Bowling: A fun sport?

You are standing before a black line, with a 5 kilogram ball at your side. You aim the ball at a set of 10 pins, and you throw it will all your might. The ball flies at the pins, knocking them all down. Strike!

Bowling is a fun sport to play, as it requires a strong arm and knowledge of force and motion. The main goal is to knock down all 10 pins at the end of the lane with your heavy ball to score. There are 10 frames total in a round of bowling. You and your friends take turns throwing the ball at the pins 2 times in every frame. Whoever gets the highest score at the end of the 10 frames is the winner.

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Throwing

To throw the bowling ball, you step up to behind the black line, and you put three fingers (most commonly the thumb, middle and index fingers) into the three holes, with your thumb going into the largest one below the 2 smaller ones. You swing your arm back, and then forwards to gain speed, then release the ball and watch it roll toward the pins quickly. The lanes have oil on then that keep the ball going.

Scoring

After the ball makes contact with the pins, you get scores based on how many pins you knocked down. Special bonuses are given for getting all 10 pins with your 2 throws (spare), or getting all 10 with a single throw (strike), double strikes, and turkey, which is basically a triple strike. Also, a special word are used when after your first throw, the only 2 standing are the one on the far right and the one on the far left. If you manage to knock both pins out, you get awarded the points for a spare, as well as a cool word “Split!” Also, if you get a gutter ball (where your ball rolls into the gutter, and no pins are hit) for your first throw, and then you knock down all the pins on your second throw, it is called a “Killer Shot!” Only the spare points will be awarded, though.

1. Spare — 10pts + what you get for your very next throw. (Points are calculated after your next turn)
2. Strike — 20pts + what you get for your next two throws.
3. Gutter Ball — Exactly zero.
4. Double Strike — 20pts + what you get for your next two throws.
5. Turkey ( triple strike) — 30pts + what you get for your next two throws.
6. If none, points are given for how many pins you knocked out during your turn.

Weight

In bowling, weight matters. For starters, the heavier it is, the harder it is to start. However, if a heavy ball is started, it is also going to be harder to stop. Usually, bowlers use the rule “10%”, which is basically choosing a ball approximately 10% of your body weight.

Conclusion

Bowling can be a fun sport once you get down the basics. It can help your arm get stronger, as well as deepening your understanding of force and motion.