Let's Go Bowling (1955)

[Music] e [Music] [Music] the [Music] [Applause] [Music] e maybe you've never been in a bowling establishment before or perhaps you have and it wasn't this kind of place the carefully supervised kind that millions of discriminating Bowlers take for granted today in the approved places where bowling is best You'll Always Find a healthful wholesome family environment maybe you're afraid to try to learn to ball it's really really quite simple actually every person has the makings of a good bowler anybody can Master the fundamentals of the game and with consistent practice become competent at it how can you know for sure just look at the amazing variety among Bowlers every size age kind breed and class from all walks of life every type imaginable 20 million men women and children in America are regular Bowlers they make the game our country's most popular participating sport bowling is a healthful recreation that the whole family can take part in and enjoy together all year round if so many millions of folks of every possible description can and do bowl and get so much fun out of it it's a cinch you can learn to bowl and enjoy it [Music] too first thing you have to do is change to bowling shoes Street shoes are not allowed on the lanes hey Peg let's get a move on they won't hold that Lane Forest forever oh why don't you three go ahead and bowl without me I'll have more fun just watching hey what kind of talk is that Bowlings is snap Peg you'll see it's fun come on let's live it up a little nothing to it we'll teach you all you have to know on 2 minutes flat once we get out there that is come on Peg let's give it a whir we'll never know till we try that's the spirit we'll have both you bowling like champions in no time at all lives there a bowler of any degree who doesn't fancy himself an expert especially when it comes to giving advice about the [Music] [Laughter] game every member of the bowling Proprietors Association provides a complete assortment of top quality bowling balls for your use if you bowl regularly it's advisable and more convenient to own your personal ball and shoes see the deskman if you wish to buy them he's set up to fit you quickly and [Music] accurately [Music] [Laughter] the main idea is to knock down all 10 pins with one roll of your ball do that and you've got a [Music] strike oh oh too bad we know not warmed up yet when your first roll doesn't get all the pins you bowl the same ball again to complete your turn if all pins are down after the second roll you've scored a spare otherwise your turn is scored as an error and it's the next bowler's turn to take a crack at all 10 pins these two regular could use some instruction instead of trying to give it if they could bowl like they can alibi what stars they'd [Music] be [Music] there must be an easier way to learn to ball there sure is the first time you go bowling tell the deskman right off the bat that you've never bowled before if you're in a place that belongs to the bowling Proprietors Association he'll see to it that you get some expert coaching it doesn't have to be like this this is learning to Bow the hard way and you develop bad bowling habits in the process [Music] what an alibi artist the bowlers lament a sad sad song indeed enough's enough what's say we knock it off and start all over [Music] again let's just imagine that our little party is joined by two of the ablest bowlers and and bowling teachers of all time Ned day and Maran lwig of course you don't have to have personal coaching from famous professionals to learn to bowl or improve your game your nearest bowling Proprietors Association member can provide you with good bowling instruction but let's see how Marian lwig and Ned day go about it when you take your ball from the return rack put your palms on the exposed sides and lift up any other way you risk getting your fingers painfully pinched the first principle of good bowling is a confident comfortable grip in a well-fitting ball most Bowlers use the popular three-finger grip thumb and two middle fingers in the ball with the other fingers comfortably spread Not Bent nor curled under in a well-fitting ball the holes permit free and easy thumb and finger movement with the thumb in its hole the middle joints of the fingers should be over the inner edges of the finger holes the key to good bowling is timing the coordination of footwork and arm swing in the approach and delivery timing can make or break a bowler smooth rhythmic footwork is fundamental let's take the basic four-step approach just the footwork right-handed Bowlers step off with the right foot left handers with the Left Foot Right Left Right and slide on the left okay let's take it again this time at a leisurely normal walking pace 1 2 3 slide don't be afraid to get down close to the floor in that slide being comfortable and relaxed are essential to good bowling the main point is to make the approach with an easy unhurried rhythmic walk speed is not necessary hey take it easy boy unhurried remember don't charge in your approach just use a nice normal walking pace your slide must always end short of the foul line if you step on the foul line or over it you're penalized a few practice approaches will show you where to start from it depends on the length of steps you take your stance must be relaxed and feel natural for you but be precise too comfortable but not casual a correct stance is essential to good coordination in your approach when you take your stance check yourself on these points body almost direct leaning a bit forward shoulders and hips square with your line of approach eyes fixed on your target knees bent slightly with your weight equally distributed on both feet which are comfortably set no more than a few inches apart toes pointing at your target starting foot slightly behind the other hold the ball directly in front of you anywhere between belt high and shoulder high at a comfortable distance from your body with a Ball's weight supported mostly by your non-bowling hand that's got it Gal A Mighty lovely stance the push away starts the arm swing whatever height you hold the ball push straight out whoop not like that never upward push it straight out away from you straight out to full arms length let the ball's own weight start it downward and swing it like an easygoing pendulum there's no need to Strongarm the ball it's momentum carries it to the top of the back swing its weight sends it through the forward swing you don't have to force the ball nor throw it after you push away let your ball do the work good bowling does not depend on physical strength now let's coordinate the timing of arm swing and footwork the push away is the trigger of the approach push away and takeoff start simultaneously this is the key to good timing watch it in slow motion now ball and foot start together the ball moves through to the top of the back swing at the end of the next to last step so the forward Swing and Slide begin simultaneously the end of the slide and the release occur together this is the explosion point that gives authority to a good bowler's delivery let's take the slide and release again the forward Swing and Slide start together as the foot stops and the Hand starts the upswing the thumb and then the fingers slip out of the ball watch that again the ball is not thrown the hand simply lets it slide away as the arm swings up look at that follow through the development of a a good follow through is neglected by far too many Bowlers yet the effective value of an excellent approach can be cancelled by a poor follow through when you follow through let your arm swing up until it's reaching for the Target be sure your arm is reaching for the Target when your follow through ends here's the follow through again arm reaching for the Target eyes aiming steadily all helping to direct the ball now let's take a close look at our Target 10 big fat pins just asking for it the numbers on these pins designate the pin spots ordinarily the spot number does not appear on the PIN for right-handed Bowers the strike Target is the 13 pocket the bowler's primary aim is to fit the ball neatly into the strike pocket the straight ball and the hook ball are the two types most commonly bowled the straight ball is easier to handle and guide until a bit more experience and control are acquired it's held with the thumb on top aiming at the Target and released with no twist nor lift the straight ball is bowled from almost the corner of the lane on a straight line to the Target this is the straight ball path the hook ball starts closer to mid lane travels almost straight until it nears the pins then hooks into the target after you master the straight ball you can develop your hook ball most experts prefer it the hook ball is bowled with the V formed by the thumb and forefinger in line with the right shoulder and aiming at the Target this hand position helps put a natural English on the ball when it's released causing it to hook let's watch the hook ball release in slow motion the lifting action of the upswinging fingertips leaving the side of the ball imparts the English or hook action the hook ball enters the pocket from a wider angle causing less ball deflection and more mixing action in the pins that's why the experts prefer it there are two popular aiming methods Pin bowling and spot bowling in Pin bowling you keep your eye fixed on the pins and aim directly at them pinballing is best for beginners it's natural to look and aim at the object one's trying to hit spot polling presumes that a closer Target is easier to hit we'll use this one to demonstrate spot bowling also assumes you've mastered a uniform approach your footwork has to start and stop at the same point each time you pick a spot where you know if you bowl exactly over it you'll hit the pins you're after after to spot bowl a strike ball most Bowlers use this built-in spot right here each time you bowl you fix your eyes on the spot not the pins and aim to bowl over it the exact location of the spot varies with a bowler with practice and experience you simply pick out a spot that works best for you whether you pinball or spot Bowl use a straight ball or hook ball the main thing is to fit that ball neatly into the strike [Music] [Applause] pocket [Music] [Applause] of course every bowler even a star faces a lot of spares consistent spare shooting is what builds a bowler's average making or missing a spare or two can win or lose a match concentrate as hard on a spare as you do on a strike harder maybe the stars have a motto make sure you get your spares the strikes will take care of themselves spares are shot from three basic angles one is the five pin angle it's bold from almost center lane just about like a strike use this five pin angle for all middle alley spares then there's the seven pin angle bold from the right right corner of the lane cross alley to the left the seven pin angle is used on all left of Lane spares and there's the 10 pin angle from the left corner cross alley to the right this 10 pin angle is for all right side spares the cross alley idea is fundamental shoot all off-center spares from the opposite corner of the lane hold it a moment there this is a right side spare so you start from left of center angle your body to face the spare shoulders square with it walk straight toward it P cross alley and follow through on the same line that's the way to do it a left side spare this time start from the opposite corner facing the spare cross alley shoulders square with it walk directly at it and follow through on the same angle nice coin and here's a middle alley spare she bows it almost center lane from about her normal strike shooting position bowling is easy when you apply a few simple fundamentals that anybody can Master after you've learned the fundamentals further Improvement comes only with consistent practice on a regular schedule nothing can take the place of practice for increasing your bowling [Music] skill the once a week League bowler should get at least twice a week practice between League sessions if he wants to up his [Music] average about two and a half million of America's Bowlers are small pin enthusiasts duck Pin bowling is the most popular of the small ball small pin varieties of the game most of the fundamentals are the same in all varieties of bowling in the small ball games you use the same basic approach of course the small ball requires a different grip and release the ball is held the same natural way you pick it up off the rack you grip it with the fingers and thumb it does not rest in the palm of the hand it is held equally balanced in both hands slow motion now watch the release of the ball it rolls off the fingertips with no Twist of the wrist here's the release again straight off the fingertips the back of the hand parallel with the floor in Duck pins the beginner should bowl a straight ball cross alley to the strike pocket many Duckpin experts B b a brake ball it's rolled down the middle of the lane the brake ball is effective but it's not for beginners too tricky be sure you're proficient with a cross alley straight ball before you try to ball the break ball when you've mastered the fundamentals increasing your duck pin average is strictly a matter of regular frequent practice and more practice to get the most possible enjoyment out of your bowling by all means join a team and Bowl in a league see the desk man for information about this nothing can top the excitement and satisfaction of being a regular competing in team play there are certain points of etiquette you should observe simple courtesies of the game toward your fellow Bowlers arrive early and be prepared to start on time and throughout the game be ready to bowl whenever it's your turn never interfere in any way with another bowler especially the one on the lane to your right if he's taken his stance don't do anything that might distract him let him bow before you proceed when you get a bad break don't lose your temper you spoil the game for others and your own bowling suffers after you've bowled quickly get back out of the way and be sure you stay on your own approach path everyone can enjoy the rich satisfactions that bowling offers it's a friendly family sport that anybody can fit into it's a Daytime Nighttime yearr round participating sport that offers more steady wholesome Recreation to more people than any other 20 million regular Bowlers confirm this bowling gives you all the benefits of consistent healthful exercise without strain so you can enjoy it all the years of your life [Music] [Applause] la oh