The term “Hambone” was created to describe four strikes bowled consecutively in a single game. It is named after Rob Stone, who would say “hambony!” when someone rolled 4 consecutive maids during his matches. A hambone in bowling is a very rare occurrence. It’s when you get all of the pins knocked down with your first ball. It’s the perfect game and it’s something that everyone wants to experience at least once in their lifetime. If you’re lucky enough to bowl a hambone, make sure you savor the moment. You’ll always remember it.
Definition Of Hambone
A Hambone, also called a four-bagger, is an achievement in bowling that signifies four consecutive strikes in one game. The term “Hambone” comes from the pronunciation of the word “hambone”, which is used to describe someone who has had too much to drink. A Hambone is typically achieved by rolling 4 consecutive strikes on the same turn.
How To Set Up For A Hambone
To experience a hambone, you must make both of your pins appear on the lane after each of your first two strikes. There are a few things to keep in mind when setting up for this event. Your aim should be to hit the pin in the middle of the lane. Open your angle by aiming sideways to avoid the bowler, while aiming to the back can leave you open.
Align Your Shot
One way to achieve a hambone is to use your quick motion to power through the pins with as much energy as possible. This will likely result in a few open frames. While this is preferable to setting up a so-so motion or one that is too heavy. It can also be used to your advantage. A good way to hit a hambone is to use your open frames to immediately align your next shot with the pin. This will produce a strong, quick shot that should connect with the pin. Another way to set up for a hambone is to use your setup stroke to reposition the pins. Using your setup stroke to reposition the pins is a great way to both set up for a hambone and to open up your angle.
- When starting your setup stroke, bring the ball back to your body. Then shift your weight to the front foot, remaining balance on the back foot.
- Continue your setup stroke by drawing the ball back towards your side. Then bring your arm forward, transitioning your weight to the front foot.
How To Bowl A Hambone
The bagger is a term used for any strike that extends the foul line. It’s often given as compensation when there are no more balls left in play, and it comes from bowling’s early days where foodstuffs were awarded to winners of competitions – so-called because they got their hands on some tasty prizes.
A hambone is a string of strikes in which the first two are knockdowns, and the last two pins are knocked over. This means that two pins will fall on the first and third strikes, and two pins will fall on the second and fourth strikes. This is the most extreme kind of string of strikes and is an extremely rare occurrence. The chance of this happening is 1 in 8,500.
How To Achieve A Hambone
- Adjust your aim by aiming to the side, aiming to the back of the pin, or aiming through the pins.
- Keep your setup stroke short and quick.
- Your release stroke should be huge, and it should follow your setup stroke.
- You need to hit the pin in the middle of the lane.
Examples Of A Hambone
- 4-Bagger: The first two balls knockdown, the third ball knocks over all six pins, and the fourth ball knocks over all six pins.
- 5-Bagger: The first two balls knockdown, the third ball knocks over two pins, the fourth ball knocks over two pins, and the fifth ball knocks over all six pins.
How To Smash A Hambone
- Hit a series of strong, quick shots.
- Try to hit the pin in the middle of the lane.
- If you hit an open frame, align your next shot with the pin.
- If the pins are open, aim for them.
Pros Of Achieving A Hambone
- It is a rare accomplishment
- Makes for a fun story to tell
- It exhibits impressive skills on the lanes
- It’s an accomplishment that can be shared with friends and teammates
- A Hambone may qualify you for a higher level of competition
- The term Hambone can be used to describe four consecutive strikes.
- This achievement is accomplished by bowling at least 3 strikes in a row.
Cons Of Achieving A Hambone
- The main issue with achieving a Hambone is that it can be difficult to get 4 consecutive strikes.
- To understand what is a hambone in bowling, you need to have incredible concentration and focus.
- It’s also difficult to maintain focus when you are bowling your next ball because you will be thinking about how difficult it was to bowl the previous ball.
- Another disadvantage of achieving a Hambone is that if you don’t happen to land on any pins during your last ball, then you will have nothing left in the tank for your next shot.
- This increases the chances of losing the game, which would make achieving a Hambone even more difficult.
- Lastly, there is no reward for achieving a Hambone.
Even though many professional bowlers consider this term an accomplishment worth boasting about, there is no monetary reward since there is no official prize awarded for a Hambone. For example, in PBA tournaments as soon as one player achieves a Hambone, they start celebrating and congratulating each other and the audience starts cheering them on.
Conclusion On What Is A Hambone In Bowling
A hambone, also known as a high-spare, is a perfect space that is delivered from the opposite end of the alley by a player who has thrown two strikes in succession. As the third strike in bowling ball would come too close to the pins for the second strike to cause it to hit it.
If you’re lucky enough to get a hambone, you should try your best to keep it going. Although it’s unlikely to happen again anytime soon, it’s possible to keep your momentum going with a series of strong, quick shots. If you can manage to keep your focus while avoiding distractions, it can be easy to keep a hambone going.
