Bowling for Ladies

Bowling for Ladies

Tips on Bowling for Ladies by Mitch Johnson

Any lady interested in the game of bowling? You are welcome here
to learn more about the game. The participation of the ladies has taken the game to the family level. It was played by men before. And you have to know that there are some things different between the men's type and that of the women's. And there have been a lot of changes in the places where and how the game of bowling are played since the ladies have taken up the game.

Thanks to the ladies, bowling has become a family game. Years ago, it was a game strictly for men to enjoy, because bowling alleys were places in which women and girls could hardly afford to be seen. Poorly lighted and poorly ventilated, equipped with a goodly supply of cuspidors and shady characters, and located in dingy basements, the alleys were anything but inviting. The entrance of the first good-sized contingent of feminine bowlers into the game was the signal for a tremendous change. Owners and operators of bowling establishments realized that to attract this desirable element they would have to clean up and police their premises.

Out went the cuspidors and the seedy characters in came modernistic furnishings and illumination. Later came air conditioning. And now proprietors are vying with each other to outdo themselves in erecting splendid palaces for the sport. It was a wonderful thing for the women, too. Those who had been sitting at bridge tables day after day suddenly discovered that they could get a fine type of exercise which would allow them to keep their trim figures without effort. The thrill of real competition was furnished to many of them for the first time in their lives. Any fears that they might have had that the game was too strenuous were disproved by the performance of such mites as Allie Brandt, the 122-pound kegler with the 886 series
rolled with a ball no faster than that rolled by a woman. Girls
weighing just over 100 pounds began shooting 200 games.

Obviously, brute strength was not a necessity and, in fact, often proved to be a hindrance. The ladies are coming up fast in the bowling game now, and why shouldn't they? When you analyze
it, the sport is a natural one for them, for it puts a premium on smoothness, gracefulness and rhythm, with which the average
woman is born. We have already pointed out that mere brawn has
no advantage in the game, for excessive speed and power are
actually a detriment rather than a help. Getting started correctly is far more important to the ladies than to the men. Men, as a rule, have more powerful muscles which enable them to control the ball despite poor footwork and timing, something that the average woman beginner cannot do. If she should get started wrong, it is far more difficult for her to improve.

CHOOSING A BALL

To begin with, a woman should determine for herself the weight
of the ball she can control one that she can handle without
dropping, or getting excessively tired, especially in the final game of a series. True, many women can, and do, handle a limit-weight 16-pound ball with ease, but others, due to weaker wrists, or because of their size or the work they do, must choose one of lighter weight. After you have bowled for some time and have become familiar with the fundamentals of the game, you will find that you can handle a heavier ball, because a proper delivery makes the ball seem lighter. A heavier ball tends to increase your accuracy and improve your average, but that is true only when it is handled without effort. Bowling balls range in weight from 10 to 16 pounds. You might begin at any weight over 10, and work to perfect your timing and
footwork, so that when your delivery is at the point where you
feel it is "grooved" and the ball seems to be too light, you can
graduate to a ball of more weight.

The questions of how many finger holes the ball should have are
debatable where men are concerned but not with women. I would
say that 99 per cent of the ladies would be better off using a
three- fingered ball. Once in a great while we find a girl who can handle effectively the two-fingered type, but this is quite the exception. I advise the three-fingered variety. The reason for this is quite simple. When you use a three-fingered ball, you support a weight of 16 pounds or close to that with your two fingers and thumb. In using a two-fingered ball, you are forcing one finger to do the work of two in lifting. Men, possessed of stronger fingers and muscles, can do this fairly well, but for an overwhelming percentage of women bowlers, it is exceedingly inadvisable. The strain put upon them by the two-fingered grip is tremendous, especially after they have bowled several games.

As you may see that there are many changes in the ways the men
and women play the game of bowling. From the weight of the ball
to the numbers of finger holes etc. But it is for sure that the
ladies cannot match the power and stamina of the men.

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