For a beginner, you might think that today the bowling shirt is a simple tradition in bowling, nothing more than a uniform to identify teams or maybe someone who just loves bowling. In truth, bowling shirts are actually designed to help your game. It is a factor in the overall performance of the bowler. Each shirt is created to specifically target the needs of that player. You are not gaining performance necessarily, but a correct fit and a correct feel will give you freedom of movement in the right places.
A typical bowling shirt is identified by the old style 50s look that it gives. The box cut with short sleeves and a button up pocket. The trim and the flow of the shirt are supposed to help each style of bowler by giving him a good clean follow through without encumbrance. It goes without saying that the particular look also makes a great style on its own, everyone knows a bowling shirt just from the color tones and the structure of the shirt.
When choosing a shirt, the look of it is up to your own taste. However, color combinations aside, we are going to look at the fit. A simple snug cotton feel is what you want, keeping it very comfortable and easy to breathe. You want a relaxed feeling while you play as to not have any interference in your arms and overall body movement.
It is important to have a shirt that fits correctly. To tight and you wont be able to move your full range without some hindrance. If you go to loose then you will have too much fabric swishing around and you might even get snagged up while in motion. These things might seem like common sense but you would be surprised how many people just grab a shirt without caring about the fit. It is important if you want to take the game seriously that you begin with the correct gear. If you have an improper fitted shirt, you are not going to learn the correct form as the shirt will be apart of the problem instead of helping you.