Tenpin Bowling

Three in a row in Malmo

Tenpin Bowling is played by blind and visually impaired players in more than twenty countries throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

There are countless reasons why Tenpin Bowling has achieved such popularity among blind and visually impaired people. Firsly, it is a game of recreation which can be enjoyed by the blind and the sighted on an equal basis. It appeals equally to men, women and children. It involves stimulating but not strenuous physical activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Furthermore, the mere process of bowling can engender self confidence in an individual, which will usually manifest itself in positive ways in the bowler’s daily life.

Blind bowlers can bowl in any bowling centre, the same as sighted bowlers, except most totally blind bowlers need sighted guidance or use a guide rail to help them in their deliveries.

When sighted guidance is being used, blind bowlers are assisted with alignment on the approach before their bowl delivery. The bowlers would normally be aligned onto a spot from which they wish to execute their delivery, such as a certain board on the approach. A guide informs the player which pins have been knocked down / remain standing by calling the numbered locations of the pins. This information tells a blind bowler where to roll the next ball or how to modify the next delivery for maximum effect.

The guide rails, if preferred, may be made of either wood or light-weight tubular medal and can be assembled, disassembled and stored away very easily between games. They can be used in any bowling centre without damaging the lanes or interfering in any way with the operation of the centre’s automatic bowling equipment. The rail is placed alongside the bowling approach – positioned to run straight along the first board outside the width of the lane – and extends back from the foul line. A bowler who needs the assistance of a guide rail usually slides one hand along its smooth surface while delivering the ball with the other hand. The bowler learns to use the same starting position on the guide rail for each delivery. Using the rail the bowler can determine where the ball is being released in the lane. Bowlers are free to use the bowling technique that they prefer.

Tenpin Bowling was taken into the IBSA family of sports in May 2000.
You can take part in tenpin bowling on a weekly basis in a number of locations. All levels of ability and competitiveness are welcome to join in the fun. If you would like to sample tenpin bowling, as a player or as a volunteer, please contact us.

Contact

Bowling in Bray Bowl
Jim Harding
086 3266119
jharding@iol.ie

Irish Blind Sports
1 Christchurch Hall,
High Street,
Dublin 8.

Tel: 085 8500193
email: info@ibsports.ie