Bowling pins are set in the shape of a triangle at the each lane. The head pin or the1-pin is the pin closest to the bowler. There are four rows in a bowling pin arrangement. The first row has one pin; the second row has two pins; the third row has three pins; and the fourth row has four pins. The diagram below shows how the pins are arranged and their corresponding numbers. It is important to note that the pins themselves are not numbered specifically, but their placement in the triangle determines their number.
Bowling Pin Numbers: 1-pin is also called the "Head Pin"
Bowling Shoes
The sport of bowling requires that you wear bowling shoes – specialized shoes that enables you to slide. Right-handers and left-handers wear different shoes with different soles. Right-handed bowler wears a left shoe with a slippery sole made of hard leather or vinyl, and a right shoe with a rubber sole that will help him/her stop in front of the foul line. A left-handed bowler’s shoes are just the opposite.
Gutters
On both ends of the bowling lane are gutters (depression approximately 9.5 inches wide to the right and the left of the lane to guide the ball to the pit should it leave the playing surface.) If the ball goes too much to the left of right and leaves the lane, it will drop into the gutter and you will get no points for the throw.
The Approach
The approach is the area between the approach dots and the foul line. The distance from the foul line to the first set of approach dots is 12 ft. The distance from the foul line to the second set of approach dots is 15 ft (refer to the bowling lane diagram above). If you step over the foul line during your throw (also called delivery), it is called a foul. It counts as a shot, and any pins that you knock down are put back without counting.
Frames
A bowling game consists of a total of 10 frames. You can bowl two times on each frame. If you knock down all the pins on your first throw, it is called a strike. If there are still pins left standing after the first throw, you get a second chance to try and knock down the pins left over. If you knock down all the pins on your second try, it is called a spare. If there are still pins left standing after two tries, it is called an open frame.
