Tenpin

Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned in a tetractys at the far end of the lane. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll of the ball, or failing that, on the second roll.

Behind a foul line is an approach approximately 15 feet long used to impart speed and apply rotation to the ball. The 41.5-inch-wide, 60-foot-long lane is bordered along its length by gutters that collect errant balls. The lane's long and narrow shape limits straight-line ball paths to angles that are smaller than optimum angles for achieving strikes; accordingly, many advanced bowlers impart side rotation to hook the ball into the pins.