The Game » Glossary

Here you can find a glossary of bowlingterms sorted by alphabet. You can choose a letter of the alphabet by clicking on one of the letters in the menu below. He and his should be read as 'he and his or she and her' throughout this glossary.

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• Apple
  Term for a bowlingball. Also known as 'rock'.

• Approach
  Section of the lane situated behind foulline which allows one to pick up momentum before delivery. Also known as 'runway'.

• Arc
  Ball path from the foulline to the headpin that does not have a sharp, defined break point.

• Armadillo
  Clear plastic device for determining a bowler's positive axis point. Device has a series of lines on it, which are matched up to a bowler's initial track. When the device is aligned with the ball track, the device points to the bowler's axis point.

• Arrows
  Marks implanted in the lane which begin approximately fifteen feet past the foul line that serve as reference points when directing the ball.

• Axis of rotation
  Imaginary line, perpendicular to the track, along which a bowling ball rotates around during it’s path down the lane. A zero degree axis of rotation is all forward roll. The rotation on the ball is in the direction of the forward travel. The rotation will help keep the ball in the initial direction. The ball will not hook very much. It will roll out early. Therefore, a bowler with this style will need balls drilled to go long. A 90-degree axis of rotation is all side roll. The rotation is perpendicular to the initial direction. The rotation is trying to make the ball hook at a 90-degree angle to the initial direction. This gives the ball more potential to hook. This style causes the ball to skid further down the lane and then hook more. A bowler with this style will most likely need balls drilled to hook earlier, such as axis weight or pins closer to their axis.

• Axis point
  One of two points located on opposite poles marking the endpoints of the axis of rotation.

• Axis rotation
  The degree that the bowler’s axis of rotated in the horizontal plane towards the bowler at release.

• Axis tilt
  Angle between axis of rotation and the horizontal plane caused by the bowler at the release, represents an angle of the axis of rotation above a horizontal line through the middle of the ball. A full roller or high track style would have little or no axis tilt. The axis of rotation would be parallel or close to parallel with the lane surface. One rotation of the ball would cover the major diameter of the ball. A spinner would have an axis of rotation tilted up from the lane. The ball track would be far away from the thumb and finger holes. One rotation of the ball would cover a much smaller diameter then other bowlers. The spinner style will get the ball further down the lane before it hooks.

• Axis weight
  Axis weight is a drilling pattern designed to produce little or no track flare and get the ball into an early roll with little backend reaction. Axis weight has the pin located on or near the bowler's PAP. The weight block is positioned so that it’s mass is evenly distributed around the axis of rotation. This places the weight block in a stable position. The ball will be initially rotating about the minimum RG axis, which is a stable weight block position. Therefore, it will continue to rotate about this axis creating no track flare. This reduces the backend reaction. Since the ball is rotating about the low RG axis it is easier for the bowler to rotate it off their hand which gets the ball into an earlier roll.