When you’re learning to bowl for the first time, there are a few things you should know to help kick-start your bowling career. What are the rules, etiquette and basic technique. Learning these key areas of bowling will help you fit right in to your chosen league.

Rules come first and foremost, and while there are a plethora of rules in the USBC (United States Bowling Congress) manual, we’re only going to discuss some of the less complicated ones. First is when you roll the ball down the lane and the ball bounces back and still hits pins, none of those pins count because the ball lands in the gutter first. Next up is when your foot crosses the foul line at the end of the approach, this is not a foul and any pins hit on that shot will not count. Lastly, for a 300 or any other prize score to count, you must roll them during sanctioned league or tournament play and after a prize score is released, your ball must be inspected to make sure it is legal and did not give you an unfair advantage.

Now we will talk about proper bowler etiquette, the first and most important rule in bowling etiquette is not to stand on the approach while a person is about to bowl into the lanes next to you. You never start your approach at the same time as the other players on either side of you. Always be courteous and allow the other shooter to get out of the approach before beginning your shot. This is the most overlooked and abused bowler tag. The next form of etiquette that is abused is in the pits where the bowlers sit. In many cases, people will make too much noise and even intentionally try to distract the bowlers in the lane. This is terrible etiquette and very frowned upon.

Finally, we will discuss basic technique for bowlers to help get you started in the right direction. This technique is the four-step approach, it is the most commonly used in bowling. The approach is, as the name suggests, a four-step approach in which the bowler will place his feet in a spot on the approach that is a comfortable four steps from the foul line. That being said, don’t get so close that when you finish your fourth step you commit a foul. Now we will start the approach, when you place your feet place them next to each other and slightly apart. When you catch the bowling ball, insert your fingers first, then your thumb. This will allow the same grip every time. As you place the ball, tuck your elbow into your side and push the ball off your foot. As you start to approach, push off both the ball and your starting foot at the same time. This will help keep your time more in sync. As your steps move toward the lane, tell yourself back and forth. This is something I was taught to keep my arm straight. As you walk toward the line, slide slightly and release the ball by removing your thumb and then your fingers. As this happens, raise your throwing arm up into the sky and follow along. Hopefully you’ve thrown a good straight ball and hit the pocket.

These rules and techniques are just the tip of the iceberg when you are learning to bowl, but I hope they will help you kick start your bowling career. The last bit of advice I can give you if you’re trying to get serious about bowling is to practice as often as possible and most of all have fun.