ruins of a pyramid. From Egypt, bowling moved to
ancient Babylonia and then to Northern Italy around Julius Caesar’s time.
The Italian version of bowling, bocce, which is still played today, is
somewhat similar to lawn bowling – an English game originating over 800 years
ago. The English also played other games which can be considered variations
of bowling – such as half-bowls, skittles, and nine pins.
The form of bowling we play today, bowling at pins, was first mentioned in a
book about the city of London, England, written over 800 years ago. In those
days, bowling was strictly an outdoor game. The first indoor bowling took
place in London as far back as 1455. It was a popular game reserved mainly
for the nobility. In Germany, the name of the game was kegling – and the
participants were known as “keglers”.
Bowling came to America with the first Dutch settlers. And of course,
Washington Irving wrote about bowling in his famous story about Rip Van
Winkle. Through the years, the game changes continually.
In Europe, it was played with 9 pins. Then, after its introduction in
America, a tenth pin was added – which is still the way it is played today.
The tenth pin was added, according to popular legend, to circumvent a ruling
in the 1840’s by the Connecticut Legislature which outlawed nine-pins because
of widespread gambling in the game.
The most significant technological advancement in the game of bowling was the
introduction of the automatic pinspotter in the 1940’s. This amazing machine
revolutionized the bowling industry and brought bowling into the modern era.
Since then, bowling has continued to advance with the introduction
of “bumpers’, devices that are placed in the gutter lanes to prevent gutter
balls for small children. Many bowling centers in the mid 1990’s offered
Galactic Bowling, bowling with black lighting, pins that glow in the dark,
and special effects lighting and music.
(The addition of automatic, electronic scoring has also simplified the game
for those who found the “bonus pin” system of scoring difficult to understand.
Today, one out of every three Americans bowl – over 72 million men, women and
children. Who knows what the 21st Century hold for bowling.
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BASICS OF BOWLING
1. A complete game consists of 10 frames.
2. Each player tries to knock down 10 pins in each frame.
3. You are allowed to bowl 2 balls in each frame. EXCEPTIONS: (a) if
you knock down all the pins on the first ball, you won’t need the 2nd. (b)
if you score a strike in the 10th frame you are entitled to 2 bonus balls.
4. If you knock down all the pins on the first ball, you have scored a
STRIKE (indicated with an X) and have earned a bonus for that frame. Your
bonus is the number of pins you knock down with the next 2 balls. Your score
will be 10 (for the strike) plus the bonus pins on the next 2 balls.
5. If you knock down all the pins with 2 balls, you have scored a SPARE
(indicated with a /) and have earned a bonus for that frame. Your bonus is
the number of pins you knock down with the 1st ball in the next frame. Your
score will be 10 (for the spare) plus the bonus pins on the next ball.
6. If you fail to knock down all the pins in a frame, your score is the
actual number of pins knocked down.
7. If your foot goes over the foul line, you have scored a FOUL
(indicated with an F) on that ball, and you receive no score regardless of
how many pins you knocked down.
8. Handicaps are additional points given to bowlers in league or match
play to give them an equal chance of winning when they bowl against other
bowlers with higher averages.
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EQUIPMENT AND ATTIRE
Beginning bowlers do not have to invest in any equipment. Balls are
available at all centers without charge and bowling shoes may be rented for a
small fee.
Here are a few tips to help you select the proper “house” ball. Balls weigh
16 pounds or less. Pick the heaviest ball you can handle comfortably and
accurately. It’s not how HARD you roll the ball but how ACCURATELY you roll
it that leads to better scores. Your thumb should fit loosely enough to
allow your thumb to rotate without friction. With your thumb in the ball all
the way stretch your two middle fingers over the finger holes. The second
crease of the fingers should come one-quarter inch past the near edge of the
holes.
Tight clothing will interfere with your ability to roll the ball smoothly.
Be sure to wear clothing that permits freedom of movement, especially across
the shoulders, under the arms, and through the knees.
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BOWLING ETIQUETTE
1. Don’t LOFT or TOSS the ball down the lane
2. Ask before using another person’s bowling ball.
3. Don’t roll your ball until the pin setting machine has finished it’s
cycle.
4. Treat all borrowed/rented equipment as if it was your own.
5. Be prepared to take your turn.
6. Meet the person who bowls before you as he/she is stepping off the
approach.
7. Yield to the bowler on your immediate left or right if she/he is
ready to bowl.
8. Don’t distract a bowler either by talking or moving around.
9. Don’t stand on the approach next to a bowler.
10. Don’t make any gestures or celebrate excessively when returning from
the foul line.
11. Avoid sudden, loud noises at any time.
12. Never carry refreshments onto the approach area.
13. Stay in your own approach area.
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LANGUAGE OF THE LANES
ALLEY – slang term; bowling establishment, bowling center; the playing
surface or lane
APPROACH – area, at least 15’ long, on which player walks to foul line
ARROWS – sighting targets imbedded in the lane to help player align start
position
BAGGER – term indicating consecutive strikes, usually preceded by a number,
e.g. 3 bagger = 3 strikes in a row
COUNT – the number of pins knocked down by a ball
DITCH – the gutter
DOUBLE – two strikes in a row
FOUL – touching or going over the foul line while delivering the ball
FRAME – 1/10 of a game; each square on a score sheet is one frame
GUTTER BALL – ball which rolls off the lane into the gutter
HEAD PIN – the pin in the #1 position
HOOK – a ball that bends sharply towards the pocket
KEGLER – another name for a bowler
LANE – wooden surface on which the ball is delivered
LOFTING – throwing the ball in the air beyond the foul line
PERFECT GAME – rolling 12 strikes in a row; score is 300
POCKET – area between the 1-2 pin for a left hander and the 1-3 pin for a
right hander; where you want to aim the ball
SPARE – knocking down all pins in two deliveries
STRIKE – knocking down all pins with the first ball
STRIKING OUT – throwing 3 strikes in the last (10th) frame
TURKEY – 3 strikes in a row
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KEEPING SCORE
Almost all bowling alleys keep score electronically. Your score is recorded
and tallied automatically which each roll of the ball. This explains how the
computer arrives at your pin total.
There are 10 FRAMES in a game of bowling. Each frame is represented with a
square. In the upper right corner of each frame there are 2 smaller squares,
except in the 10th frame where there are 3. The number of pins knocked down
with the first ball is recorded in the first small box and the number of pins
knocked down with the second ball is recorded in the second small box.
STRIKE - All 10 pins are knocked down with the first ball. Score is 10 PLUS
the total number of pins knocked down with the next 2 balls. An "X" is
markedin the 1st small box.
SPARE - It took both balls to knock down all 10 pins. Score as 10 PLUS the
number of pins you knock down with the NEXT bal. Mark the number of pins
knocked down with the 1st ball in the 1st small box and "/" in the 2nd small
box.
OPEN FRAME - After both balls were rolled some pins were still standing.
Mark the number of pins knocked down with the 1st ball in the 1st small box
and the number of pins knocked down with the 2nd ball in the 2nd box.
MISS - Mark the appropriate small box with a "-" when your ball misses andy
standing pins.