Teach Kids About Bowling

We have some tips that you can use to teach kids how to bowl.

There is just something about a bowling alley. The sights, sounds, and smells just seem to induce a sense of childlike enthusiasm and excitement in people of all ages, which is only heightened for children. And for the older, more experienced bowler, it just feels good to teach a child about bowling for that first time.
The first thing to think about before that child picks up a bowling ball, is what to wear to the alley. Make sure the child is wearing comfortable, loose fitting clothes, and socks. Tight clothes and shoes that do not fit hurt the bowling experience by hindering the movements of the child. Properly fitting clothes assures the full range of motion and flexibility that is necessary to bowl a good game. Also, try not to take a child to an alley during peak hours.
When small children enter a bowling alley for the first time, they can get scared. Bowling alleys are very noisy places and because there might be many people rolling their balls down the alleys at the same time, loud talking, and other noises . Once they are inside and look around the fear goes away.

Teaching kids to bowling can be fun for the both of you.

The concession stand is a good place to start for kids to show that good things come from this loud, scary place. The bowling balls will be colorful and children will usually like watching them roll down the alley even if it is from a distance.
Something to remember when bringing small children to the bowling alley is to request a lane close to the restrooms. Older children may get a chance to wander about if there are other children in the group that require more attention. Most bowling alleys have an arcade that offers pinball and air hockey games and sometimes prizes for tickets or tokens. While children are playing in these safe areas, the parents have the chance to sign up for a lane and get all the shoes that the family will need in the correct sizes.
There are usually special bowling balls that even the smallest bowler can feel comfortable with. You may have to ask for them separately. The adults then explain the basic rules of bowling to the children. The children will not usually take these things very seriously in the beginning so be prepared. Bumper pads may be used for smaller children to be able to hit pins at all. The bumper can be raised and lifted very easily and will keep the ball from turning into the gutter when the youngster fails to throw it with enough strength. The bumper pads also make everybody a better bowler not just one bowler. Sometimes this makes the game a little more fun because there are no losers.

Teaching children to bowl can be rewarding.

The youngster might not have to learn how to score when they bowl for the first few times. Many bowling alleys have personalized the use of automatic scoring programs to make the time at the bowling alley more enjoyable and easier to score. Most of the bowling alleys in this country are very willing to provide training on these automatic scoring systems. Families can take a part in the scoring system by typing each family member's name in and even giving funny nicknames. Young children are delighted when they see their name light up on the screens. This is one of my favorite memories of bowling with my family as youngster.
A child will have to learn where to find a bowling ball and the right way to throw it. They will also have to learn the courtesies that are practiced by all bowlers, giving the player to the right of their lane the right of way on throwing their ball down the aisle. Don’t forget to tell them the courtesy will be passed on to them when another group is assigned the lane to the left of theirs. Usually the person that assigns the lane will do the courtesy of only placing other families and other children to lanes of the direct left and right of you. This practice cuts down on the children interfering with other bowlers and vice versa.
Children will also learn about wearing socks with their bowling shoes to prevent any blisters or sore spots and because there are many other people that use the shoes too. Children like we stated before will fall in love with the concession stands because they will find that pizza is made there. A slushy has always been a favorite treat out bowling along with nacho’s and pretzels. The treats will make the time out bowling more pleasurable for the children and most adults will love the night off from cooking dinner. Whenever you take the whole family or a few kids at a time always know about where the children will be and set a time for them to check back with you.
Try to get the child to use correct bowling form. Teach the kid about the arrows on the alley, and how to use them to help aim. After the child is bowling in correct form, gripping the ball right, and releasing correctly, you can focus on ball speed if you want.

Showing a child about bowling can start a hobby he or she will enjoy for a lifetime.

Taking older children to a bowling alley is a good place that they can have some privacy away from the adults and all be in the same are at the same time. They enjoy the arcade more than the small children and will roam and visit the snack area casually. One thing to remember about older children is that they can cause a stir if not checked on regularly. They may wander into restricted areas and even leave the building if unattended. Overall if you follow these few simple rules for bowling with children you are going to have a great time. Smaller children are a little more to handle in any public area but bowling will keep them busy and entertained for hours.
We hope you and the kids you teach will enjoy your time bowling. If you or your kids are ready to step up your bowling game and improve your bowling technique, we recommend lots of practice and a good bowling guide. The Ultimate Bowling Guide is simply the best guide on the market today if you are looking to improve your game. It will show you how to throw the perfect hook, how to maximize your grip, and amazing strategies to improve each one of your shots. Happy Bowling!

PBA Regional Results: Weekend of December 9-11

 

by Jason Thomas December 12, 2011 04:12

Below are the results from all PBA Regional action that took place December 9-11:

WEST/NORTHWEST/SOUTHWEST REGIONS
PBA Tri-Regional Sands Regency Non Champions Tournament Presented by Ebonite
CHAMPION: Patrick Foley, Jr.
Full Results

PBA Tri-Regional Sands Regency Senior Open Presented by Ebonite
CHAMPION: Ron Mohr
Full Results

PBA Tri-Regional Sands Regency Open Presented by Ebonite
CHAMPION: Bryon Smith
Full Results

Smallwood Heads Field for Sunday’s Hardwick Division as PBA World Championship Eliminations Continue

by Bill Vint December 12, 2011 06:38

LAS VEGAS – Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich., who won his only Professional Bowlers Association title in the 2009 PBA World Championship, heads the field of four players who will do battle in the Billy Hardwick Division finals of the PBA World Championship Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in high-definition on ESPN.
The Hardwick Division is the second of four eliminator rounds that will trim the PBA World Championship field of 16 finalists down to four for a Sunday, Jan. 15, battle for the $50,000 first prize, the Earl Anthony Trophy and the PBA Tour’s first major title of the 2011-12 season.
All World Championship competition will be conducted on a pair of lanes specially installed in an exhibit hall at South Point Hotel and Casino.
Smallwood, 34, became an instant hero among America’s blue-collar work force when he defeated former PBA Player of the Year Wes Malott for the 2009 PBA World Championship. Smallwood, who had lost his job with General Motors, had decided to pursue his dream to become a professional bowler and stunned the bowling world with his upset victory in Wichita, Kan. Last season, he won $100,000 as runner-up to Mika Kovuniemi in the PBA Tournament of Champions.
Now Smallwood is back in position to try for another major title as the top qualifier in the Hardwick Division. He earned his place in the Hardwick group as the No. 2 qualifier over 40 games of World Championship qualifying on five different lane conditions, averaging 226.63 to finish 296 pins behind leader Sean Rash. As top qualifier in his group, Smallwood has selected the PBA’s Scorpion lane conditioning pattern for Sunday’s event when he will face Venezuela’s Ildemaro Ruiz, Colombia’s Andres Gomez and 25-year PBA Tour veteran Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y., in a battle for a berth in the World Championship finals.
Both South American players are trying for their first PBA Tour titles. Ruiz, who is making his PBA television debut, qualified for the elimination rounds in seventh place. Gomez was 10th and Shafer tied for 14th. No international player has ever won the PBA World Championship.
In Sunday’s eliminator round, all four players will bowl a one-game match. The player with the lowest score will be eliminated. The three survivors will bowl another game, with the low man knocked out. The two finalists will bowl a final game, with the survivor advancing to the World Championship finals.
The four World Championship divisional finals have been named for PBA superstars who excelled in the event during their careers. Finland’s Osku Palermaa has already won the Don Carter Division berth. The Johnny Petraglia and Mike Aulby Division finals, which will air on ESPN on Jan. 1 and Jan. 8, respectively, will complete the divisional elimination rounds. The championship trophy is named in honor of Anthony, the only player ever to win the event six times.
A special preview of the Hardwick Division finals will be webcast on pba.com’s Xtra Frame beginning Wednesday, and a post-game show will be presented on Xtra Frame Sunday immediately following the ESPN finals.

Bowling At Spanish Trail Lanes

Bowling, also known as "tenpins," is one of the world's most popular recreational games.  Players roll a heavy ball along a lane in an attempt to knock down ten pins.  It is considered both an individual and a team sport, and many bowlers play on amateur bowling or professional bowling leagues.  The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) serves amateur adult and youth bowlers in the United States, while the Professional Bowlers Association serves professional bowlers.
Bowling centers, referred to as "alleys," contain an average of 20 lanes, although the largest alleys may contain as many as 100 lanes.  Each bowling "lane" contains an approach, a lane, a pin deck, and a pit.  The approach is at least 15 feet, and allows bowlers to take several strides to gain momentum before releasing the ball.  The approach features markings at 15 feet, 12 feet, and 6 inches behind the foul line to assist in aiming the ball.  The lane is 60 feet long and 41 to 42 inches wide.  A gutter runs along each side of the lane to catch misaimed balls.  Each gutter is 9.5 inches wide.  Some lanes feature bumpers in the gutters to assist beginners by bouncing the ball back toward the pins.  A pin deck is located at the end of each lane and contains pin spots 1 foot apart on which the pins rest, forming a 3 foot triangle.  Pins are made of wood and plastic, and must be 15 inches tall and weigh between 3 lb, 6 oz and 3 lb, 10 oz.  The pit is located behind the pin deck, containing a machine that gathers and resets the pins and sends the ball back up a track to the approach area.  Each bowling area also contains a scoring desk and benches.
Bowlers must use a special ball and shoes.  Most bowling centers will rent these to players, but league bowlers may wish to purchase their own.  Bowling balls weigh between 8 and 16 pounds and competition balls must measure 8.5 inches in diameter.  Bowling balls have three holes, one for the thumb and two fingers.  They are made of rubber, plastic, urethanes, or a combination, and come in a variety of colors, although the standard color is black.  Bowling shoes feature smooth soles enabling fluidity of movement during the approach.
A bowling game consists of ten frames.  During a frame, each bowler tries to knock down all ten pins by rolling twice.  If the first roll knocks down all ten pins, this is known as a strike, and is worth ten points.  The bowler then gets to roll twice more.  The highest possible score in a frame is 30 (three strikes), and a perfect game is a score of 300.  If all the pins are knocked down within two rolls, it is known as a spare and is worth ten points plus the number of pins knocked down on the subsequent roll.  If all the pins are not knocked down on both rolls, the number of points is the number of pins knocked down on both throws.  When no pins are knocked down it is called a scratch and worth no points.  Players rolling a spare in the final frame receive an extra ball, and players rolling a strike in the final frame receive two extra balls.