Bowling refers to a series of sports or leisure activities in which a player rolls or throws

a bowling ball towards a target. In pin bowling variations, the target is usually to knock
over pins at the end of a lane. In target variations, the aim is usually to get the ball as close to
amark as possible. The pin version of bowling is often played on a flat wooden or other
synthetic surface,[1] whilst in target bowling, the surface may be grass, gravel or a synthetic
surface.[2] The most common types of pin bowling include ten-pin, ninepin, candlepin, duckpinand five-pin bowling, while in target bowling, bowls, bocce, carpet
bowls, ptanque and boules, both indoor and outdoor varieties, are popular. Today, the sport
of bowling is enjoyed by 100 million people in more than 90 countries worldwide.

Variations[
Pin bowling

Five main variations are found in North America, varying especially in New England and parts
of Canada:

Ten-pin bowling: largest and heaviest pins, bowled with a large ball with finger holes, and the
most popular size in North America
See also Introduction to Ten Pin Bowling

Nine-pin bowling: pins usually attached to strings at the tops, uses a ball without finger holes

Candlepin bowling: tallest pins, thin with matching ends, and bowled with the smallest and
lightest (at 1.1 kg) handheld ball of any bowling sport

Duckpin bowling: short, squat, and bowled with a handheld ball

Five-pin bowling: tall, between duckpins and candlepins in diameter with a rubber girdle, bowled
with a handheld ball, mostly found in Canada

Target bowling
Another form of bowling is usually played outdoors on a lawn. At outdoor bowling, the players throw
a ball, which is sometimes eccentrically weighted, in an attempt to put it closest to a designated point
or slot in the bowling arena. Included in the outdoor category:

Bocce

Bowls ("Lawn bowls")

Carpet Bowls

Cherokee marbles

Irish road bowling

Lane/alley bowling

Mlkky

Ptanque

Introduction to ten-pin bowling[edit]

Bowling alley under UV-light.

See also: Ten-pin bowling

Bowling centers[edit]
A bowling center (more commonly known as a bowling alley) is a facility that is equipped to play
the game of bowling. Bowling centers usually have at least two lanes with larger centers having over

80 lanes. Depending on the building, lanes may be laid all on one floor, across multiple floors, or a
setup with a group of lanes facing one direction and another group of lanes facing another direction.
Bowling lanes are laid out in married pairs with each pair sharing a ball return rack, automatic
scoring console, and in some cases a bowler seating setup. Weekly league sessions are normally
contested on one married pair of lanes with equal play for each participant on each lane. In a
tournament, one game will be played on a married pair of lanes and bowlers will change to a new
pair of lanes after every game.
The lane bed is built from either wood or phenolic. A wood lane uses maple for pin decks, the ball
impact zone and the approach while pine is used for the second half of the lane after the impact
zone. The measurement from the foul line to the center axis of the head pin is exactly sixty feet. In
ten pin, the pins are either Surlyn-coated maple or a plastic composite. For small ball bowling, all
pins are now made of plastic composites. The pinsetter varies by game, but have two foundations
string and free-fall. Most ten-pin, candlepin, and duckpin centers are free fall while five-pin and soft
belly duckpin centers are dominated by string pinsetters. String pinsetters have a lower operating
cost. The ball return consists of a ball tray and an up-ramp. Most ten pin centers and some small ball
centers use a power lift to raise the ball to the tray.
A bowling center requires a lot of space. A single lane requires a footprint of about 620 square feet
including the lane bed, gutters, pit end, pinsetter, ball returns, and approach area. This does not
include space for seating, party rooms, arcades, the concourse, kitchen, administrative areas, fire
safety systems, and other building requirements.

Scoring[edit]
The most common bowling is ten pin bowling. In ten pin bowling, matches consist of each player
bowling a "game". Each game is divided into ten "frames". A frame allows a bowler two chances to
knock down all ten pins. The number of pins knocked over in each frame is recorded, a running total
is made as each frame progresses, and the player with the highest score in his/her game wins the
game. Scores can be greater than the actual number of pins knocked over if strikes or spares are
bowled. A "strike" is scored when a player knocks down all pins on the first roll in the frame. Rather
than a score of 10 for the frame, the player's score will be 10 plus the total pins knocked down on the
next two rolls in the next frame(s). A "spare" is scored when all pins are knocked down using both
rolls in the frame. The player's score for that frame will be 10 plus the number of pins knocked down
on the first roll in the next frame. A player who rolls a spare or strike in the last frame is given one or
two more rolls to score additional points, respectively.
Two consecutive strikes is known as a "double" (also known among older bowlers as a hambone,
prior to Pro Bowling Association/ESPN announcers changing it). Three consecutive strikes is known
as a "turkey". Four consecutive strikes is known as a "hambone" (PBA announcing in 2009/2010) or
"four bagger". Five consecutive strikes is known as a "five bagger", "dropping the nickel", or

"Yahtzee" (PBA). Six consecutive strikes is known as a "six-pack" or "Six bagger". Seven or more
follow the "-pack"/"bagger" rule, or is simply called (number of strikes) in a row. A perfect
game consists of 12 consecutive strikes, one for every frame and two more on the extra rolls in the
10th, and results in a score of 300. A clean game is filling every frame with either a spare or a strike.
In many forms of indoor bowling (specifically ten-pin, candlepin, and duckpin), the highest possible
score is 300. In five-pin, the highest possible score is 450.
A common variation of the game is no-tap, a form of bowling where a specific number or more pins
knocked down counts as a strike. Nine or eight pin no-tap is most often used. No-tap in five-pin
awards a strike if the first ball leaves one of the corner pins. Standard only two people plays in the
international tournaments.

Equipment[edit]
Types of pins[edit]
Five main variations are found in North America, varying especially in New England and parts
of Canada:

Ten-pin bowling: largest and heaviest pins, bowled with a large ball with finger holes, and
the most popular size in North America

Nine-pin bowling: pins usually attached to strings at the tops, uses a ball without finger
holes

Candlepin: tallest pins, thin with matching ends, and bowled with the smallest and
lightest (at 1.1 kg) handheld ball of any bowling sport

Duckpin: short, squat, and bowled with a handheld ball

Five-pin bowling: tall, between duckpins and candlepins in diameter with a rubber girdle,
bowled with a handheld ball, mostly found in Canada

Ball[edit]
Bowling balls vary, depending on the type of bowling game. Ten-pin balls are large, up to 27 inches
in circumference (approximately 8.59 inches diameter), and have as many as twelve holes, typically
three holes. The balls come in various weights from 6 to 16 lbs, with the size and spacing of the
finger holes often smaller on lighter balls to accommodate smaller hands. Different kinds of balls are
available for different styles of bowling. There are balls for hook shots and balls for bowling straight.
The bowling balls meant for hook shots have different core shapes and different chemical covers.
There are a few types of chemical covers that allow a bowling ball to hook more. One of these types
of covers is a resin cover. This resin cover is designed to move and absorb the oil on the lane to
create a path for the bowler where there is less oil, increasing the amount of hook of the bowling
ball. Balls for other games vary, e.g., candlepin balls which fit in the palm of the hand need no holes.
Unlike most sports, the ball can be different weights based upon the player.
All bowling centers provide bowling balls (house balls) their usage is included in the bowling fee.
For ten pin bowling, the center will provide a fleet of house balls in varying weight and standard grip
sizes while idle lanes have empty ball return racks. Customers that use house balls will pick a ball
that fits from the house ball fleet and place it on the ball rack at the designated lane. When done, the
customer should return the house ball to the house ball racks. In small-ball games, each ball return
contains a quantity of house balls usually in at most one or two color patterns.
Shoes[edit]
Bowling shoes are designed to mimic any style of flat shoe from regular dress shoes to athletic
shoes. The sole of the non sliding foot is generally made of rubber to provide traction, while the

sliding foot's sole is made of a smooth and flat material that allows a bowler to slide into the release
with a rubber heel to allow for braking. Rental shoes are typically leather and rubber on both feet for
durability. These shoes can be bought, but most casual players rent the shoes each visit to a facility.
Players must be very careful while wearing them that the soft material does not get wet or
excessively dirty; if it does get wet or dirty, it will not slide properly, and could damage the approach
surface.[21]
Depending on the bowling center, shoe rental may be included in the cost of bowling or be added as
a separate fee. To discourage theft, bowling shoes are often painted in highly distinctive patterns so
that anyone who does steal them will not be able to wear the shoes in public without making the theft
obvious.[22]
Hand guard[edit]

A full-fledged bowling glove

A bowling guard is a metal wrist support to attain a certain angle to the wrist when releasing the ball;
to hook the ball. There are different types of hand guard, including those with a full metal finger
design and ones with an uncovered portion for the middle and ring fingers. There are also
wristguards. They allow a bowler to keep their wrist locked into place to generate revolutions on a
ball or assist with position and/or weak wrists.[23]
Bags[edit]
Traditionally, personal bowling balls are carried in special zippered bags, along with shoes and a
polishing cloth. Some bags are only large enough to fit shoes, while others can accommodate
multiple balls, resembling roller bag luggage.[24][25]

Ball release techniques and delivery styles[edit]

Ball release[edit]
There are typically two different ways to roll a ball down the lane.

Straight
Beginners commonly just bowl the ball straight down the lane, hoping to hit the 1 and
2 pocket or the 1 and 3 pocket. When bowling straight like this, people often hold the
ball with their hand in a "W" shaped form.

Hook/Curve
The hook or curve ball is commonly used by more advanced players. As the bowler
releases the ball, the ball starts out straight and then "hooks" because of the rotation
the bowler puts on the ball during release. When curving, most people use two fingers
and a thumb.
Delivery styles[edit]
There are three different types of styles used when releasing the ball onto the lane. The
three styles are the stroker, cranker and tweener styles.

Stroker
People who use the stroker style usually keep their feet square to the foul line.
Stroking lessens the ball's spin rate and therefore decreases its hook/curve potential
and hitting power. Strokers use finesse and accuracy.

Cranker
Crankers try to create as much spin as possible by using a cupped wrist. Bowlers that
use the cranking method often cup their wrist, but open the wrist at the top of the
swing. Crankers often use late timing, meaning the foot reaches the foul line before
the ball does; this is called "plant and pull", hardly using any slide on their last step
and pulling the ball upwards for leverage. Crankers rely on speed and power.
Tweener
Tweeners are bowlers that release the ball in a way that falls somewhere in between
stroking and cranking. Tweeners often release the ball with a higher backswing than
is normally used by a stroker or a less powerful wrist position than a cranker.
UFO
The UFO style was create by Taiwanese and widely used in Asia. Unlike other different
types of styles, the flat of UFO's rotation is parallel to the ground. The ball is spun in a
counter-clockwise manner (right handed) and enters the pins close to the middle of
the lane, deflecting and causing pins to scatter rather than fly around. A ball weighing
10-12 pounds is used.

Bowling safety[edit]
Bowling balls are heavy with varying weight ranges; to avoid back and wrist
injury, they should be picked up with both hands. Its also recommended to
bend ones knees while picking up bowling balls to avoid back injuries. Most
bowling ball return mechanisms use a power-lift that includes a spinning
wheel, and it is recommended that bowlers should keep their hands clear of
it. Bowlers should also warm up their fingers before inserting them into a
bowling ball, to ensure that their fingers do not get stuck in the ball.[26][27]
Even in small ball bowling, balls should be picked up with one hand on each
side of the ball small balls return to the rack with enough force to smash
fingers.
It is very common in bowling to warm up in other sports by stretching the
arms and legs. Some ways bowler stretch is by using the bowling ball as a
sort-of medicine ball. They pick up the bowling ball and put the ball behind
their head and stretch their arms. Normally bowlers squeeze the bowling
ball. They also stretch their quadriceps by lifting their leg behind their back.
"A warm up should begin with some light activity to increase blood flow to
the muscles" (called "bowling stretches")[28]
It is imperative to keep the soles of bowling shoes dry. If the bowling shoe
sole gets wet, it can stick like glue on an approach and result in the bowler
suffering a wipeout or blown knee. The most common causes of wet
bowling shoes tend to be spilled beverages, drips in washrooms and near
concessions, and snowmelt or rainwater tracked into the bowling center.
Outdoor footwear should be removed at the bowling center entrance. All
spills should be reported to bowling center staff and cleaned immediately. A
shoe cover is sold in most pro shops for bowlers who still want to wear
bowling shoes while walking around the alley, in the washroom etc.
Removable soles are sold with higher end bowling shoes to combat when a
bowling shoe does get wet.
The lane surface carries a high amount of oil (lane conditioner) and is
extremely slippery. A bowler should never cross the foul line at the
approach. Only authorized personnel should step past the foul line, even if
it is to pick up a loose item that fell onto the lane.

When cleaning lane conditioner from the bowling ball, care must be taken to
ensure that the bowlers fingers don't slip into a finger hole while turning the
ball over since it is possible to break a finger.