Trick bowling
Encyclopedia
Trick bowling is a form of competitive bowling
in which unusual and difficult custom setups are used. Trick bowling often involves special pin setup, multiple bowling balls, or obstacles placed on the lane.
Trick Bowling has a rich history in bowling leagues across the country, and has more recently become a staple of the world's most popular and largest professional bowling league, the Professional Bowlers Associaion (PBA).
Spinning Ball Spare Conversion: The bowler spins one ball slowly down the lane, and sends a second ball down the lane normally. The second ball is meant to knock down nine pins, while the first slowly spun ball picks up the spare.
Towel Shot: A shot perfected by PBA Legend Norm Duke
. The bowler wraps the ball in a handtowel, and releases it in a slingshot like manner down the lane. This shot is very difficult because the bowler has no fingers in the ball, and it is very difficult to create spin and maintain accuracy.
Multiple Ball Roll: A bowler will take two or more balls in one hand and attempt to knock down as many pins as possible pick up a difficult split
.
Off-hand bowl: The bowler takes the ball and bowls it with his off hand, or the hand he would not normally bowl with. For instance, a right-handed bowler bowling with his or her left hand.
Backwards approach shot: The bowler, facing away from the pins, throws the ball between his legs without looking down the lane.
Marked Shots: The bowler will place a marker on the lane, the most common being a small piece of tape, and the ball must cross over that marker before knocking down the pins.
Reduced finger shots: Instead of putting the normal two fingers and a thumb in the ball, the bowler will use only two, or even one finger in the ball and roll it down the lane trying to knock down the required number of pins, usually a spare pickup.
Prop Shots: A prop shot is where the bowler places an object or person in the lane to create an obstacle for the shot and make it more difficult. The most common props are chairs and people. Chairs are set up in the lane, and the bowler must either bowl over them or through the legs. For people, the most common setup is to bowl through their legs.
Flying Eagle: A variation of the hardest spare pickup in bowling: the 7–10 split
. This shot requires two lanes. The 7 pin is set up in the lane that the bowler throws the ball down, while the 10 pin is set up in the lane to the right. Another pin is set up further up in the lane with the 7 pin. The bowler must hit the lead pin, send it flying into the adjacent lane to knock down the 10 pin, and the ball must continue through and hit the 7 pin.
was well known for his trick bowling. More recently, the PBA brought trick bowling to the national spotlight by creating a trick bowling competition, similar to the All-Star games of other professional sports leagues, the National Basketball Association
, Major League Baseball
, National Football League
, and National Hockey League
. The PBA's trick bowling competition is known as the "skills challenge." Some of the PBA's top bowlers have participated in the competition, including Parker Bohn III
, Norm Duke
, Chris Barnes, Del Ballard, Jr., Wes Malott, Doug Kent, Brian Voss, Danny Wiseman and Chris Johnson.
The format in the skills challenge is like a game of "horse" in basketball. One bowler attempts the trick shot, and his opponent has the chance to match it. If the opponent cannot match the challenger's shot, the challenger gets a point. The first bowler to three points wins.
However, after negative reactions from the fanbase, the format was changed back to head-to-head in the 2007-2008 competition.
2005-2006: Norm Duke
2006-2007: Doug Kent And Danny Wiseman
2007-2008: Chris Barnes
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
in which unusual and difficult custom setups are used. Trick bowling often involves special pin setup, multiple bowling balls, or obstacles placed on the lane.
Trick Bowling has a rich history in bowling leagues across the country, and has more recently become a staple of the world's most popular and largest professional bowling league, the Professional Bowlers Associaion (PBA).
Popular trick shots
30-Pin Strike: As opposed to the standard 10-pin bowling setup, the lane is set up with 30 pins in the same triangular formation as the standard 10-pin setup.Spinning Ball Spare Conversion: The bowler spins one ball slowly down the lane, and sends a second ball down the lane normally. The second ball is meant to knock down nine pins, while the first slowly spun ball picks up the spare.
Towel Shot: A shot perfected by PBA Legend Norm Duke
Norm Duke
Norm Duke is an American professional bowler currently on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. He has bowled 58 perfect 300 games in PBA competition, including the 15th televised 300 game in PBA Tour history on January 5, 2003....
. The bowler wraps the ball in a handtowel, and releases it in a slingshot like manner down the lane. This shot is very difficult because the bowler has no fingers in the ball, and it is very difficult to create spin and maintain accuracy.
Multiple Ball Roll: A bowler will take two or more balls in one hand and attempt to knock down as many pins as possible pick up a difficult split
Split (ten pin bowling)
A split is a situation in ten pin bowling in which the first ball of a frame knocks down the headpin but leaves standing two or more non-adjacent groups of one or more pins...
.
Off-hand bowl: The bowler takes the ball and bowls it with his off hand, or the hand he would not normally bowl with. For instance, a right-handed bowler bowling with his or her left hand.
Backwards approach shot: The bowler, facing away from the pins, throws the ball between his legs without looking down the lane.
Marked Shots: The bowler will place a marker on the lane, the most common being a small piece of tape, and the ball must cross over that marker before knocking down the pins.
Reduced finger shots: Instead of putting the normal two fingers and a thumb in the ball, the bowler will use only two, or even one finger in the ball and roll it down the lane trying to knock down the required number of pins, usually a spare pickup.
Prop Shots: A prop shot is where the bowler places an object or person in the lane to create an obstacle for the shot and make it more difficult. The most common props are chairs and people. Chairs are set up in the lane, and the bowler must either bowl over them or through the legs. For people, the most common setup is to bowl through their legs.
Flying Eagle: A variation of the hardest spare pickup in bowling: the 7–10 split
Split (ten pin bowling)
A split is a situation in ten pin bowling in which the first ball of a frame knocks down the headpin but leaves standing two or more non-adjacent groups of one or more pins...
. This shot requires two lanes. The 7 pin is set up in the lane that the bowler throws the ball down, while the 10 pin is set up in the lane to the right. Another pin is set up further up in the lane with the 7 pin. The bowler must hit the lead pin, send it flying into the adjacent lane to knock down the 10 pin, and the ball must continue through and hit the 7 pin.
Trick bowling at the professional level
In the days before the PBA's existence, Andy VaripapaAndy Varipapa
Andy Varipapa was a professional and trick bowler. Varipapa became famous around the world for his trick bowling shots....
was well known for his trick bowling. More recently, the PBA brought trick bowling to the national spotlight by creating a trick bowling competition, similar to the All-Star games of other professional sports leagues, the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. The PBA's trick bowling competition is known as the "skills challenge." Some of the PBA's top bowlers have participated in the competition, including Parker Bohn III
Parker Bohn III
Parker Morse Bohn III is a left-handed American professional bowler and has been a member of the Professional Bowlers Association since 1984. He currently ranks sixth all-time with 32 career PBA titles, and has earned over $2.7 million in PBA events—good for fourth on the all-time list...
, Norm Duke
Norm Duke
Norm Duke is an American professional bowler currently on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. He has bowled 58 perfect 300 games in PBA competition, including the 15th televised 300 game in PBA Tour history on January 5, 2003....
, Chris Barnes, Del Ballard, Jr., Wes Malott, Doug Kent, Brian Voss, Danny Wiseman and Chris Johnson.
The format in the skills challenge is like a game of "horse" in basketball. One bowler attempts the trick shot, and his opponent has the chance to match it. If the opponent cannot match the challenger's shot, the challenger gets a point. The first bowler to three points wins.
Changes in format
In the 2006-2007 Skills Challenge, the format changed from a head-to-head style competition to a team-based competition, with teams of two. This added a new dynamic to the competition, because partners could bowl together and create more difficult shots.However, after negative reactions from the fanbase, the format was changed back to head-to-head in the 2007-2008 competition.
PBA Skills Challenge Champions
2004-2005: Chris Barnes2005-2006: Norm Duke
Norm Duke
Norm Duke is an American professional bowler currently on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. He has bowled 58 perfect 300 games in PBA competition, including the 15th televised 300 game in PBA Tour history on January 5, 2003....
2006-2007: Doug Kent And Danny Wiseman
2007-2008: Chris Barnes