Bowling: How to Master the Game [Paperback]

Parker Bohn III (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 2000

The most definitive guide to the sport of bowling, this book is sure to take your game and your average to the next level.

Parker Bohn III, the 1999 Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year, clearly explains everything you need to know in order to shoot your maximum potential--from equipment, mental preparation, and practice regimens to stroke lines, spare conversions, and strategies for different lane conditions. Written for the beginner as well as the advanced bowler, the book features more than thirty detailed computer-generated lane diagrams that show the best paths to the pocket for both left and right-handers. Plus, a preface richly illustrated with vintage photos takes a fascinating look back at how the game came to be one of America's most-loved pastimes and how it is fast gaining popularity around the world.

Parker Bohn III reveals the secrets to success including:
how to exploit the technology of ball composition and drilling
the basic skid-roll-hook strike shot's trajectory and pin carry
recommended foot positions and targets for splits and spares
how lane conditioner (oil) and its breakdown affect your shots
pro-proven strike line strategies for conquering difficult land conditions
how to pinpoint problems and develop customized practice sessions
pointers for building a rock-solid mental approach
plans for reaching the college, amateur, and pro levels

You'll learn how to achieve perfect form in a skills section with photos showing how to position yourself at each step in the delivery:
starting stance
pushaway
armswing
release
wrist positions
timing
balance

Brunswick pro contributers include all-time favorites and new stars:
Mike Aulby
Chris Barnes
Cindy Coburn-Carroll
Johnny Petraglia
Mark Roth
Kim Terrell
Tammy Turner

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Universe (November 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789304945
• ISBN-13: 978-0789304940
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 0.5 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #556,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Bowling

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding photography, Useful insights, January 13, 2001

By 

Marc Friedman (Kensington, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bowling: How to Master the Game (Paperback)

Worth the price just for the photographs. Unlike other books on bowling, each of the 160 8-1/2 x 11 pages is in full glossy color (watch out for fingerprints on the paper!), including many excellent photos and graphics. The layout makes it easy to flip through the pages and get a feel for the sport of bowling without even reading the text.

As for the subject matter, this book is also very different. The two best books on bowling that I'm familiar with (Par Bowling and Knowledge is the Key) take a systematic approach. This book reads more like a personal lesson on bowling by Parker Bohn III, along with other top professional bowlers. Of course it is also more up-to-date, focusing on the issues that are important to today's bowlers.

The book's coverage is broad, including equipment, strategy, and the mental game, along with fundamentals and an interesting history of the sport. The section on spare shooting is particularly useful, since it focuses on the hard-and-straight method used by most top players, as opposed to the strikeline-relative approach presented in other books.

The downside is that the discussions do not contain the kind of detail that would be necessary to learn to bowl from the text alone, making this book best suited for intermediate players. Then again, the best way to learn to bowl is from a coach, not a book. Advanced bowlers may learn a few things too, but are probably better served by specialized publications such as "Bowling this Month" magazine.

Finally, this is a must-have for left-handed bowlers. It is the first book I have seen that gives lefties equal treatment in discussions and diagrams, instead of telling southpaws to "just reverse it in their heads" (Parker is a lefty himself).

Bottom line: if you are looking for a textbook on bowling, this is not it. But, if you want to learn about the sport as it is played by the best in the world, buy this book!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, January 14, 2010

By 

David S. Rush "[e-mail]" (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bowling: How to Master the Game (Paperback)

Disappointing.

I am not sure who the intended audience for this book was. I not sure the authors knew who the intended audience was, either.

I bowled some as a young teenager. I'm in my 50s now and I have started to bowl some again. What I wanted and needed was a book of basic instruction on the proper techniques and strategy of bowling. Having read some of the reviews that is what I thought I was getting.

If I had been able to pick this book up in a bookstore and flip through it I would never have purchased it.

A big portion of the book is the history of bowling, bowling balls, pin boys, pin setting machines, and why there are 10 pins and not 9. It also devotes far too many pages to anecdotes of PBA pros. I wanted instruction.

I work in a technical field and I am used to reading manuals and sometimes obtuse material. I found myself skimming through this book trying to pull out some useful information.

Add to that endless page after page of spare diagrams with little explanation. Lane oil conditions may be where it is at on the pro bowling tour, but by the end of the book I was ready to sell my stock in Crisco.

Bottom line, if you want a good instruction manual save your money. If you want a nice coffee table book buy it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn from a Hall of Famer-Parker Bohn III, January 21, 2009

By 

M. Wilk - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bowling: How to Master the Game (Paperback)

I have been bowling for 30 years, I have been a regional PBA bowler for 14 years carrying over a 210 average for many years. This book gives you much insight on how to develope your own game. He teaches you HOW to practice and when to stop practicing. Think about that, how many times at practice do you just throw the ball without thinking much. He instructs you to go practice with a goal and purpose. He goes into stories on how when he was young and met Mark Roth; Mark told him he is good, but he needs to make spares. Parker tells stories on how he made the TV finals by less than 10 pins because his competition got lazy and missed spares. Parker shows you how to best line up to make spares. He also goes into ball drilling, weights, pin placements, etc. Experiment and find what works best for you. Many great 1 page inserts from other bowlers; example-Chris Barnes on how he barely made the college bowling team. Just a great book, many awesome pictures, definately worth the price.