Learn to bowl.
Eight short lessons, about ten minutes of reading. Walk up to the lane knowing what to do with the ball, where to look and how to keep score.
Choose your ball.
House balls have their weight printed on them, from 6 to 16 pounds. A good starting point is about 10% of your body weight, never over 16 lb.
Too heavy and your swing falls apart by the third frame. Too light and it’s hard to roll straight. If you’re unsure, go one pound lighter.
The fit check
- Your thumb slides all the way in and comes out without sticking.
- Your middle and ring fingers reach the holes with your palm resting flat on the ball, no stretching.
- You can hold it in front of you for a few seconds without your wrist bending back.
15lb
Start with a 15 lb ball.
The grip.
Thumb in the single hole. Middle and ring fingers in the two holes next to each other. Index and pinky rest on the surface, relaxed.
Conventional grip: fingers go in to the second knuckle. It’s the grip for house balls and the one to start with.
Fingertip grip: fingers go in only to the first knuckle. It adds spin, but it needs a drilled-to-fit ball. Save it for later.
Hold the ball with your fingers, not your palm, and support its weight with your other hand while you wait.
Stance & four steps.
Find your start. Stand with your heels at the foul line, facing away from the pins. Walk four and a half normal steps, then turn around. That’s your spot.
These steps are for a right-handed bowler. Lefties: swap every left and right.
Aim at the arrows, not the pins.
The pins are 60 feet away. The seven arrows painted on the lane are about 15 feet out, and they’re far easier to hit. Look at your arrow, not at the pins, all the way through the throw.
Your target is the pocket: the gap between the head pin and the pin just behind it on your throwing side. That’s pins 1 and 3 for righties, 1 and 2 for lefties. Hit it and strikes start happening.
Start here: roll over the second arrow from the right (righties) or from the left (lefties). If the ball misses left, move your feet left a couple of boards and keep the same arrow. Missing right? Move right.
Release & follow through.
Let it swing. Your arm is a pendulum hanging from your shoulder. Keep it straight and loose and let gravity do most of the work. Muscling the ball makes it wobble off line.
Thumb first, then fingers. Your thumb slips out at the bottom of the swing, and your fingers lift through the ball a split second later. Keep your hand behind the ball, like a handshake.
Finish tall. After the ball leaves, keep reaching toward your arrow until your hand is up near your face. Hold the pose on one leg for a second: if you can balance, you did it right.
Keep score.
A game has 10 frames. You get two rolls per frame to knock down all 10 pins. An open frame scores the pins you knocked down.
Spare ( / ): all 10 pins in two rolls. You get 10 plus the pins from your next roll. Strike ( X ): all 10 on the first roll. You get 10 plus your next two rolls.
The 10th frame gives you bonus rolls if you strike or spare, up to three in total. A perfect game is 12 strikes in a row: 300.
The lanes keep score for you. Try it here so the numbers make sense:
Frame 1, roll 1. Enter how many pins you knocked down.
Lane etiquette.
Seven habits that make you the bowler everyone wants on the next lane.
Stay behind the foul line.
The lane past it is oiled and slippery, and stepping over counts as a foul: zero pins for that roll.
Yield to your right.
If the bowler on the next lane is ready at the same time, the one on the right goes first.
Bowling shoes only on the approach.
Street shoes carry dirt and water that make the approach sticky or slick for everyone.
Keep food and drinks at the table.
One spilled soda on the approach ends up on someone’s slide.
Be ready when it’s your turn.
Pick your ball while the person before you bowls. Games move faster and nobody waits.
Use your own ball.
Once you pick a house ball, stick with it and leave other people’s balls on the return.
Cheer loud, heckle never.
Celebrate strikes on every lane. Beginners are welcome here, and the gutter balls are part of it.
Your first visit.
What to expect when you walk in on Metcalf Street.
- How long does a game take?
- Figure about 10 to 12 minutes per bowler, per game. Four friends fit one to two games in an hour.
- How much does a game cost?
- $4.25 per game, per bowler, or book a lane by the hour. Shoe rental is extra.
- Do I need my own shoes or ball?
- No. Rent shoes at the counter and pick any house ball from the racks.
- Can kids bowl?
- Yes. Ask for a light ball, 6 to 8 lb, and mention it when you book so the team can set up the lane.
- What should I wear?
- Anything you can swing your arm and bend your knees in. Socks are a must with rental shoes.
- Where do we eat?
- Order at the Deli Shez Café counter and grab a seat at the bar or the tables. Both are built from the alley’s old lanes. See the menu.
- Should I book ahead?
- For Friday nights, weekends and groups, yes. Request your lane online and see the price before you send.