Ten Pin Bowling Tips

By: Stephen Thiele

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Looking for a few ten pin bowling tips? Ten pin bowling is a great sport to become involved in. Sure, you may not be the best bowler at first, but with some practice, you can blossom into a very good ten pin bowler. The great thing about ten pen bowling is the fact that you can play the sport year round by yourself, with your friends or you can join a league and try to capture the trophy. The below ten pin bowling tips will help you improve your game, as well as give you some safety tips.

  1. Bowling safety. Bowling isn't a dangerous sport per se, but you can hurt yourself if you do not take the proper precautions. For example, when you go ten pin bowling, you should never bowl cold. Doing a few stretches before you throw your first shot can help prevent you from pulling a muscle. Of course, you should make sure that your bowling shoes are both dry and clean before stepping foot onto the alley, as well. Although this may sound like common sense, make sure you always hold your bowling ball with 2 hands. You can hurt your wrists and back by simply holding the ball with one hand, or you can drop it on your foot.
  2. Concentration. Concentration is a very important aspect of ten pin bowling. If you are not focused, the chances of you throwing a gutter ball are very high. You want to be focused and ready to go when it is your turn to bowl. Before you pick your ball up, make sure your hands are dry and check your bowling shoes for moisture. It is very important that your bowling shoes are dry, as you will likely slide a bit after throwing your ball and you don't want to fall. If you have already thrown your bowling ball down the alley, wipe it with a rag to remove any oil and debris. Once you have completed your pre-shot routine, take a deep breath, focus on the bowling lane and make your shot.
  3. Sticking. Sticking at the line is a very common problem when you are ten pin bowling. When you release your ball, you want it to gracefully slide off of your finger and you want to slide a bit yourself. If you find that you are sticking, you can purchase a powder that you can rub on both your finger and shoe to increase your sliding. You don't want to put too much of the powder on your finger, as this can cause the bowling ball to slide off of your hand before you are ready.
Posted on: Feb. 08, 2011