Bowling Glossary
Every term you need to know, from the approach to the pin deck. A comprehensive reference for bowlers at every level.
No matching terms
Try a different search term or clear the filter.
3-6-9 Spare System
A systematic approach to spare shooting based on moving your feet 3, 6, or 9 boards from your strike position.
300 Game
A perfect game — 12 consecutive strikes. The maximum possible score.
800 Series
A three-game series totalling 800 or more pins. Requires averaging over 266 per game.
Abralon Pad
A sanding pad used to adjust a bowling ball's surface texture. Lower grit = more friction; higher grit = smoother.
Approach
The area behind the foul line where a bowler walks before releasing the ball, typically 15 feet long.
Arrows
Seven triangular markers embedded in the lane at 15 feet past the foul line, on boards 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35.
Arsenal
A bowler's complete set of bowling balls, selected to cover different oil conditions.
Asymmetric Core
A core with irregular mass distribution, creating different RG values on different axes.
Axis Rotation
The degree to which a bowler's release creates side rotation on the ball.
Axis Tilt
The angle of a bowling ball's spin axis relative to the horizontal.
Backend
The last 20 feet of the lane, from where the oil pattern ends to the pin deck.
Backup Ball
A ball that curves opposite to a typical hook — left to right for a right-hander.
Baker Format
A team format where five bowlers each bowl two frames in sequence.
Balance Hole
An extra hole for static weight balance. Banned by USBC effective August 2020.
Ball Motion
The complete path from release to pins — skid, hook, and roll phases.
Ball Speed
Velocity measured at the pins, typically 16–18 mph for competitive bowlers.
Benchmark Ball
The most versatile ball in an arsenal, the starting point to read lane conditions.
Boards
The individual strips that make up a lane surface. 39 boards gutter to gutter.
Breakpoint
Where the ball transitions from skid to hook phase.
Brooklyn
A strike hitting the opposite pocket — 1-2 for right-handers.
Carry-Down
Oil picked up by balls and deposited further down the lane.
Conditioner
The mineral oil applied to lane surfaces by a lane machine.
Conventional Grip
Drilling layout where fingers are inserted to the second knuckle.
Core
The dense inner weight block that determines mass distribution.
Coverstock
The outer shell that contacts the lane surface.
Cranker
A bowler with high rev rate and aggressive style.
Differential
The difference between a ball's lowest and highest RG values.
Double
Two consecutive strikes.
Drilling Layout
The placement of finger and thumb holes relative to the core.
Dry Lane
A lane with very little oil remaining.
Dual-Angle Layout
A drilling method using two angles plus pin-to-PAP distance.
Entry Angle
The angle the ball enters the pin deck, ideally around 6 degrees.
Factory Finish
The surface texture a ball comes with out of the box.
Fingertip Grip
Drilling where fingers are inserted to the first knuckle only.
Flare
Migration of a ball's track as it rolls, visible as multiple oil rings.
Flat Pattern
An oil pattern with a low ratio — oil distributed relatively evenly.
Foul Line
The line separating the bowler's area from the lane surface.
Frame
One of ten scoring intervals in a game.
Gutter
The channels on either side of the lane.
Handicap
A scoring adjustment that levels the playing field between skill levels.
Headpin
The front pin — the number 1 pin.
Hook
The curved path from the skid phase into the roll phase.
Hook Potential
A rating of how much a ball can curve.
House Shot
The standard oil pattern at most centres for recreational bowling.
Intermediate Differential
Measurement unique to asymmetric cores.
Lane
The 60-foot long, 42-inch wide playing surface.
League
An organised group competing weekly over a season.
Mark
Any frame where all ten pins are knocked down — strike or spare.
Mass Bias
The area on an asymmetric ball where the most concentrated mass exists.
Messenger
A pin knocked sideways that takes out another pin.
Oil Pattern
The specific distribution of conditioner across the lane surface.
Oil Pattern Distance
How far oil extends from the foul line, in feet.
Oil Pattern Volume
Total conditioner applied, measured in millilitres.
Open Frame
A frame where the bowler fails to knock down all ten pins.
Outside Line
A path starting near the edge of the lane angling toward pocket.
PAP (Positive Axis Point)
The point on the ball closest to the bowler's initial axis of rotation.
PBA (Professional Bowlers Association)
The professional tour founded in 1958.
Pearl Coverstock
A coverstock with mica or similar additives in reactive resin.
Pin (Ball Pin)
A coloured dot marking the top of the core.
Pin Action
How effectively pins scatter when struck.
Pin Deck
The area at 60 feet where the ten pins stand.
Pitch
The angle finger and thumb holes are drilled relative to centre.
The ideal target between the 1-3 pins for right-handers.
Polyester
Hard, non-porous coverstock (plastic) with minimal hook.
Pro Shop
Specialised retail with certified ball drillers.
Reactive Hybrid
A coverstock blending solid and pearl reactive materials.
Reactive Pearl
Coverstock with mica additives in reactive resin.
Reactive Solid
Reactive resin with a uniform surface.
Release
The moment the ball leaves the bowler's hand.
Rev Rate
Revolutions per minute the bowler imparts on the ball.
RG (Radius of Gyration)
How mass is distributed inside the ball.
Rule of 31
Formula estimating breakpoint board by subtracting 31 from pattern distance.
Span
The distance between thumb hole and finger holes.
Spare
Knocking down all remaining pins on the second delivery.
Spare Ball
A polyester ball for picking up spares.
Split
A leave where the headpin is down and remaining pins have a gap.
Sport Pattern
A USBC-certified pattern with a ratio under 3:1.
Strike
Knocking down all ten pins on the first delivery.
Stroker
A bowler with smooth, controlled release and moderate rev rate.
Surface Grit
Roughness measured by Abralon pad number.
Symmetric Core
A core with uniform mass distribution around its vertical axis.
Track Area
The zone where most bowlers' balls travel — typically boards 8–15.
Track Burn
Oil depletion in the track area from repeated ball paths.
Transition
Oil pattern breakdown during play.
Turkey
Three consecutive strikes.
Tweener
A style between stroker and cranker.
Urethane
Coverstock providing more friction than polyester but less than reactive.
USBC
United States Bowling Congress — the national governing body in the US.
Weight Block
See Core.