Don’t forget that, in addition to Kids Bowl Free every Saturday until August 26, we also have our Half Off Tuesday deal in effect every Tuesday, all year long!

Make your reservation online today!

How to Choose the Perfect Bowling Ball?

Have you ever gone bowling, and realized that you couldn’t last an entire game without your fingers cramping? Perhaps you woke up the next morning with some pain in your forearm? This is why it’s incredibly important to make sure you’re bowling with the correct size bowling ball! Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Can your thumb slide in and out of the hole easily?

This may sound silly, but trust us: test out your ball of choice by inserting your thumb into the thumbhole. Is your thumb getting stuck like a Chinese finger trap? Is your thumb able to flop around loosely inside?

Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the hole is ‘just right’ if it’s not too big, and not too small. Ideally, your thumb should be snug, but not able to touch each side of the ball at the same time.

Test out your bowling ball span

This is key for anyone who tends to feel pain or tenderness in the fleshy part of their palm the day after a game!

Your bowling ball ‘span’ is the distance between the top 2 holes and the bottom thumb hole on the bowling ball. A good and proper bowling span allows you to grip the ball firmly, without pain or strain, and without fear of dropping it on the down-swing.

Ideally, you should have enough room between your hand and the ball to fit a pencil beneath your palm. This centimeter or so of space usually means that you are not overstretching your hand, or using a ball that is too loose, thereby requiring you to grip it too tightly.

Don’t try to be Superman

We all know ‘that guy’ who wants to play superhero by using the heaviest ball available in the bowling alley ‘just because he can’. But everyone, regardless of strength, should be following the 10% rule.

What does this mean, you may ask? The 10% rule means a bowling ball should weigh, roughly, 10% of your body weight, up to 16 lbs.

When you use a ball that is too heavy, you can overexert yourself, cause muscle strains, and end up with back or shoulder pain.

Conversely, if you use a ball that is too light, the ball is not heavy enough for you to let it swing by its own weight, meaning you risk muscling through the movements by throwing the ball, rather than letting it flow through naturally using its own momentum.

If you need a little bit of guidance, ball weight breakdowns tend to fall within the following:

Adult Males: 14-16 lbs

Adult Females: 10-14 lbs

Children: 6-14 lbs

Please note that if you have a physical condition that stops you from being able to hold significant amounts of weight, or if you’ve recently had a hand/wrist/arm/shoulder surgery, use a slightly lighter ball than you typically would.

The key is to feel comfortable with what you’re doing.

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Featured Food of the Month

Bento Box A

Did you know that we offer Bento-style catering? We have 3 different Bento boxes available for purchase for your next big event! Bento Box A, pictured here, offers our signature Tasty Chicken, pan-fried Spam, and Boneless Kalbi, all atop a bed of steamed furikake rice.

Check out our catering menu to see what other options we have!