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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• Baby split
  This are the 2-7, 3-10, 4-5, 5-6, 7-8, 8-9, and 9-10 splits.

• Back of hole
  Portion of hole facing away from the center of the grip.

• Backend
  Twenty feet of lane directly preceding the headpin. This is the area of the lane that is not oiled. The oil can move to the backend of the lane due to bowling activity, which is referred to as "no backends". A lane that has "Strong backends" causes balls to hook a considerable amount on its last 20 feet.

• Backup ball
  Style of bowling in which a bowler's release hooks towards the hand which released it. The movement of the ball is from left to right for right-handers and from right to left for left-handers.

• Baker system
  Assigns different bowlers to certain frames, predominately utilized by five-person teams in competition. Player one plays frame one and six, player two frame two and seven and so on.

• Balance hole
  An extra hole placed in the ball to bring a ball back into ABC static balance specifications. The maximum allowable diameter is 1-1/4" for ABC and 1-3/8" for PBA.

• Balk
  An approach without delivery of the ball, so a one or no step approach.

• Ball reaction
  Change in direction of the ball’s path as it travels from foul line to pins.

• Ball track
  Area of the bowling ball that makes contact with the lane surface during its path down the lane. Because of revolving motion, this area is usually in the form of a ring or rings around the ball.

• Ball weights
  A ball may not weigh more than sixteen pounds. Also, in order to get certain effects, weight may be added to certain areas of a bowling ball. However, there are rules as to how much weight is acceptable. In balls which are ten or more pounds, there may only be a three ounce difference between the top and the bottom of the ball and a one ounce difference between the two sides of the balls.