Bowling Glossary

Bowling Equipment

  • Ball: The spherical object players roll down the lane; its weight, coverstock, and core design influence its performance.
  • Bowling Bag: A specialized bag for carrying bowling balls, providing protection and convenience for transportation.
  • Fingertip Grip: A grip technique where the fingers are inserted only up to the first joint, offering more control and power.
  • House Ball: A bowling ball provided by the bowling alley for general use by players.
  • Pin: One of the ten cylindrical objects arranged in a triangular formation at the end of the lane; the objective is to knock down as many as possible.
  • Rack: The triangular setup of pins at the beginning of each frame.
  • Rail: The side barriers of the lane that help guide the ball toward the pins.
  • Shoes: Specialized footwear with sliding soles designed for the approach to the foul line.

Bowling Scoring

  • 10-Pin Bowling: The most common form of bowling, featuring ten pins arranged in a triangular formation.
  • Average: The average number of pins a bowler knocks down per game.
  • Bucket: A spare leave consisting of two pins on one side of the lane and one pin on the other.
  • Carry: Successfully knocking down all ten pins with a single delivery.
  • Cherry: The front pin in a spare leave.
  • Clean Game: A game in which a bowler records strikes or spares in all frames.
  • Conversion: Successfully converting a spare or split into a strike.
  • Count: The number of pins knocked down on a delivery.
  • Cover: Knocking down remaining pins after the first delivery to complete a spare.
  • Delivery: The act of releasing the ball toward the pins.
  • Double: Achieving two consecutive strikes.
  • Draw: A shot that curves toward the center of the lane.
  • Eight-Count: Leaving two pins standing after the first delivery.
  • Eleven-Count: Leaving three pins standing after the first delivery.
  • Fall: The number of pins knocked down on a delivery.
  • Frame: One of the ten divisions of a game, consisting of one or two deliveries.
  • Full Count: Knocking down all ten pins with both deliveries in a frame.
  • Game: A complete session of bowling, typically comprising ten frames.
  • Gutter: The troughs on either side of the lane; landing the ball here results in no points.
  • Headpin: The front and center pin in the triangular pin setup.
  • Hook: The curve the ball takes as it travels down the lane.
  • Leave: The pins that remain standing after the first delivery.
  • Loft: Throwing the ball with a higher trajectory.
  • Mark: Either a strike or a spare.
  • Match: A competition between two individuals or teams.
  • Messenger: A pin that bounces off the backboard to knock down other pins.
  • Middle: The central pins in the triangular formation.
  • Nine-Count: Leaving one pin standing after the first delivery.
  • Open Frame: A frame in which a player fails to get a strike or spare.
  • Overthrow: Throwing the ball too hard or fast.
  • Pair: Two consecutive frames.
  • Perfect Game: Achieving a score of 300 by recording strikes in all frames.
  • Pin Deck: The area at the end of the lane where the pins are set up.
  • Pocket: The ideal area between the 1 and 3 pins for a right-handed bowler (or 1 and 2 for a left-handed bowler).
  • Pocket Seven-Ten: Leaving only the 7 and 10 pins standing after the first delivery.
  • Pocket Hit: A shot that hits the pocket, increasing the chances of a strike.
  • Score: The numerical representation of a bowler’s performance in a game.
  • Seven-Ten Split: Leaving the 7 and 10 pins standing after the first delivery.
  • Spare: Knocking down all remaining pins with the second delivery in a frame.
  • Split: Leaving a gap of one or more pins after the first delivery.
  • Strike: Knocking down all ten pins with the first delivery in a frame.
  • Ten-Count: Leaving no pins standing after the first delivery.
  • Three-Bagger: Three consecutive strikes.
  • Turkey: Three consecutive strikes.
  • Underthrow: Throwing the ball too softly.
  • Washout: Leaving a difficult spare combination, usually involving pins on opposite sides of the lane.

Bowling Techniques

  • Approach: The series of steps a bowler takes before delivering the ball.
  • Backswing: The backward motion of the bowling arm during the delivery.
  • Break: The point at which the ball starts to curve toward the pocket.
  • Channel: The part of the lane between the gutter and the middle.
  • Delivery: The act of releasing the ball toward the pins.
  • Follow Through: The continuation of the arm’s motion after releasing the ball.
  • Release: The moment when the bowler lets go of the ball.
  • Wrist Snap: The sharp movement of the wrist during the release for added spin.

Bowling Terminology

  • Alley: The lane where bowling is played.
  • Foul Line: The boundary that separates the approach area from the lane; stepping over results in a foul.
  • Interference: Any external factor affecting a bowler’s shot.
  • Ringer: A lucky or unexpected strike.
  • Roll: The motion of the ball down the lane.