New beginner (please help)

[redmen82]

i am about to strat playing in a league for the first time. i have never really played so were do i start.

what would be a good ave form me to bowl to start with. just to see where i am up to

what balls should i get. i dont know what to look for.

thanks for all your help

 

[Straight_kut]

Forget averages.. if you are just starting then its no point aiming for anything just yet..

If you bowl thew first week and average xxx pins then next week maybe aim to go a few pins more..

dont go trying to achieve unreachable goals in your first attempts.. every one is different and most leagues have handicap systems to help.
Just go out and enjoy it.

Ball wise start basic and work your way up as your game gets better.

 

[mannah]

What Centre will you be bowling at? If it has a Pro Shop speak to the guy there as they would be able to help you with a ball selection. At this early stage it is very difficult as you don't know what style and weight you will be bowling. They may also be able to give you some basic instruction on how to bowl the ball.
Some centres also have coaches available who can assist a beginner bowler to find a style to suit you and that you will feel comfortable with.

As you have not bowled before see if you can get to the bowl a bit early and ask to speak to the league secretary or an experienced bowler who can go through some of the basic rules of bowling ie giving way to bowlers on the approaches, going over the foul line etc. This will avoid you having problems when it is your turn to bowl in the team.

Personally I would start with a house ball (take note of the weight you use)for the first couple of weeks at least to see how you handle the weight. It may be that you find the first weeks ball is too light or too heavy. Dont be afraid to change your ball weight until you find one you feel comfortable with. You can change your ball any time during a game. After a couple of weeks (especially if you can get some practice in during the week) you may find you need to go to a bit heavier ball as your arm strength increases.

Dont worry about your average. Every one is different. As straightkut said just do you best and try to improve a pin or two each week. It is much better to try to get a consistent shot than spraying a ball all over the place trying to go faster to knock them all down.

If you can improve your shot by just one pin a game each week then by the end of this year you will have improved by over 20 pins.

ps some leagues can be a bit funny with beginner bowlers, some are more casual, some are very serious, if you are unhappy with your league just go to the bowl on another night, look at other leagues but be assured there is one there that will welcome you with open arms and that you will feel comfortable in.

Enjoy yourself.... let the ball roll.. let the pins fly and welcome to the wonderful world of bowling.

 

[terry penguin]

welcome to our bowling family my advice is simple just go out there and enjoy yourself and have fun, don't worry what the score will be, the main thing about league is meeting people and making friends IT'S ONLY A GAME! GOOD LUCK IN YOUR LEAGUE

 

[thomstar]

The first piece of advice i got given was hit the one in the middle seemed to make sense to me so why not give that a try, but don't worry too much if you do't do it every time just have fun & laugh at anything you think is funny

 

[vulgarwolf]

i thoroughly recommend bowling in a licenced bowling alley, because a bad nights bowling is a good nights drinking

 

[rpac23]

I cant add to anyone elses comments because they pretty much summed it up.

Have fun, enjoy throwing the ball consistently just off the middle of the pins, and you'll be right!

Once time progresses, dont be shy and try a few championships and handicapped tournaments, competition has its merits and you learn alot too

 

[auenf]

and for comparison:

in a league i'm in, we have a new team that turned up a week or so ago, after 1 week one of the bowlers has an average of 48

bowling is for anyone who can physically get the ball down the lane.

best thing to do is to have fun

Enf...

 

[mannah]

How did you go on your first night?

I agree with Rpac23 once you start feeling a bit more confident why not try the State Championships and tournaments or in-house competitions that have a restricted or handicapped section. This will introduce you into a wonderful different bowling family.

State championships, the Holt Carnival (September at Cross Roads) and the Australian National Championships (in Canberra in October) have a variety of different grades according to your average. You could have an average of 100 and become an Australian Champion in your grade. Think of the bragging rights....

The Holt Restricted Team Challenge and TBA Restricted Teams at the Australian Nationals are both tournaments for the lower average bowlers and combines healthy competition with fun and a great chance to meet bowlers of similar averages from around Australia.These events are restricted to male bowlers under 185 average and females under 175 average.

Bowling at these events expose you to a whole new world of bowling and the opportunity to meet people from other centres and from around Australia without being made to feel inferior because of your lower averages. Many lifetime friendships are made and it is great to catch up each year at the tournaments