Chapter 9. For the Ladies

Thanks to the ladies, bowling has become a family game. Years ago, it was a game strictly for men to enjoy, because bowling alleys were places in which women and girls could hardly afford to be seen.

Poorly lighted and poorly ventilated, equipped with a goodly supply of cuspidors and shady characters, and located in dingy basements, the alleys were anything but inviting.

The entrance of the first good-sized contingent of feminine bowlers into the game was the signal for a tremendous change. Owners and operators of bowling establishments realized that to attract this desirable element they would have to clean up and police their premises. Out went the cuspidors and the seedy characters-incame modernistic furnishings and illumination. Later came air conditioning. And now proprietors are vying with each other to outdo themselves in erecting splendid palaces for the sport.

It was a wonderful thing for the women, too. Those who had been sitting at bridge tables day after day suddenly discovered that they could get a fine type of exercise which would allow them to keep their trim figures without effort. The thrill of real competition was furnished to many of them for the first time in their lives.

Any fears that they might have had that the game was too strenuous were disproved by the performance of such mites as Allie Brandt, the 122-pound kegler with the 886 series rolled with a ball no faster than that rolled by a woman. Girls weighing just over 100 pounds began shooting 200 games. Obviously, brute strength was not a necessity and, in fact, often proved to be a hindrance.

The ladies are coming up fast in the bowling game now, and why shouldn't they? When you analyze it, the sport is a natural one for them, for it puts a premium on smoothness, gracefulness and rhythm, with which the average woman is born. We have already pointed out that mere brawn has no advantage in the game, for excessive speed and power are actually a detriment rather than a help.

Getting started correctly is far more important to the ladies than to the men. Men, as a rule, have more powerful muscles which enable them to control the ball despite poor footwork and timing, something that the average woman beginner cannot do. If she should get started wrong, it is far more difficult for her to improve.

CHOOSING A BALL

To begin with, a woman should determine for herself the weight of the ball she can control-one that she can handle without dropping, or getting excessively tired, especially in the final game of a series.

True, many women can, and do, handle a limit-weight 16-pound ball with ease, but others, due to weaker wrists, or because of their size or the work they do, must choose one of lighter weight.

After you have bowled for some time and have become familiar with the fundamentals of the game, you will find that you can handle a heavier ball, because a proper delivery makes the ball seem lighter.

A heavier ball tends to increase your accuracy and improve your average, but that is true only when it is handled without effort. Bowling balls range in weight from 10 to 16 pounds. You might begin at any weight over 10, and work to perfect your timing and footwork, so that when your delivery is at the point where you feel it is "grooved" and the ball seems to be too light, you can graduate to a ball of more weight.

Marion Ladewig, three consecutive times champion of the world. Mrs. Ladewig is from Grand Rapids, Michigan

The question of how many finger holes the ball should have is debatable where men are concerned but not with women. I would say that 99 per cent of the ladies would be better off using a three-fingered ball. Once in a great while we find a girl who can handle effectively the two-fingered type, but this is quite the exception. I advise the three-fingered variety.

The reason for this is quite simple. When you use a three-fingered ball, you support a weight of 16 pounds or close to that with your two fingers and thumb. In using a two-fingered ball, you are forcing one finger to do the work of two in lifting. Men, possessed of stronger fingers and muscles, can do this fairly well, but for an overwhelming percentage of women bowlers, it is exceedingly inadvisable. The strain put upon them by the two-fingered grip is tremendous, especially after they have bowled several games.

FOOTWORK

Let's consider the matter of footwork. For the average woman bowler, I do not recommend a three-step delivery, because she cannot get enough body into her delivery and, as a result, her right arm and shoulder have to do all the work. She gets tired, the ball gets away from her, her accuracy suffers, and she becomes a little discouraged.

I recommend a four-step delivery for women. If you should happen to be the short or petite type, perhaps five steps would be advisable, because of the additional momentum you can gain with the added step. It does happen occasionally that a large, powerful woman can use a three-step delivery, but even she probably would be better off with four or five steps.

If you have a backup, eliminate it. You can use either a "lift" action or roll a ball with a natural hook. You will become consistent quicker if you get away from the backup delivery entirely, and you will tire less easily.

Good timing is even more essential for women than for men. The latter, being heavier, have better balance at the foul line. Women, especially in the learning stage, frequently tend to get off balance at the line. With better timing, you have more natural speed without effort, you are more graceful, and your delivery is smoother. You look better and feel better all around. You tire less quickly, and your fingers and wrists do not become sore or strained as they do with poor timing. So work hard on that phase of your game.

COMMON FAULTS

I have listed below some of the more common faults of women bowlers and the reasons for them.

Not enough backswing.

It seems the ladies are afraid of dropping the ball in back of them, or of hitting their legs with the ball, or having the ball pull them off balance. They also fear that they will thump the ball onto the alley, or that their thumbs and fingers will not slip out of the ball.

Going to the foul line too fast.

Many women, because they feel that the spectators' eyes are on them, try to "get out of the spotlight" and have it over with, so they race up to the foul line. Others think that they must run fast to give speed to the ball. But going too fast causes them to "throw" the ball, thus forcing them to finish out of position and off balance.

Trying to bowl unnaturally.

This means trying to release the ball at the foul line without bending, trying to take big steps out of all proportion to one's natural stride (for example, big steps for a small girl), or trying to throw a hard, fast ball when one's size or strength does not warrant it.

Releasing the ball behind the foul line.

This usually results from improper timing, or perhaps because the ball may be too heavy and is released before the player actually intends that it should be.

Playing strike or spare shots from wrong angles.

For example, a right-handed bowler bowling from the left side or a backup bowler bowling straight down the middle; shooting the 10-pin from the right side or the 7-pin from the left (trying to "ride the last board" all the way down on either of these shots).

Lack of a good pushaway.

Many feminine bowlers fail at the very start because, instead of pushing the ball outward and away from them when they put the ball in motion on the first step, they allow the ball to drop almost directly downward. Thus they get a jerky start with little or no chance to build up a proper backswing.

Not going to the foul line in a direct line.

Because of the weight of the ball, many of the fair sex allow themselves to be pulled out of the direct line of approach. They zigzag.

Improving your timing and footwork, to the point where the ball feels lighter to you, will do the most toward overcoming this fault.

Allowing the ball to pull the right shoulder out of line.

This is much more common with the ladies than with the men. When the right shoulder is pulled back out of line, the body is turned sidewise, which almost always results in a poor finishing position and a loss of accuracy. Keep your shoulders squared to the target at all times.

Not throwing a fast enough ball.

The average woman can use more speed. I don't mean that I expect her to use a cannonball delivery, but certainly there is a little more action that can be gained at the pin end than is normally done.

I have seen women deliver balls that obviously are rolled with only a fraction of the strength they possess. It is possible, you know, to throw too slow a ball-just as it is possible to throw too fast a ball.

Which recalls a day in Denver when I saw what I'm sure must rank with the slowest balls of all time. I was watching this particular lady closely because of the manner in which she stood very rigidly in her starting position and held the ball motionless, for what seemed like a full two minutes. Then she tentatively pushed the ball out, and drew it back again. Holding it against her body and directly in front of her, she finally walked slowly and majestically to the foul line, did her little pushaway motion and drew the ball back again. Then, stooping low, she daintily deposited the ball on the lane with a sort of little pat, such as one might give a child.

To exaggerate a bit, I might say that the pinboy, seeing the sphere finally on its way, took one look at it and went out to a near-by restaurant for a sandwich and coffee. After finishing off his little repast with a cigarette, he came back just in time to see the ball hit the pins.

Believe it or not, the ball hit the 1-3 pocket. The 1-pin fell against the 2 and knocked it over, the 2 in turn toppling the 4 and 7-pins. The 3-pin fell against the 6, and the latter knocked over the 10-pin. When the pins had stopped falling, only the 5-pin remained standing, and the ball was resting against it.

Which merely proves my point-you can roll too slow a ball.

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