It’s more than 50 years since the first tenpin bowling alley made it to the UK and since then, it’s become a popular sport, both for families looking to have a fun day out together and competitive leagues. There are now thousands of alleys right across Great Britain.

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Tenpin bowling is a sport that most people can take part in and it is the aim of The British Tenpin Bowling Association (BTBA) to make the sport as inclusive as possible. If you haven’t tried tenpin bowling before and want to have a go, here are a few things you need to know.

Choose the right ball

Sounds simple, right? But choosing the right ball can be the difference between scoring a strike and hitting the gutters. The space between finger holes varies from ball to ball, so choose one that’s right for the size of your hand. Weight differs too – if you can hardly lift the ball, you’re unlikely to be able to throw it down the alley with the required accuracy to score a strike.

Players often decide to buy their own bowling balls if they’re going to take up the sport on a more formal basis, and shops such as petesproshop can supply these and help you select the right one.

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Starting position

You must start in the correct position to have any chance of the ball heading off in the right direction. There is a series of dots at the throw line that will help you get this right.

The eyes have it

It’s important to focus right down the length of the alley to where you want the ball to strike the pins, rather than at where the ball is going to leave your hand. A tenpin bowling alley has arrows marked on it and hitting certain arrows will determine which pins the ball will hit.

Follow through

When you release the ball, it’s important that your arm follows through or it can distort the direction that the ball takes.

Check out your score

Get it all right and watch those pins fall, score a spare, strike or even a turkey! The scoring system can take some getting used to, but will soon make sense.

So, whether it’s as a fun family day out or a professional sport, why not give tenpin bowling a try?