These rules are nowhere to be found on the walls of the Main Event but you are well-advised to take note of them. These unwritten rules of bowling apply regardless of where you like to enjoy the game, as well as on both the amateur and professional levels.
But don’t worry either as there are no penalties if you break any of these unwritten rules. You will probably just get the stink-eye from your fellow players who know better. You must, nonetheless, learn from your faux pas since bowling is a great game when you know the rules, both written and unwritten.
Mind Your Attire, Please
The bowling alley may not a fashion runway but there are unwritten rules about proper attire, as is the case for most sports. While comfort is key, you shouldn’t dress too comfortably that other players experience discomfort about your attire.
A few rules of thumb to remember:
- Always wear bowling shoes. You can either purchase a pair or rent one in a bowling alley, and it’s a nice investment because the right shoes can contribute to a great game.
- Wear long pants, whether semi-formal slacks or casual jeans instead of shorts, jean shorts, and skirts of any length. The latter types of clothes will only hamper your movements anyway. Wear a polo shirt or a T-shirt that will not reveal your cleavage, if you’re a woman, when you make a delivery.
- Wear a classy black or brown belt.
Mind Your Own Game
Yes, you will find annoying bowlers that can really get your goat. But neither mind them nor worry about them unless they become too obnoxious for the rest of the players. This is true whether these bowlers are incessantly striking, tugging the ball into the oil, or throwing the ball at fast speeds.
Just mind your own game and maintain your focus on it. Just be mindful of your own behavior and actions that, indeed, you don’t become the annoying bowler.
You should be respectful of your opponents, too, even when they seem like the clumsiest you have ever seen. You have to remember that being a sport about your wins and losses matter as much as actually winning the game. Besides, you will not always be the Paeng Nepumoceno of the group – you will also likely be the dud on some days.
Bowling looks like it doesn’t have as many rules and regulations as, say, basketball but it does. You have to respect them if you want to stay in the game and be welcomed into the alley whenever you feel like it.