If you are a bowling lover or have recently started bowling as a beginner, knowing the basics of it along with its lingo and scoring terms is especially important for you. The most important term of all is the strike.
You might be wondering what a strike is and what some terms are used for strikes in bowling; Well, that is precisely what I am here to tell you.
In this article, I will talk about what a strike is, different types of strikes, bowling strikes’ names, and how consecutive strikes are named in the bowling jargon. If you want to increase your knowledge of the sport, make sure that you read this article till the end.
What is a Strike in Bowling?
If you have just started bowling, you might not be familiar with what a strike is; well, that’s normal because bowling and its lingo are something you learn over a long time.
If you throw the bowling ball in the first shot of a frame and knock all the ten pins down right away, it is known as a strike. If you bowl a strike, you will get two more shots before the score of that particular frame is updated.
So, if we are talking about the maximum score you can get in the span of a single frame, it is 30. For this, you will have to bowl three strikes in a row which is a tough ordeal, but professionals can do it more easily.
Bowling a strike is not something you will be doing consistently right off the bat. You are going to have to practice and learn scoring techniques to get to the skill level where you can bowl a strike whenever you want to.
Different Types of Strikes
We know that strikes mean knocking all the pins in one go, but there are a few different ways strikes might work. Here are the different types of strikes you might encounter while playing a game with your friends or even in a professional league fixture.
Brooklyn Strike
This kind of strike is quite common when the player hooks the bowling ball. In a Brooklyn Strike, the bowling ball crosses over to the opposite pocket with the headpin from where it was thrown.
This means that if a leftie threw the bowling ball, it would move towards the 1-3 pocket, and if thrown by a right-hander, it will get into the 1-2 pin pocket and get the strike.
Read more in this in-depth article: What is a Brooklyn in Bowling?
Perfect Strike
The perfect strike is truly a perfect-looking one. This strike occurs when the bowling ball goes straight into the headpin and moves forward in straight motion hitting the 3rd pin, 5th pin, and 9th pin.
The strike causes all these pins to cause a chain reaction, making these pins deflect and hit the other pins and knock them all down. It is truly a work of art and more difficult to hit, in my opinion.
Consecutive Bowling Strikes Names
A single strike is called a strike, but consecutive strikes have their names and terms in the bowling lingo, whether you have known this or not. Let us look at how different consecutive strikes are named in bowling terms worldwide.
Double
When you score two consecutive strikes in a single outing, it is known as a double. After this, you have one more strike left for a single frame completion.
Turkey
A trendy term in bowling is turkey. It occurs when you score 3 consecutive strikes in a single turn. Getting a turkey is quite a tough thing to do, even for professional bowlers.
Hambone
Bowling four strikes in a row are known as a hambone or a 4-bagger. This task requires a lot of skill and technique.
5-Bagger
If you can knock the bowling pins down five times in a row, the 5 consecutive strikes are called a 5-bagger or a Yahtzee depending upon where you are from.
Six-Pack
Getting over 5 consecutive strikes is miraculous, but six strikes are known as the six-pack or a 6-bagger in some bowling regions.
7-Bagger
After crossing 6 consecutive strikes, if you can encounter 7 strikes in a row without any turn breaks, it is known as the 7-bagger or a front seven in the bowling lingo.
8-Bagger
The chances are fairly slim but going further than 7-bagger land; you get 8 strikes in a row consecutively. It is called an 8-bagger or a front eight.
9-Bagger
Here on, the bowling terms do not go overboard and are similar, with 9 consecutive bowling strikes in a row being called the 9-bagger or the front nine in some places as well.
10-Bagger
It seems impossible, but people have gotten there. If you can land consecutive 10 strikes in a row, you will use the term 10-bagger or front ten.
11-Bagger
After the 10 strikes mark, if you can get your hands on the 11th consecutive strike by knocking all the pins again, you will get the 11-bagger or front eleven.
Perfect Game
Finally, if you can get the last strike as well in a game of ten-pin bowling, then the 12 consecutive strikes will be called the perfect game. The perfect game is when you can get 12 strikes in a row totaling your game score to 300, which is the maximum score you can get in a game of ten-pin bowling.
Conclusion
Strikes are critical if you want to become a professional, participate in professional tournaments and leagues, and perform well. Beginners can get open frames and spares, but you need a higher level of skill to get strikes.
I hope you learned a lot from this guide and that you will practice and work on your bowling skills along with increasing your bowling knowledge. Have an amazing time in the bowling alley next time you are there!
