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1. Etiquette - Every sport has its rules of etiquette. In golf, for example, one does not talk or move while a player is shooting. In basketball, the crowd is silent when a free throw is made. Even in such a rugged sport as boxing, a man who has scored a knockdown retires to the farthest neutral corner to allow his opponent a chance to get up after a count. So it is in bowling. What it really boils down to is courtesy, once you have an inkling of the rules. Here are some points to remember:

2. Basic Regulations - Certain standards laid down by the American Bowling Congress govern all sanctioned bowling lanes and must be complied with if official recognition is to be given to any competition held thereon. I am not going to name all of these regulations, because many of them are rather technical, but I would like to set down a few that have a direct bearing on your game. Here are the important ones:

3. Bowling Fundamentals - There is no such thing as a "perfect bowler." By this, I mean that there is no one bowler who does every one of the fundamentals exactly right every time. Some stars have a very high backswing, some take a zigzag approach to the foul line, and still others use no slide. Yet they succeed, because they have learned to overcome the otherwise bad effects of such procedures and to integrate the "fault" into their game so smoothly that it remains only a style that sets them apart from other bowlers.

4. Spot, Pin, Line - Wherever bowlers get together, there is bound to be, sooner or later, a lively discussion of the merits of the spot, pin and line bowling systems. Advocates of each type cite numerous cases to prove their points. But actually, it is just like putting in golf-there is no exact method or style that one can say is right while the rest are wrong. It all depends on the individual.

5. Get Strikes - Everybody likes to make strikes. I'm no exception. Even after many years spent in wheeling that ball down the lanes, I still get a real thrill out of seeing a perfect strike sweep the pins clean.

Strikes serve a dual purpose. First, they bring a bonus because they count ten points each, plus all you can score on your two succeeding throws. Then, too, they automatically remove any chance you might have had of either missing a spare or getting a split, or railroad.

6. Get Spares - Making spares consistently is the principal distinction between the star and the average bowler. The star knows that if he continues to pick up his spares, he will wind up with a respectable game, and that the strikes will come eventually. In the meantime, he chalks up his spares so that when the strikes do arrive, he can come through with big counts.

7. Beginners - When a person is a beginner at bowling, there are a number of details at which he should work and of which he should think, if he wishes to bowl correctly and to improve quickly. I have listed below a number of these details and, if strict attention is paid to them, the average beginner may cut his "apprenticeship" to a fraction of the time ordinarily spent in learning the game.

8. Advanced Bowlers - The general style of the advanced bowler is already set. His steps, timing, backswing and delivery have been incorporated into a pattern that is difficult to change.

It might be well to point out right here that any change in one's style almost automatically means a temporary drop in average. For instance, if you decide to change your footwork, you might as well face the fact that you will lose points while correcting yourself.

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.

10. Common Faults - Even the experts bowl badly at times, but one of the chief differences between the top-score and low-score bowlers is that the former learn to recognize their faults and get rid of them.

Following is a list of the more common faults and what to do about them.

By this we mean having one shoulder ahead of the other, not standing in an easy, relaxed style or not facing the target you desire to hit. As a result, you do not go up to the foul line in a straight line.

11. Bowling Tips - This chapter summarizes the most important steps to better bowling.

Some of them have been mentioned in other chapters but they are repeated here because I believe that they cannot be emphasized too much.

Try to keep uppermost in your mind that bowling is* a game, not a life-and-death matter. And because it is a game, you should play it as such. Take your "tough breaks" with a smile and your defeats like a gentleman. You will find that you are more popular with your fellow bowlers, and in addition you will bowl better.

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