"Bowling Lingo"
| "Wet/Dry” Wet/dry is a term used to describe the sensitivity of a particular lane condition. This reaction is normally caused by the lanes causing the bowling ball to not hook at all in one spot and then to hook too much in a spot immediately adjacent. The wet-dry phenomenon is commonly seen on the television show when the lanes are not immune to changes. An example would be a ball rolling over the 10th board and missing the head pin while a ball hitting the 9th board would make the ball hook too much and leave a split. "Ball Travels in the Direction of Rotation" Ball travels in direction of rotation, meaning that once friction is created the ball will then grip the lane and change or travel in the direction the ball is rotating. The more side rotation, the more the ball will hook or change direction in the back part of the lane, the more-end-over-end, the less reaction "OB" or "Out of Bounds" The term “out of bounds” is used to describe a lane pattern where a bowling ball will not hook back, or recover, from an area too far away from the head pin. The OB is commonly intentionally placed on a lane pattern (Shark) to allow the athlete to play an extreme angle on the lane. "Ball is Looking for Friction" The ball is looking for the dry part of the lane -- whether it’s the outside part of the lane or down lane (back end). When the ball finds this part of the lane, it hooks. Ball is "Rolling Out" Roll out is when the ball has found too much friction and it stops traveling in the direction of rotation. The ball starts to hook up and then quits, sometimes it has to do with too much forward roll. "Skid/Flip" Skid, flip is when the lanes are very slick up front and dry in the back part of the lane or when a player has a lot of side roll. The ball slides a long way down the lane and then breaks loose hooking very, very sharply in the back part of the lane. ”Pace” When talking about scoring, what is "pace" -- pace is when you assume the player will go strike, spare, strike, spare. As opposed to striking out, which would be max score. Pace can also describe the difficulty of a particular pattern. For instance, the Cheetah pattern has an extremely high scoring pace as compared to the U.S. Open pattern which has an extremely low scoring pace. “Forward Roll” The hand is more behind the ball and stays in that position through release, creating a roll that is more end-over-end. ”Side Roll” The hand starts behind the ball and then rotates to the side after the thumb comes out, creating a roll that is more sideways (ball hooks more than a ball with forward roll). |
| Bowling Lingo |
|---|
| ABC |
| The American Bowling Congress was founded in
1895 and was dissolved in 2004. It was replaced officially on January 1,
2005 by the United States Bowling Congress as an organization to combine
the efforts of the ABC, WIBC, YABA, and USA Bowling. |
| ACTION |
| 1) Spin on the ball and the movement of the pins
caused by that spin. A relatively slow ball with a lot of action can be
much more effective than a very fast ball with little action. 2) Pins flying and mixing, ending with a good makeable leave. 3) Bowling for money, usually one-on-one. |
| ADDRESS |
| The bowler's stance before beginning the
approach. |
| ADJUSTMENT |
| The changing of part of your game to be more
competitive on the particular lane and/or lane condition you are
bowling. This can mean an alignment change, equipment change, or even
changes in your physical or mental game; some are subtle, others more
pronounced. |
| APPROACH |
| 1) The space extending back from the foul line
used to make the steps and delivery. 2) How the bowler gets to the foul line. |
| AREA |
| A player has "area" if they are able
to hit a larger number of boards and still get the ball back to the
pocket. Modern high scoring environments can often give a player a 5-8
board area. |
| ARMSWING |
| The path your arm takes from your pushaway
to release. Generally it is desirable to have your armswing in a
consistent plane of movement. |
| ARROWS |
| The triangles embedded on the lane used in
aiming the throw. |
| AXIS |
| Generally the reference is to the positive axis
point (PAP), which is the point on the ball where the bowler's release
creates the initial axis of rotation. |
| AXIS TILT |
| Ranging from 0 to 90 degrees, this is determined
by the direction your axis is facing when you release the ball. 0 is
parallel to the gutters, 90 is parallel to the foul line. The less axis
tilt you have, the sooner the ball will go into a roll. Higher degrees
of axis tilt promotes skid. |
| BABY SPLIT |
| The 2-7 or 3-10 split. Easier to pick up
compared to a regular split. |
| BACK ENDS |
| Usually refers to the far end portion of the
lane where the most hook can occur. If the back ends are very dry, the
ball will continue to hook with power for most players; if the back ends
are tight, most players will see more deflection in the pocket and fewer
strikes. |
| BACKUP BALL |
| A ball that curves left to right for a
right-handed bowler or right to left for a left-handed bowler.
Professionals normally do not throw back up balls. |
| BAD RACK |
| A full set of pins that appears to have one or
more not properly positioned; generally undesirable. See Re-rack |
| BAGGER (SUCH AS FIVE BAGGER) |
| A string of strikes; i.e., five bagger is five
in a row. |
| BAKER GAME/SYSTEM |
| A method of team play in which in all five
players bowl together to make one game; player #1 bowls frames 1 and 6;
player #2 bowls frames 2 and 7 etc. Most Baker matches are two games,
total pins. |
| BALANCE (AS APPLIED TO A BALL) |
| The weight of a bowling ball is not always
evenly distributed in the sphere. USBC rules allow a ball to vary 3
ounces from the drilled top half to bottom half of a ball, and one ounce
from the left to right side. Before resin balls, these weights were used
to subtly change the roll pattern of a ball. A ball that has negative
balances tends to be influenced to turn away from the pins; a ball with
positive balance will be influenced to turn into the pins. |
| BALANCE (AS APPLIED TO A PLAYER) |
| A player is in balance if, at the point of
release, they are able to complete their follow through without falling
off to one side; generally means that the release and slide are
simultaneous. |
| BALANCE HOLE |
| As a general rule, if you take a bowling ball
and place the label in front of you and then exactly dissect the ball
into two equal halfs, a right and left side, the gross weight of each
half would be the same. However, if you dissect the ball off center, a
greater portion of the weight block will be on one side of the ball,
possibly making that half of the ball too heavy vis-a-vis the other
half; also, modern high tech balls and their asymmetrical cores can be
drilled in such a manner as to be in violation of the maximum tolerances
allowed by the USBC for side to side weight (which is a one ounce
differential); to get the ball back to legal compliance an extra,
non-gripping hole may be drilled to remove the excess weight. This extra
hole is the balance hole. The balance hole can also be used to increase
or decrease a ball's reaction and/or to fine tune a more subtle change
in ball reaction. |
| BALL RETURN |
| The physical part of the equipment upon which
the ball sits after being sent back to you after a delivery. |
| BALL SPINNER |
| A machine that is used to spin a ball in a
container so that the user can apply ball polish or sand the ball down
more quickly. |
| BALL TRACK |
| 1) the area of the lane where most balls are
thrown; 2) the area on a ball where the ball rolls; most balls will show scratches and wear in this area after several games. |
| BEAK |
| The nose; the center of the headpin. |
| BED POSTS |
| The 7-10 split. |
| BELLY THE BALL |
| Describes the type of shot where a player stands
inside and tosses it to the outside in the hopes it returns to the
pocket for a strike. |
| BIG FOUR |
| The 4-6-7-10 split. |
| BLIND SCORE |
| When a league bowler is "blind" and
can't find his/her way to the league that evening, the bowler's average
is simply used (as if he/she just bowled that score) when figuring the
team's total for each game. |
| BLOW |
| A miss or an error failing to covert a spare
other than a split. |
| BOWL OUT |
| The practice of allowing a team player to
complete their game by bowling more than their scheduled turn at one
time; allowed as a courtesy to a player that has other time commitments;
league and tournament rules can prohibit the practice. |
| BOARD |
| A lane consists of 39 strips of wood, each
called boards; they are usually numbered by the player and used as
targeting terms; i.e., I was throwing the 5th board; in synthetic lanes
there are no boards as such, but usually the synthetic overlay has a
pattern that resembles natural wood lanes. |
| BODY ENGLISH |
| Movements and contortions of the body intended
to steer the ball as it travels down the lane. |
| BOOMER |
| A big hooking ball; a person that throws a big
hooking ball. |
| BOTTOM WEIGHT |
| The weight of a bowling ball is not always
evenly distributed in the sphere. USBC rules allow a ball to vary 3
ounces from the drilled top half to bottom half of a ball, and one ounce
from the left to right side. Before resin balls, these weights were used
to subtly change the roll pattern of a ball. A ball that had higher top
weight would tend to go longer before hooking; a ball with bottom weight
would tend to roll earlier. Although still used in ball drilling
layouts, it is less important with the modern ball. |
| BREAK POINT |
| The portion on the lane where the thrown ball
begins to hook back to the pocket. Finding the proper breakpoint (called
"breakpoint management") is critical to the modern game. A
ball that hooks too early or one that hooks too late will make it very
difficult for a player to be consistent. Breakpoints can be adjusted by
making changes in alignment, target, ball, ball surface and ball speed. |
| BROOKLYN (see JERSEY SIDE) |
| Refers to a ball that crosses over to the other
side of the headpin opposite the side it was
thrown (i.e. a Brooklyn strike hit the 1-2 pocket
for a right-hander). |
| BUCKET |
| A diamond-shaped, four-pin cluster, e.g., the
2-4-5-8 or 1-2-3-5. Some claim it to be the 2-4-5-8 for right handers,
the 3-5-6-9 for a lefty. |
| CARRYDOWN |
| The oil conditioner on the lane does not soak
into the boards, it sits on top. As balls are thrown, the oil is subtly
moved...it may be pushed left and right, or, it may be moved farther
down the lane (carried down). Usually, but not always, a house
with a lot of carrydown will not allow a ball to hook as much on the
back ends and scores will be lower. In some houses and oil patterns, the
initial pattern is too much over/under and carry increases as the
carrydown effect takes place. Carrydown is invisible to bowlers and
cannot be seen. A top professional can anticipate carrydown and make
adjustments accordingly. |
| CENTER OF GRAVITY (CG) |
| The heaviest part of a bowling ball. The
“CG” is signified by a dye mark placed on the ball by the
manufacturer designating the center of the weight mass relative to the
top of the ball. |
| CHANNEL (also GUTTER) |
| Semicircular grooves or drop-off area on each
side of the bowling surface. |
| CHOP |
| To knock down one pin of a spare leave, while
the pin next to or behind it remains standing. |
| CLEAN GAME |
| A game without any open
frames. |
| CLOSED POCKET |
| A full rack of pins set up for your strike ball
such that the head pin is a tad off spot towards your ball hand; i.e.,
to the right for a right handed player; closed pockets can give
unpredictable results, often negative. |
| CONDITIONER |
| Another name for lane oil. All lanes need some
type of protective coating to prevent burn marks in the heads from the
force of the thrown balls. In the "old days" lane conditioner
was used primarily as a protective measure; today, under the System of
Bowling, some centers legally use the lane conditioner as a tool to
assist in scoring and guiding a ball to the pocket. The area of a lane
that is heavily conditioned will retard the hook, and if there is heavy
conditioner in the center/pocket area of the lane it can assist the ball
into the pocket. |
| CONVENTIONAL GRIP |
| A type of ball drilling where the fingers are
placed up to the second joint. Not used by many higher skilled players
as it is much harder to get a hook on this type of drilling, although,
it may assist accuracy in some players. |
| COUNT |
| Usually the number of pins knocked down in the
next frame that apply to a spare or strike. |
| COVERSTOCK |
| The material that makes up the outer shell of
the ball; the hardness, texture, and shine of a bowling ball. It is
generally defined as “Aggressive”, meaning it is made of a high
friction material that is prone to large hook or flip when it encounters
dry boards; or, “Medium” which displays less tendency to hook; and,
“Mild/Mellow” which is the lowest friction material and the least
sensitive to dry lanes. |
| DEUCE |
| A game of 200 or more. |
| DOTS |
| 1) Series of seven spots on the lanes past the
foul line but before the arrows; used to assist in targeting and
alignment; also, the same spots on the approach normally used to align
your feet in your initial stance. 2) Markers on the runway that guide the bowler's approach. |
| DOUBLE WOOD |
| Any two pins such that one is directly behind
the other; i.e., the 2-8; 3-9; 1-5. |
| DOWN AND IN |
| Refers to a line that is more direct and
parallel to the boards; opposite of bellying the ball. |
| DRESSING |
| The lane conditioner; the act of applying lane
conditioner. |
| DRIFT |
| The number of boards that you vary from straight
in your approach to the foul line. For example, if you place the inside
edge of your slide foot on board 15 on the
approach, but your inside edge slides on the 12 board at the foul line,
you have a three board inward drift. |
| DUTCH 200 |
| A game of exactly 200 made by alternating
strikes and spares throughout the entire game. |
| EARLY TIMING |
| Releasing the ball before the sliding foot
completes its slide; usually results in less hook and a weaker ball as
the player does not have the proper balance and leverage to hit up on
the ball. |
| ENTRY ANGLE |
| The angle relative to the pocket
that the ball enters the pocket. As a rule,
increased angle means increased strikes (hence the preference for a ball
that hooks a lot, or for clean back ends.) |
| FALL BACK SHOT |
| A type of shot that starts to the opposite side
of the normal pocket and then fades back into the pocket; sometimes used
on very oily lane conditions. |
| FAST EIGHT |
| Describes an apparent good pocket hit that gets
just eight (8) pins; typically the right-handed players will leave the
4-7 spare and the left-handed players the 6-10; usually the ball is a
tad high when this happens. |
| FIFTH ARROW |
| The 25th board from the right (right hand
player). The fifth arrow is normally played by bowlers who have an “Out
of Bounds” condition. |
| FILL BALL |
| The ball thrown after a spare in the 10th frame. |
| FINGER GRIPS |
| Inserts that are placed in the finger and/or
thumb holes to allow a better grip and generation of more spin, later
release and more lift. |
| FINGER WEIGHT |
| The drilling of a ball so that the finger holes
are closer to the ball's label than is the thumbhole; it is a form of
positive weight. |
| FINGERTIP |
| A type of grip in which the fingers are inserted
only as far as the first joint, allowing much more spin. |
| FIRST ARROW |
| The farthest to the right (for a right handed
player); located on the 5th board. |
| FLARE (TRACK FLARE) |
| The migration of the ball track from the
bowler's initial axis- the axis upon release-to the final axis-the axis
at the moment of impact with the pins. |
| FLAT |
| A ball that deflects too much; ineffective ball;
few revolutions; if a ball comes into the pocket on an apparent good hit
but leaves a weak hit such as the 5-7 or 8-10 split, it is said to have
hit “flat.” |
| FLAT GUTTER |
| The normal gutter is shaped somewhat oval so
that the ball can roll purely and cleanly to the pit area if it goes
into the gutter early...the channel effect; however, at the end of the
lanes by the pins, the gutters are flat, not ovaled. The height (from
the pin deck to the bottom of the flat gutters) is regulated by the USBC
as if the flat gutters are too high, they will allow much better pinfall
as pins will deflect off the sideboards and bounce back onto the lane
much easier resulting in more pin action. |
| FLUSH |
| Being solid in the pocket. |
| FOLLOW THROUGH |
| What your arm does after the ball leaves your
hand. It is generally desirable to follow through towards your target
and upward as this promotes more accuracy. |
| FOUL |
| Crossing or touching the foul line at delivery.
It's penalized by a count of zero pins. If the foul occurs on the first
ball of a frame, the bowler gets a second shot at a new rack. |
| FOUL LINE |
| 1) The line that separates the approach area
from the beginning of the playing surface. 2) A line, usually red, between the approach and the beginning of the lane, 60 feet from the head pin. |
| FOUNDATION FRAME |
| The 9th frame. |
| FRAME |
| A game of bowling is divided into 10 frames. In
each frame there are two chances to knock down all the pins, except in
the 10th frame. |
| FULL ROLLER |
| A ball that rolls over its full circumference.
The track of the ball cuts between the thumb and finger holes. Although
once very popular, it is now rarely used because it lacks the carrying
power of a semi-rolled ball due to the fact that it generally cannot
create the increased entry angles that are helpful to carrying your
strikes, particularly the off-hits. |
| GREEK CHURCH |
| 1) A split leave of five pins similar to the
4-6-7-9-10 so called because it reminds people of an old cathedral type
church with spires, etc. 2) Any split on which there are three pins on one side of the lane and two on the other. |
| HALF TEN |
| The description of a 10-pin that was left by a
ball in the pocket and the 6-pin laying down in front of the 10-pin in a
half hearted manner; same as "weak 10". |
| HANDICAP |
| An adjustment in scores in order to equalize
competition by adding pins on a predetermined basis. |
| HEADS |
| That part of the first portion of the lane that
is usually hard maple (wood lanes) to absorb the impact of the thrown
balls, generally the first 20 feet of the wood lane. |
| HEAD PIN |
| The 1 pin. |
| HIGH |
| A ball that hits more to the center of the head
pin, often leaving a split. |
| HIGH HIT |
| 1) A solid hit on a pin due to contact near its
front center 2) hitting too much head pin on a strike attempt. |
| HOUSE |
| The bowling establishment or building. |
| JERSEY SIDE/HIT |
| A ball that hits on the opposite side of the
player's normal pocket; i.e, a Jersey for a right handed player would
hit on the 1-2 pocket; usually refers to getting a strike in the
"wrong" pocket. Called a “Brooklyn" in most locations
of the country. |
| KEGLER |
| German word for bowler. |
| KICKBACKS |
| The side boards around the pins that divide
lanes, where pins frequently rebound or "kick" back onto the
lane aiding in pin action. |
| KING PIN |
| The 5-pin. It is a key pin to produce a strike:
a light pocket hit or deflected hit leaves this
pin standing. |
| LEAGUE |
| Organized competition on a weekly basis for team
play. |
| LEAVE |
| Pins left standing after the first ball has been
rolled. |
| LIGHT HIT |
| A ball hitting the side of the pin deflecting it
sideways. |
| LILY |
| The 5-7-10 split; also
known as the "sour apple". |
| LOFT |
| The distance the ball travels between time of
release and the time it hits the lane. |
| LONG OIL |
| Condition in which the lane conditioner is
applied from the foul line farther than normal. There is no magic
standard, but 35-40 feet or more of application was considered long oil.
It can be a more difficult condition in that there will be less back end
to generate pocket entry angle. Long Oil in today’s environment would
be considered anything longer than 40 feet of oil. 35 is now considered
short oil. |
| MAPLE |
| The hard wood used for the head portion of the
lanes (foul line to arrows). Wood lanes are mostly obsolete on the PBA
Tour. Only 1 center will have wood lanes during the 2005-06 season. |
| MASS BIAS |
| Mass bias in a bowling ball occurs when the
weight block or portion of weight block is more dominant in one
direction inside of a bowling ball. |
| MATCH PLAY |
| A type of competition in which two bowlers
compete against one another, rather than against the field as a whole.
Typically, the winner of a match advances to the next round for another
match. |
| MESSENGER |
| The name given to the pin that rolls across the
pindeck into a pin or pins to either get a strike or break up a split. |
| MINUS |
| In competitive play, the amount of pins
(including bonus, if any) that a player is scoring under a 200 average.
A player that shoots 1,534 for eight (8) games is "minus" 66. |
| NEGATIVE WEIGHT |
| Weight on a ball that tends to hold back the
hook and/or to get the ball into a roll earlier; bottom weight, negative
side weight and thumb weight are considered negative weights. These are
considered static weights that can be drilled into a ball. |
| NO-TAP |
| A type of competition where nine (9) pins on the
first ball is scored as a strike; in some instances there are 8-pin
no-tap events; in those, eights (8) pins or more on the first ball
counts as a strike. |
| OPEN FRAME |
| A frame having neither a spare or strike. |
| OPEN BOWLING |
| Bowling for the fun of it, as opposed to
competing in league or tournament play. |
| OUT OF BOUNDS |
| An area from which the ball can't get to the
pocket with its usual break. If, for example, a right-handed bowler
delivers the ball from too far to the right, it is said to be out of
bounds. |
| OVER |
| To a professional bowler, the number of pins
above 200. Thus a score of 224 is "24 over." |
| PAP (POSITIVE AXIS POINT) |
| The point on the ball that is equidistant from
all points of the release ball track. |
| PAR |
| To a professional bowler, a 200 game. |
| PERFECT GAME |
| A game of all strikes--twelve strikes in a
row--resulting in bowling's maximum score of 300. |
| PICKET FENCE |
| The 1-2-4-7 or 1-3-6-10 spares. |
| PIN DECK |
| Area on which the pins are set. |
| PIN PLACEMENT |
| Out or In. A drilling term that is relative to a
bowler's track designed purposely for creating more ball dynamics. A
Pin-in ball (when the pin is located within two inches of the Center of
Gravity) is excellent choice for control and less hook; a Pin-out ball
usually can be made to hook more and flip more dramatically than pin-in
balls; they often give the driller more options. |
| PIT |
| The area of the lane behind the pin deck. The
area at the end of the lane. |
| PITCH |
| Angle at which the holes in a ball are drilled. |
| PLUS |
| In competitive play, the amount of pins
(including bonus, if any) that a player is scoring over a 200 average; a
player that shoots 1,734 for eight (8) games is "plus" 134.
See also "minus", "over" and "under". |
| The desirable location for the ball to hit the
pins to maximize strike potential. Generally the area between the 1-3
pins (right-hand player) or the 1-2 pins (left-hand player). This is the
target for the first ball in a frame. |
| POSITIVE WEIGHT |
| Weight on a ball that tends to enhance the hook
and/or to get the ball into a roll later down the lane; top weight,
positive side weight and finger weight are considered positive weights.
These are considered static weights that can be drilled into a ball. |
| PUNCH OUT |
| To finish with consecutive strikes, from any
frame on. |
| PUSHAWAY |
| The pushing out (forward) of the ball to begin
the swing (coincides with first step of four-step approach.) |
| RADIUS OF GYRATION (RG) |
| Identifies how fast a ball begins to rotate once
it leaves the bowler's hand. |
| RANGE FINDERS |
| Markers in the lane that help the bowler
determine the target line. There are two sets of such markers: 10 dots
located seven feet past the foul line and seven arrows arranged in a
triangle beginning 16 feet beyond the foul line. There are also range
finders at 35 and 40 feet down the lane per USBC rules. |
| RE-RACK |
| Resetting the pins to a new full rack due to a
perceived mis-spotting of one or more pins. |
| REVS/REVOLUTIONS |
| The number of times the ball rolls over its
circumference from when it is released until it contacts the pins; as a
rule, more is better. |
| ROLL OUT |
| A ball that loses its side rotation before
hitting the pins; the hook action stops at that point and the ball
straightens out. |
| SANDBAGGING |
| Deliberately keeping an average low so that
person can receive a bigger handicap. |
| SCRATCH |
| The actual score the bowler makes; it is without
any handicap adjustment (to equalize competition). |
| SIX PACK |
| Six strikes in a row. |
| SKID |
| What the ball does when it first hits the lane
surface; all balls need to skid before hooking. |
| SLEEPER |
| A rear pin that is not easily seen because of a
pin directly in front of it (Ex.: 2-8, 3-9, 1-5). See Double
Wood |
| SOUR APPLE |
| A weak hit that leaves leaves the 5-7, 5-10 or
5-7-10 split; also, the 5-7-10 split itself. Also known as the
"lily". |
| SPAN |
| On a bowling ball, the distance between the
thumb and finger holes |
| SPARE |
| To knock down the remaining pins standing left
after the first throw with the second throw. |
| SPLIT |
| Various combination of pins standing after a
first throw where one or more pins has been knocked down creating a
space between standing pins and thus a harder spare. Examples: 4-5, 5-6,
4-7, 6-10, 7-10, 4-6-7-10. |
| SPOT BOWLING |
| A method of aiming the ball in which spots
(arrows and dots) on the lane are used as targets rather than looking at
the pins during the throw. |
| STRIKE |
| Knocking down all 10 pins with the first effort. |
| TAP |
| An apparent perfect hit for a strike but one pin
is left standing. |
| TURKEY |
| Three consecutive strikes. |
| THREE HUNDRED (300) GAME |
| A perfect game. |
| TOP WEIGHT |
| Drilling of a ball so that there is more weight
above the label than there is below; it is considered a positive weight. |
| VACANCY |
| A "dummy" score used when a team does
not have the same number on the team roster as do other teams. The
vacancy score is set by the league and carries a handicap the same as if
some bowler was carrying that average. |
| VENT HOLE |
| An extra hole drilled to relieve suction in the
thumb hole; not a gripping hole. |
| WASHOUT |
| A split with the corner pin (7 or 10) standing;
symbolized as "W"; not making the spare is considered a blow
or error, not a split. The 1-2-4-10 or 1-2-10 split for right-handed
bowlers, the 1-3-6-7 or 1-3-7 for left-handers. |
| WEIGHT BLOCK |
| The interior portion of a ball that adds extra
weight to it to bring the overall gross weight higher. Knowledge of the
location of the weight block is used to create balls with differing
positive and negative weight distributions. |