Bowling Terms Flashcards

Bowling Terminology

• Anchor: The last shooter on a bowling team, often critical for closing out the game.
• Approach: The space behind the foul line where bowlers gain momentum; involves movement from the stance to delivery.
• Arrows: Target points on the lane, located approximately 15 feet from the foul line, used for aiming.
• Average: Calculated by dividing the sum of all games by the number of games played, useful for tracking performance.
• Baby Split: Refers to the specific pin configurations known as the 2-7 or 3-10 split, which can be challenging to convert.
• Backends: The final 20 feet of the bowling lane, where ball motion is crucial for pin action.
• Bagger: A term used to describe a series of strikes following an initial "turkey," suggesting ongoing achievement.
• Ball Return: The mechanism that retrieves and delivers the bowling ball back to the player post-delivery.
• Bed Posts: Refers to the difficult 7-10 split, where two corner pins are left standing.
• Big Four: A challenging split consisting of the 4, 6, 7, and 10 pins remaining after the first throw.
• Brooklyn: A strike made when a ball crosses over to hit the opposite side of the intended head pin.
• Bucket: A spare pattern consisting of pin configurations like 2-4-5-8 or 3-5-6-9.
• Carrydown: Oil transfer on the lane caused by bowling activity, affecting ball reaction and lane conditions.
• Christmas Tree: An oil pattern characterized by a tapered design that resembles a tree, impacting ball behavior.
• Clean Sheet: Achieving all spares in a game; crucial for improving the bowler's average.
• Conventional Grip: A beginner-friendly grip where fingers go to the second knuckle and the thumb is fully inserted.
• Count: The total number of pins knocked down by the first ball in a frame.
• Cranker: A bowler who imparts significant revolutions on the ball, typically exceeding 370 revolutions per minute.
• Crossover: A shot that lands in the 1-2 pocket for right-handers or the 1-3 pocket for left-handers.
• Dead Wood: Fallen pins on the lane that need to be cleared before the next player's turn.
• Deflection: The change in direction of the ball after striking the pins.
• Ditch: Another term for the gutter, where missed shots land.
• Double: Achieving two consecutive strikes in a bowling game.
• Dutch 200: A game scoring exactly 200 points by alternating strikes and spares throughout.
• Fast Eight: A common pocket hit leaving either the 4-7 or 6-10 pins standing.
• Finger Tip Grip: A more advanced grip technique where fingers go up to the first knuckle, suitable for experienced bowlers.
• Foul: Occurs when a bowler steps over the foul line, resulting in no score for that delivery; marked as "F" on scoresheets.
• Frame: A segment of a game where players have two opportunities to knock down ten pins; the tenth frame allows for bonus rolls.
• Gutter Ball: A shot that lands in the gutter, resulting in no pins being knocked down.
• Head Pin: The foremost pin in the triangle formation, critical for strikes.
• Heads: The front part of the lane, known as the maple area due to the type of wood used in construction.
• High Hit: A strike where the ball directly hits the head pin straight on.
• Hook Out: Also referred to as a roll out; the moment when the ball completes its hook and travels straight down the lane.

Test your knowledge of bowling terminology with this set of flashcards. Each card provides a key term along with its definition, helping you understand the language of bowling better. Perfect for beginners and enthusiasts alike!