Birka Bowling Stockholm – One of Stockholm’s largest and best bowling alleys

Here at Birka Bowling, we take bowling to a new level. We are passionate about bowling and have designed our hall to give you the best possible experience. Regardless of whether you are a professional, a beginner or just passing by with colleagues at an AW in our restaurant, you are welcome to bowl in our bowling hall in Stockholm.

If you want to try bowling in one of Stockholm’s largest and best bowling alleys, you’ve come to the right place!

Birka Bowling Stockholm is the obvious destination in central Stockholm for those who want to bowl, eat well and spend time with friends and family in a relaxed and cozy environment. We have been in Stockholm since the early 70s and have become a natural meeting point for bowling enthusiasts in the capital.

17 modern bowling alleys in central Stockholm

We offer 17 modern bowling lanes, 3 of which are in our VIP lounge. The VIP lounge is a glassed-in section of the bowling alley with opportunities to bowl, mingle and receive personal service. You can also celebrate children’s parties with a bowling party where you can take advantage of both the bowling lanes and the VIP lounge to take the celebration to the next level.

The lanes at Birka Bowling Stockholm are suitable for competition, have long approaches and free ceiling height. For professionally organized competitions, we recommend that competitive bowlers look through the Swedish Bowling Association’s guidelines.

For the party-hungry bowler, we recommend a visit after 6pm when our festive evening and weekend lighting is switched on. You can also book our VIP lounge where you choose the level of festivities with your party.

Bowling tips for beginners

Bowling is a wonderful activity regardless of whether you are a master or a beginner. Many people use bowling as a way to spend time with loved ones.

For many, bowling is not about winning or losing, but about having fun and spending time with the people they enjoy. That said, there is a definite allure in showing off your victory dance and impressing the crowd with a well-placed strike. Some take the competitive aspect very seriously!

It’s easy to get started with bowling and it’s really fun to get good at it. To help you along the way, we’ve put together some beginner tips that will give everyone an opportunity to excel.

Choose the right bowling ball

The first step that can help you get better at bowling is choosing the right ball.

When choosing balls, make sure the holes are sized to fit your hands. The holes should not be so small that you risk getting your fingers stuck, but also not so large that you have poor control of the ball. A good guideline is that they should be slightly larger than the size of a ring that would fit your hand.

The distance between the thumb hole and the finger hole should make the grip comfortable for you and allow you to control the ball without effort.

Another factor is that the ball must have a manageable weight. Feel free to start with a ball that is too light and then gradually increase the weight when you feel that the technique is in place and the weight becomes more manageable.

In our bowling hall in Stockholm, we have a large selection of bowling balls to choose from. Don’t hesitate to change balls when bowling if the one you started with doesn’t fit!

Use the lane to aim

On the bowling lane, the pins are set up 18 meters away from where we throw the bowling ball. If you are new, it can initially feel difficult to aim at a target that is so far away. Fortunately, we have tools for this!

In the center of the bowling lane there are seven arrows which are used to aim correctly. When bowling, you can use the arrows as a guideline for how to throw the bowling ball.

Hold the bowling ball correctly

Be relaxed in both the arm and the hand that grips the bowling ball. Tense throws often result in poorer control than more relaxed ones. Bowl with a firm but not too tight grip. Hold the bowling ball in an underhand grip.

Some practice bowling with a slow approach while others have a faster pace. The position of the ball before the throw is regulated by how fast we want to approach. Bowlers with a slower approach may hold the ball higher, while bowlers with a faster approach may hold the bowling ball lower. Hold the ball somewhere between lower chest height and
upper waist height.

Throw and finish the throw correctly

When throwing bowling balls, it is important to follow the swing. You want a straight arm and wrist and follow the bowling ball as it leaves the hand.

Let the bowling ball leave the hand when the arm is as extended as possible. Remember that the ball should leave the hand as in a good handshake; i.e. with the thumb in a “10 o’clock position” if you are right-handed.

Things to think about when you bowl

There are loads of things to keep in mind when playing bowling, although it’s easy to pick up and learn in a fairly short amount of time. It is always possible to refine details, and things that are obvious to one person may not be clear to another. Here we list a couple of things that we think are important to keep in mind when bowling, no matter how obvious it may be.

Always wear bowling shoes

When you bowl, you want to have as good a grip on the floor as possible for the throw to be stable. But it is less good to have shoes that receive too much, because it can prevent you from following the throw. Bowling shoes, which at the same time are gentle on the floor at the start, are just right.

We require bowling shoes to be used on all lanes. But to make it as easy as possible, we have included shoe rental in our prices for bowling in Stockholm.

Throw however you like, but only one ball at a time

The rules of bowling do not require you to use a particular throw. In other words, you actually get to throw the ball however you want. Some use slightly more unusual throwing techniques with two hands which is perfectly fine according to the rule book. However, it is strictly forbidden to use more than one orb at a time. Throw however you like, as long as only one ball is thrown at a time and you don’t risk injury to yourself, anyone else or the court.

Don’t go out on the lane

Do not go onto the bowling lane under any circumstances. It is dangerous and you run the risk of being hit by another bowler’s ball. Bowling balls are heavy and hurt. The bowling lane is also oiled and very slippery, which makes it easy to fall. In addition to that, whoever goes out on the lane destroys the oiling.

In short, the lane is for bowling and not people. If a situation arises where someone has to go out on the bowling lane, please tell the staff and we will help with that.

Wait for the machine to finish before throwing

Bowling is super fun! It’s so much fun that it can be hard to keep from throwing the ball when the machine that sets up the pins is in the final phase of setting up. But it is important to be patient. A heavy bowling ball can destroy a large and expensive machine in the event of an accident.

Wait until the machine has set up the pins before continuing bowling.