Learning to Bowl
Many people enjoy ten pin bowling as it is something that they can do with their kids at the weekend. However it is also played competitively and there are several leagues around the UK. These leagues take the game of bowling very seriously and competitors will often wear bowling shirts embroidered with their own name or the name of their team. If you enjoy ‘playing for fun’ and you fancy yourself as a bowling ‘expert’ then it is worth getting involved, if only to find out how to play properly!
Open to Everyone
Whether you are able bodied or disabled, tenpin bowling is something that can be learnt and enjoyed by everyone, even on a competitive level. Players who have a visual impairment can still play in a competitive league but do so via their local bowling alley. They can even communicate their results by post meaning there is no need to travel. Bowlers who are wheelchair users can use a special device called an IKAN bowler so that they are totally in control of the bowling ball. The specially designed ramp attaches to a wheelchair while a parabolic bowling arm helps the ball to go down the lane as the direction of the ball is controlled by the brakes on the wheelchair.
Bowling Competitively
The British Tenpin Bowling Association (BTBA) is a national association to promote the sport of ten pin bowling in Great Britain and to represent the interests of British ten pin bowling in the rest of the world. The sport is being considered for inclusion in the programme for the 2020 Olympic Games and the BTBA has been at the forefront of that campaign.
If you are keen to learn how to bowl or to play competitively then the BTBA runs the national league which is divided into teams in the North and South of the country meaning that there is bound to be one near you. They also organise a UK championship as well as supporting youth development of the game. Participating in ten pin bowling on a competitive level means having the right equipment, most of which is typically available from stores like www.petesproshop.co.uk.
Even if you think you know how to bowl, if it is something you enjoy then there are always things you could learn from getting involved with a local bowling team.
