Centuries of Knocking Down Pins For Fun and Sport - Bowling

The sport of bowling dates back possibly 5,000 years, although some scientists believe it began around 300 A.D.  Over 100 million people in over 90 countries practice the sport on some level, making it one of the best-loved games in the history of the world.  It's no wonder as bowling is also very easy to play.

The Ball Must Be Just Right

Bowling consists of taking an 8.5 inch diameter ball that weighs anywhere from a child's six pounds to an adult's 16 pounds and tossing it down on a waxed or lightly oiled down lane toward ten pins to see how many pins you can knock down. The more you knock down, the better your score.  Whoever has the highest score wins.

Serious bowling enthusiasts take great care to buy a bowling bowl that feels right.  They have the retailer measure and drill holes for where their three fingers will fit for the perfect release toward the pins.  The three fingers used in bowling are the ring and the middle finger as well as the thumb, although some bowlers prefer a five-finger grip.  When the fingers fit the ball correctly, the better the bowling ball propels down the lane. Some bowlers prefer synthetic lanes to wooden lanes.  It takes the bowler many years of practice to hone their game although the concept of the game is an easy one.

Bowling balls are made of material such as rubber, urethane, plastic, and other resins.  Balls also have a core within; and, some bowlers have a preference whether that core is centered or distributed evenly throughout the ball.  Bowling balls also have varying densities to allow the bowler to spin the ball fast or slow.  Higher density balls have a slower spin.  Some bowlers have a hook to their throw down the lane, which is fun to watch.  Just when you think the bowler has thrown a gutter ball, the ball hooks and voila, the bowler has a strike or some variation of knocking down the pins.  Gutters are the valleys on the sides of the lane that are the bane to every bowler.

There are also bowling tournaments where professional bowlers compete for purses worth several thousands of dollars or more.  There are also local, regional and national tournaments for the serious bowler who bowls on a team in their hometown or with their place of business. Both the casual and the serious bowler have plenty of accessories from bowling bags, bowling shoes, to rags that wipe down any oily residue that may deposit itself on the ball after several rolls down the lanes.  Just as the ball is personal to the bowler, so are his accessories and his approach to the game.