bowling alley

Set of lanes that are made of wood or synthetic material and are laid out for bowling.

bowler

Player who practices bowling; the first world championships for women took place in 1963.

bowler

Player who practices bowling; the first world championships for men took place in 1954.

ball

Spherical object that is rolled using the hand to knock down the pins; there are two types: light and heavy. The heavy ball has three holes for gripping with the fingers.

approach

Lane on which the player makes the forward swing (usually three normal steps and one sliding) before rolling the ball.

foul line

Line behind which the player must stay when rolling the ball down the lane at delivery; crossing this line is a foul.

gutter

Ditch on both sides of the alley’s lanes; a ball that falls into it is out of play.

marker

Mark that helps the bowler define the ball’s trajectory.

pit

Area at the end of the lane; the hit pins fall into it.

keyboard

Set of keys for registering points scored (number of pins knocked over) for each frame and for the game total.

ball stand

Area where the bowls rack up after leaving the ball return.

setup

Set of 10 pins arranged in an equilateral triangle at the end of each lane of the alley.

score console

Panel that displays the data of the game in progress (such as points for each frame for each player, total for previous games and the results for each team).

ball return

Mechanical device (track) between the lanes that returns the balls the players threw toward the setup.