Bowling Etiquette

[mb600]

After reading the discussion on sandbagging in bowling i thought i would start one on bowling etiquette.

At my local bowling alley we have just one common courtesy that we tell every bowler in a league.

And that is when someone is up on the approach ready to bowl a ball then whoever is waiting for their turn on either lane next to them has to wait until the person has bowled their ball down the lane before they can get up on the approach to have their turn.

Also when you have bowled your ball down the lane and subseqeuntly wait for it to come back, you must stand off the approach and let any other bowler who is waiting to bowl have their turn.

These are just a couple of comon sense rules that we have at our local bowling alley, but last night however during my league night on two different occasions, 2 bowlers obviously didnt remember either of these bits on information.

On the first occasion i had just got up on the approach to have my turn when the bowler on the lane next to me stepped up on the approach next to me and was about to have his turn when i stepped off my approach in a pretty foul mood as he should have waited until i had my turn before he set foot on the approach.

The second occasion i was on the same approach when another bowler from the same team next to me got up on the approach and was about to have his go when he suddenly realised that i was already on the approach with my ball in my hand and ready to let it go down the lane. I very quietly said to this bowler "Please get off the approach and wait for me to have my go".

I'm sure some of you have had this happen to you.

Although neither of these ocassions put me off last night it did leave feeling a little disappointed that some people forgota basic form of common courtesy when it comes to giving way to other bowlers.

To put all of this in a short scenario: If i was waiting to bowl on LANE 3 and someone on LANE 4 was already up on the approach and ready to bowl then i would have to wait for them to have their go, the same thing would apply if another bowler was on LANE 2 ready to bowl.

Hopefully you can understand what i have written down.

Let me know what you think.

 

[Zac K]

Hi Matthew,

I totally understand what what you are saying, the thing is in most leagues there are a variety of bowlers (bowlers that just want to have fun, bowlers trying to improve their game and 'high-performance' bowlers who bowl in tournaments).

I think that you should take up the matter with your league secretary. I have had to do this once and the problem was resolved straight away, it was just plain and simply that the bowler didn't know the common courtesy rules for tenpin bowling.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Zac Krebbekx

 

[Andrew K]

personally i encourge people to do that while i'm bowling or at times when i go to practice i'll bowl admist the screaming social kids, its very good for teaching you to focus and concentrate on your target not what others are doing, i know some league bowlers don't like it though. Personally i don't have a problem with someone walking up on the lanes and bowling even if i'm on their right and have right or way the only thing i stress is not to lane walk if they want to walk up as i may well go through them if i've already commited to the shot

 

[Straight_kut]

I thought it was a fairly universal thing across all bowling centres you give way 1 lane on each side. And to stay off the approach while waiting for your ball to return between 1st and 2nd shots.

 

[mb600]

I might have opened up a can of worms so to speak.

The reason i started this discussion is when i started bowling as a junior, i was always taught to give way to another bowler who was on the lane next to you and about to have their turn.

This was emphasised pretty strongly during tournaments, if you bowled your ball down the lane whilst someone was next to you ready to have their go they usually had some pretty strong words to say to you when you finished your go, others really didnt matter.

to be fair to the 2 bowlers who jumped ahead of me on Monday night they are fairly new to our league so as long as they dont keep on doing it every week i'll cut them some slack

A majority of the bowlers in my league are really good when it comes to giving way to others.

Please dont get the impression from me that im having a whinge.

I'm only bringing up a discussion about a certain aspect of bowling that some people probably dont know about.

It doesnt bother me so much when im at the bowling alley having a practice since i look at myself as a social bowler when im not bowling on a league night.

 

[Andrew K]

we are taught to give way, but many leagues you bowl in you'll get people who don't give way so we teach our juniors to ignore it so they are better equiped to deal with it when it happens during league or competitions, and that way when people have a spat on the lanes our kids normally don't let it get to them.

 

[jockey]

The only thing I question is having to wait until they have actually released the ball before stepping on the approach. With the time some people take to actually do this their would be some bowlers bringing sleeping bags to their league nights honestly.

Most league bowlers simply wait until the person has started his approach. Their may be times say in beginner leagues where you may wait until a bowler has delivered the ball until they get use of the bolwing etiquette dynamics but other than that I find that simply waiting to they have started their approach is courtesy enough.

 

[mannah]

You should really wait until they have finished their shot. What happens if they stop during their approach (ie feet wrong) or even worse if they slip and fall over onto your lane. Could have some very nasty consequences and it would be your fault in failing to wait until they had completed their shot before starting yours (as per TBA rules). Ok to stand on the approach ready to bowl while they are completing their shot but I don't think you should move until they are finished. It is very annoying when you have just finished your shot and start to move off the lane to be almost hit by the bowler next to you rushing into their shot.

 

[gjelectrics1]

You should really wait until they have finished their shot. What happens if they stop during their approach (ie feet wrong) or even worse if they slip and fall over onto your lane. Could have some very nasty consequences and it would be your fault in failing to wait until they had completed their shot before starting yours (as per TBA rules). Ok to stand on the approach ready to bowl while they are completing their shot but I don't think you should move until they are finished. It is very annoying when you have just finished your shot and start to move off the lane to be almost hit by the bowler next to you rushing into their shot.

Is starting your shot when you start to move or when you step on to the approach? What I find very annoying is when you are just setting on the approach and the bowler next to you stand at the start of the approach with one or both of their feet on it

 

[jockey]

In most cases you get to know the habits of bowlers you are bowling with. If you are noticing people on the approach when you are getting up then politely ask them to wait until you have moved off on the approach before they step onto it as you have a right to this courtesy.

Bowling etiquette also asks that you return from the foul line towards the ball return immediately after the gate has declared your pinfall. If you are following this then you should never be at risk of being collected by someone on an adjoining approach.

From time to time people may fall on the approach but you don't stop going to the beach just because there may be sharks now do you! What I mean is these are exceptional circumstances like accidents that can't be avoided. If you have a stable approach then you will be able to deal with this scenario if and when it happens take it from someone who has done so.

Extend to others the courtesy you expect them to extend to you and you can't go wrong.

 

[Bec__x.]

Im glad someone brought this up..

it`s really annoying, especially when you get to bowling near someone that isn`t new to league bowling, Last night, i was bowling in league, and one of the guys on my lanes got up and bowled when i was already up on the approch, so like everyone, i stepped back and chucked my ball back down on the return and gave this guy daggers... You would think that they would know better then that, obviously not.


It`s really really annoying, when you book a pre-bowl, for a league. And you get put next to social bowlers with littler kids. Sometimes that`s the only place left.. but sometimes it`s not, and then it get`s annoying.
fair enough they are little kids, but you would think that the parent`s would have the sense and courtesy to ask their kids to sit down when it`s not their go..

The first thing i was taught, not so much in bumpers but in junior`s was the "give way rule" i`m still a junior, but i bowl in an adult league with "high preformance bowlers" and omg so help you if you didn`t give way..

thats just my opinion...

 

[CHIN]

In most cases you get to know the habits of bowlers you are bowling with. If you are noticing people on the approach when you are getting up then politely ask them to wait until you have moved off on the approach before they step onto it as you have a right to this courtesy.

Surely if you notice people already on the approach as you are getting up, those people already have the right to expect you to give way.

If I was already on the approach preparing to bowl when someone was getting out of there chair, & that someone asked me to wait until they had bowled that someone would politely get asked to p.i.s.s. off.

 

[rpac23]

I'm guilty of starting my shot before the person on the next lane finishes theirs. It's just something I never realised really. I think I could have knocked over a female bowler a few weeks ago if I had gotten up alittle earlier too. LoL. Since that day, I think i'll let them turn back around at least instead of having them see a blur fly past them.

Some leagues or tournaments want a 2 lanes give way, personally I dont think that should be done, but if its on play, ill respect it.

Many times I have had bowlers step up or reach for their gear on the ball return while I prepair for my shot. I think they should wait untill i'm past the ball return before they proceed to grab their gear. It's very annoying having to see hands moving around in the corner of your eye.

 

[bny800]

i tend to set up whilst the bowler next to me os in their shot past the ball return , then wait for them to fionsih because alot of bowlers ive seen carry on a bit sometime and end up on the lanes next to them

although there is some time where u jump ahead a bit due to the fella next to u kissing his ball or some **** for like 5 mins everytime

 

[Bec__x.]

There is some chick in one of my leagues
and she tends to ride the lanes...
it`s quite annoying..
one night i wasn`t expecting it.. she rode the lane in front of me, just as i was getting ready to deliver my shot.. what would have happened if i was a couple of steps into my shot, and she had done that..
i have spoken to the coach of the league, and all the coach has done has talked to her,

what would you do if you were in that situation..
because its really starting me peeve me off.

cheers,

 

[Straight_kut]

There is some chick in one of my leagues
and she tends to ride the lanes...
it`s quite annoying..
one night i wasn`t expecting it.. she rode the lane in front of me, just as i was getting ready to deliver my shot.. what would have happened if i was a couple of steps into my shot, and she had done that..
i have spoken to the coach of the league, and all the coach has done has talked to her,
what would you do if you were in that situation..
because its really starting me peeve me off.
cheers,

Wait til she has completed her shot and on her way back before you step on the approach.. let her do her thing.

Dont let it get to you, its probably why she does it to try and affect the person on the lane next to her.

Show some patience

 

[Bec__x.]

i will try that friday night
=)

thanks heaps

 

[KnuckleHead]

There is some chick in one of my leagues
and she tends to ride the lanes...
it`s quite annoying..
one night i wasn`t expecting it.. she rode the lane in front of me, just as i was getting ready to deliver my shot.. what would have happened if i was a couple of steps into my shot, and she had done that..
i have spoken to the coach of the league, and all the coach has done has talked to her,
what would you do if you were in that situation..
because its really starting me peeve me off.
cheers,

I wouldn't let it get to you but i would wait but if you in your approach i would keep going cause u got a rythem going and if you hit her well thats her bad luck not yours. It happened 1 night in league on a Saturday Night few years back i keeped my approach going and happen to hit the kid in my swing and then the mum started yelling me was a funny moment cause i said well maybe if you control you son it wouldn't happened mind you they where bowling on lane 7 and i was bowling on 16.
I would try not to let it bother you.

 

[mb600]

Well tonight during my league, the same person who jumped ahead of me last week went and did the same thing again tonight to one of the other members of my team and also to someone else on the team who was bowling on the 2 lanes next to us.

The person from the other team came over and politely told this bloke that when someone is on the approach ready to bowl you should give way to them.

Needless to say this guy wasnt very happy about it at all.
His response was why should he have to give way to someone from another team who he wasnt bowling against directly.

I'll admit when he tried to jump ahead of me last week i didnt say anything directly to his face as i didnt want to come across as horrible person and also i thought that since he was a new bowler to our league I should cut him some slack.

But the president of our league told me that it was one of the courtesy rules that our league adopted a couple of years ago.

And that was if a bowler is for example up on the approach of lane 3 ready to bowl then the person on Lane 4 should wait until the bowler on lane 3 has had their turn before they can have theirs. Same applies if a person is ready to bowl on lane 2.

Some people might think this is a bit unfair but its just an act of simple courtesy.

Another silly thing this same team in question did tonight was at the end of the second game they had all finished their second game and had already pressed END OF GAME and PLAY before my team had finished our second game.

Again this was a simple courtesy rule that we adopted because too many teams in the past were pressing END OF GAME and PLAY before the other team finished their game.

I should point out that my team did win the second of the 3 games tonight, so i didnt matter to much in the end that the other team did what they did.

But common sense would have told them dont press END OF GAME & PLAY until the other team finishes.

I notified the league president of this and he told me that it is a simple matter of what i have already mentioned before "it's a simple common courtesy rule" not to press END OF GAME & PLAY until both teams finish a game.

In regards to the issue with giving way to other bowlers, I was definitely told that if a bowler is up on the approach then the person who is waiting to bowl must give way.

some of you might disagree with that but, In just about every tournament i have bowled in we have been told the same thing that i have already mentioned in this post that you should give way to other bowlers.

If anyone disagrees with what i have said, I respect your opinion after all we are all entitled to express them.

 

[CHIN]

Bec,

The smart thing to do would be like someone else said, wait until she has done her thing & finished her acrobatics on the lane.
But if contact for some reason is unavoidable make sure you hit her hard. The harder you hit her the less likely it will be she'll do it again.