Information that will help you get started ...
To become a member of the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC), you need to first join any of the 11 State Tenpin Bowling Associations. State Tenpin Bowling Associations are:
Click any of the above association for contact no. and address.
Membership requirementsGrade Average Men Grade Open 191 and above Grade A 176 - 190 Grade B 175 and below Ladies Grade Open 176 and above Grade A 166 - 175 Grade B 165 and belowMembers can check their averages here.
Every year, the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress organises two championships. They are the Malaysian International Open Bowling Championship 2000 and the Malaysian National and Interstate Bowling Championship 2000.
The Malaysian Open, as it is usually referred to, provides a platform for our local bowlers to compete with many world champions who are invited to participate in this prestigious annual championship.
This championship is sponsored by MTBC's "Rakan Sukan" (Sports Partner), Land & General Berhad and co-sponsors Malaysia Airlines, Nestle-Milo, and the National Sports Council of Malaysia (NSC).
If you are an up and coming bowler and you feel that your bowling skills have progressed since you took up bowling, you are eligible to compete provided you are a member of any of the state bowling associations.
If you have not reached the standard required to succeed in such a championship, you can always watch some of our national bowlers and world-class bowlers in action. You might even be able to pick up some skills while you watch the bowlers in action.
Attractive prize money is offered in this championship.State Tenpin Bowling Associations also organise their state open championships yearly. For more information about the dates, click here.
The Malaysian National and Interstate Bowling Championship, organised during year-end, is open only to Malaysian bowlers. The winner of this championship will be crowned the "National Champion" both in the Men's and Ladies' category.
At the same time, the Interstate Championship is also held, where all the 11 state associations will send their best bowlers to compete for glory. Each team generally, will consist of 4 Men, 4 Women and 8 Youths (4 Boys and 4 Girls - under the age of 21).
There are a total of 20 Gold, 20 Silver and 20 Bronze medals to be won from the Singles, Doubles, Team of 4, All-Events and Masters for both the Men and Women category. Medals are also awarded to the Youth Singles, Doubles, Team of 4 and the Masters.
At the same time, prize money of more than RM50,000.00 is also offered for the National Championship.
This championship is one of the most popular local championship where bowlers from all over Malaysia compete.
This championship's main sponsor is Land & General Berhad and co-sponsors are Malaysia Airlines, Nestle-Milo, National Sports Council of Malaysia and others.
Tenpin Bowling leagues are organised to foster friendship amongst bowlers and are generally played in a more relaxed atmosphere. There are however rules and regulations in any sports.
Leagues are usually organised by bowling centres and depending on the size of the centres and the number of teams registered, it ranges from 16 to as much as 24 teams. Each team will normally consists of 6 to 7 bowlers. Matches are played weekly and during each match, usually 4 bowlers are field. Some leagues are run over one round i.e. if there are 16 teams, each team will bowl against the other teams at least once. The schedule are pre-drawn.
Most leagues are played over two rounds. There are two types of match points awarded to each team when they meet. One is called high-point league and the other is called total-pins. In the high-point league system, bowlers from each team are matched against bowlers from the opposing team. For each game won, one point is awarded. A total of 4 points can be won by each bowlers. The final point is also awarded for the total pinfalls for the team total. In this high-point league system, a team can score as much as 5 points per game.
In all leagues, a total of three games is played by each bowler. Therefore, in the high-point league system, a total of 20 points can be scored.
On the other hand, if the league system used by the bowling centre is a straight-forward 4 points - i.e. one point for each total pinfalls scored by the whole team in each game, then a total of 4 points can be scored.
Handicap and averagesHandicaps are used for most leagues and bowlers' handicap are based on the following system.
Most leagues use a mixture of the above-mentioned system.
Prize Money and Game FeesDepending on how the bowling centre organise the leagues, most leagues have main sponsors and co-sponsors. The most aggressive sponsor of tenpin bowling leagues is Anglia-Shandy (Anchor-Guiness), Nestle-Milo and the bowling centres themselves.
Prize Money offered to the champion of the league can be as much as RM5,000, scaling down to perhaps the 8th-placed team of RM400. This prize is usually awarded at the end of each league. Some leagues run a special final to determine the champion, even though based on the points system, a particular team is ranked first. Some of these finals involves "Step-Ladder" and a "knock-out" system to determine the eventual winner.
Special awards are also provided for the Highest Average, High Game, High Series (3 games) with and without handicap. Value of these prize varies from centre to centre. There are also weekly awards given before the start of each week matches. These prizes are High Game, High Series with and without handicap.
Game Fees also varies from centre to centre and also depends on the scale of the prize money. They vary from RM16.00 to RM20.00 for three games per bowler making it between RM72 to RM80 per team. In addition to the weekly game fees, a deposit is generally required from each team which is between RM150 to RM250. This deposit is used to off-set any "walk-overs" or "no-show" from any team during their rounds.
Lastly, most leagues these days require an additional RM200 to RM300 for "Trophy Fund". This amount contribute to the award of trophies and the total prize money of the league.
How do you join the league?It is quite simple to join a league. You don't have to be members of any stste bowling associations, although more and more leagues today require at least two members of the team to be members of state bowling associations.
Leagues do not start at fixed months of the year and they depend entirely on the bowling centres. To join, you must contact the bowling centres in Malaysia to enquire if there are any leagues running and when is their starting dates. If you are lucky, you might be able to join one almost immediately.
Leagues in Malaysia are extremely popular and in order to avoid disappointments, you need to submit entry forms early. Good luck in your endeavour.
If you are between age 12 to 18, you can join the Youth Development programme managed jointly by the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) and the National Sports Council (NSC) of Malaysia. Please click here for more information.
There is no bowling school available in Malaysia at this moment although there are plans by MTBC and NSC to start one. Until then, there is really no coaching available for adults. Most bowlers who are keen on improving their bowling skills generally are given bowling tips by the more experienced bowlers. These experienced keglers bowl regularly at the popular bowling centres throughout Malaysia in leagues and/or in championships. They can only provide bowling tips and are not able to offer a correct curriculum for developing your skills from basic steps, balance, release and delivery.
In order to improve your skills accordingly, your best options will be to approach the instructors who are conducting the Youth Development training programme at their respective states. These instructors have undergone an instructor training course organised by MTBC-NSC and are recognised to provide proper training methods according to a well-planned curriculum.
Some of these instructors are operating proshops in most bowling centres and will have the time to provide coaching. If you can organise a group of friends who intend to take up the sport seriously (say 5 or more), then approach these instructors to see if they are willing to spare some of their time to provide coaching. Of course, do not expect them to provide coaching free-of-charge. Talk to them and negotiate a reasonable fee - e.g. RM30 - RM50 per 2-hour session, twice a week. You will have to pay for your own lane rental charges. We are sure that most bowling centres will offer reasonable lane rental charges for this purpose.
In any sport, equipment is an important part of a successful and enjoyable game. In tenpin bowling, the most important equipment is the bowling ball.
All bowling centres provide "house balls". These balls varies in weight from as low as 6 pounds for the kids to as much as 16 pounds for the stronger ones. Unfortunately, not all bowling balls fit the thumbs and fingers of an aspiring bowler.
If you intend to take up tenpin bowling in a more serious manner, it is suggested that you purchase your very own bowling ball. All bowling centres have Proshops. Don't be misled by their name, it does not really mean that these shops are meant for Pros!
You can walk into any of the proshops and the proprietor will be most glad to recommend you a good bowling ball to start you off. There are several types of bowling balls available in the market these days. They are:
In addition to the three types of popular cover stock found in bowling balls, some balls come in "two-piece" and some in "three-piece". What do we mean by that - two-piece simply means that there are two differently-shaped objects inside the bowling ball while the three piece means there are three pieces!
To understand the purpose of the number of pieces and its shape will literally require you to attend a course or seminar on how to drill bowling balls and operate a proshop! Perhaps in time to come, when you have progressed in skills and have reached a very high standard of bowling, then you may be able to understand the difference.
Price of bowling balls varies from RM250 to as much as RM700. A word of advice, although you think you can handle a heavier ball, it does not necessarily means that you must. Generally, you should be using a ball with a weight of about 10% of your body weight. Please consult the proshop for an ideal ball weight.
Bowling ShoesSpecial bowling shoes are necessary for tenpin bowling. You cannot wear your favourite "Rebok" or "Adidas" sports shoe for bowling at a centre near you.
Even when you first played the game, you will have to rent the "house shoe" for a fee. Having the right kind of bowling shoes for the different types of approaches are as important as having the right bowling ball to suit a particular lane condition.
Bowling shoes come in different types. Some are soft like a sports shoe. Some are shaped like your leader shoe, although the soles are very different from normal type of shoes. The third type allows you to change the sole of the "sliding foot". This is most used by the more skilful bowler. By changing the sole, you can control the slide and have better balance during the delivery. This will allow you to be more accurate in your shots.
Price of bowling shoes varies from RM150 to as much as RM750.
Bowling BagsNow that you have a bowling ball and a pair of shoes, you will need a bag to store them. For those who do not have the budget to outlay a big sum, you may still be able to find bags bargain at any shopping centres for ordinary travelling bags. But because of the weight of bowling balls, bags that are not made for bowling ball storage will definitely fall into pieces.
There are bags which has a strap and can be carried by the shoulder. It usually has room for one ball and a pair of shoe. Some bags have wheels that will allow easy mobility. If you have more than one ball, it is advised that you buy a bag that can house two balls. These generally come with wheels and many zipped compartments for storing of accessories. Price varies from RM150 to RM400.
AccessoriesThere are many types of accessories for an aspiring bowler. They are:
Visit your nearest proshop to check the list of accessories available.
For a complete list of bowling centres in Malaysia, please click here
The Youth Development programme is conducted by MTBC-NSC and managed by each state bowling association. This programme commences each year around February/March. Before its commencement, notices are put up at all bowling centres announcing the date of the "evaluation".
How do I join?You must be between 12 and 18 years of age. Pick up the form where the notices are put up and have them completed. Your parents need to sign it as well as your school/college headmasters, if you are still studying.
During the evaluation, you will be bowling for about an hour together with the rest of the applicants. There will be a panel of coaches, normally comprising of the National Chief Coach, the Assistant National Coach, two state-level instructors and the state association administrator. They will judge whether your have the minimum basic skill or the talent to be trained. This programme will select three categories of trainees - Level A, Level AA and Level AAA. Depending on the availability of potential trainees to fit these categories, they will select 8 Level A, 8 Level AA and 8 Level AAA. These 24 bowlers will form the group of trainees for the year's programme.
Once you join this programme, you will be provided with 3 T-shirts and will undergo a 10-month training programme at the centre nominated by the State associations. Each group will have a dedicated instructor nominated by the state association and appointed by MTBC-NSC. You need not pay any fees during the training and the lane rental is borne by NSC.
How do I progress?Once you are in this programme, you will progress from Level A to AA and AAA. You cannot stay in Level AAA for more than two years. By that time, your skills and bowling average should be at a level which is good enough for the National Chief Coach or his assistant to promote you to the "National Youth Training" squad. At this level, your training programme will be conducted by the national coaching panel. You will also be given the opportunity to move to National Youth Squad and ultimately the National Senior Squad and a chance to represent Malaysia.
SportExcel-Milo-NSC-MTBC Junior CircuitWhen you are in this programme, you will be exposed to the SportsExcel-Milo-NSC-MTBC Junior Circuit bowling championship each year. The circuit is run over 5 or 6 legs from Kedah, Penang, Pahang, Selangor, Melaka and Johor in Peninsular Malaysia and in Sarawak and Sabah in East Malaysia.
This circuit allows you to compete with other youth development trainees from other states. There are two grades for each gender. Boys Open and Boys A, Girls Open and Girls A. Based on the scores from each circuit you bowl in, the averages are calculated and you will be categorised accordingly.
Generally, Level AA and Level AAA trainees are encouraged to participate. You can be sponsored by the State associations and once you are sponsored, you will be provided allowance for travel and meals. Games fees will also be borne under this sponsorship.
If you are not sponsored, you can still compete by paying RM15 registration and RM50 entrance fee for each leg. Travel and meals are entirely borne by yourself.
You can get bowling tips from bowling magazines that are being sold at news stands. These megazines are quite rare. It would be better if you can subscribe directly to these magazine publishers.
We hope to start a regular bowling tips column here at our site if we can get contributors from our National coaches or national bowlers.
The views expressed in these pages are entirely the writer's suggestions and is not the views of the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress' suggested course of action. The Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress and the writer will not be held responsible for any outcome positive or negative to the improvements of your bowling. We only hope that the information provided here can act as a guide for anyone who is keen on taking up tenpin bowling as a sport.
