Bowling is one of the oldest and most popular indoor sports. More Americans compete in bowling than in any other sport. Every year in the United States, about 82 million people roll balls down gleaming wooden lanes to try to knock down the 10 pins.
Bowling is becoming increasingly popular in other countries as well, especially in Canada, Japan, and the Latin American nations. In addition to tenpin bowling, many people enjoy other forms of the sport, including boccie, candlepins, duckpins, fivepins, lawn bowling, and ninepins.
Until the 1950’s, bowling was considered a sport for bowlers only. But today, major tournaments attract thousands of spectators. Bowling tournaments also rank as popular sports shows on television.
How to bowl
One reason for bowling’s popularity is the ease with which the game can be learned. The bowler starts the delivery about 12 feet (3.7 meters) from the foul line. This line separates the approach end of the lane from the lane itself. The bowler must release the ball without crossing the foul line.
Scoring.
A bowling game consists of 10 frames. Each bowler rolls the ball twice in each frame, unless a strike is scored. A strike counts 10 pins, plus the total number of pins the bowler knocks down with the next two balls that are thrown. On a strike, the scorer marks an X in the small square in the corner of the larger square on the score sheet. A spare counts 10 pins, plus the number of pins the bowler knocks down with the first ball thrown in the next frame. The scorer marks a diagonal line (/) through the small square for a spare. When a bowler fails to make a strike or spare, only the pins knocked down count, and no scoring is carried over to the next frame. If the bowler fails to knock down all the pins with two balls in one frame, he or she scores an error. The scorer marks a dash (—) or the word “open” in the small square. A bowler must roll 12 consecutive strikes to score 300, a perfect game. This includes one strike for each of the 10 frames, plus one strike for each of the two extra, or bonus, chances that a bowler receives for scoring a strike in the 10th frame.
Bowling for spares.
A successful bowler must be able to score spares, or knock down with a second ball all the pins left standing after his or her first ball in a frame. The bowler usually rolls from the left side of the lane if the remaining pins are on the right side of the lane. If the pins stand on the left side of the lane, the bowler generally delivers the ball from the right side.
Delivering the ball.
Most bowlers use a four-step or five-step delivery. The bowler takes a relaxed stance at the starting point. He or she faces the pins and holds the ball slightly above the waist. A right-handed bowler using the four-step delivery steps forward on the right foot and pushes the ball forward and down. On the second step (left foot), the bowler swings the ball back to the rear, and the left arm moves forward for balance. In the five-step delivery, the bowler starts on the left foot and takes two steps while swinging the ball back.
In both the four- and five-step deliveries, the ball reaches the top of its backswing when the bowler has the right foot forward. The next step (left foot) brings the bowler to the foul line in a graceful slide. The bowler rolls the ball down the lane and lets the right hand follow through smoothly. This hand should end its swing almost in front of the bowler’s eyes.
Bowlers should throw either a straight ball, a hook, or a curve. The straight ball is best for a beginner, because it is the easiest to throw accurately. The hook ball rolls down the side of the lane, then turns sharply in toward the pins. The curve ball follows a wider arc than the hook does. For a hook or a curve, the bowler spins the ball by twisting the wrist as the ball leaves the hand.
Aiming.
A right-handed bowler aims for the pocket, or space, between the 1 and 3 pins, while a left-handed bowler tries to hit the pocket between the 1 and 2 pins. A bowler uses either pin bowling or spot bowling to aim. In pin bowling, the bowler keeps his or her eyes on the pins throughout approach and delivery, and aims the ball directly at the pins. In spot bowling, the bowler chooses a spot marked on the lane over which the ball must pass in order to hit the pins correctly. The bowler keeps his or her eyes on this spot, and aims at the spot instead of at the pins.
Bowling equipment
The ball
is made of a variety of materials, depending on the bowler’s skill level. Beginning and average bowlers normally use balls made of plastic and regular urethane, which are easier to control. High-average and professional bowlers usually use resin balls and urethane balls containing tiny particles of ceramic, glass, and other materials. These balls have a stickier surface that provides more hooking action and hitting power. Balls used in leagues must weigh from 6 to 16 pounds (2.7 to 7.3 kilograms).
Most bowlers use a three-finger grip (thumb, middle finger, and ring finger), but some use a two-finger grip (thumb and middle finger). The bowler’s thumb and fingers should slip into the holes to the second knuckle. Some bowlers use a fingertip grip in which the fingers extend into the holes only up to the first knuckle. The two-finger grip that was popular among earlier bowlers is rarely used today.
The lane
is 62 feet 103/16 inches (19.16 meters) long, and 41 to 42 inches (1.04 to 1.07 meters) wide. The approach area, at the bowler’s end of the lane, is at least 15 feet (4.6 meters) long. The foul line separates the approach area from the lane. Shallow, hollowed grooves called gutters run along either side of the lane. A gutter is 9 inches (23 centimeters) wide. Poorly aimed balls roll into a gutter. Most bowling lanes are made of synthetic material, generally with a polymer-base surface.
The pins
are made of maple and are covered with a plastic coating. Magnesium pins are also permitted, but they are still in a developmental stage. Each pin stands 15 inches (38 centimeters) high. A pin must be at least 51/4 inches (13.3 centimeters) in circumference at the neck and no more than 15 inches (38 centimeters) in circumference at its widest point. Pins weigh from 3 pounds 6 ounces (1.53 kilograms) to 3 pounds 12 ounces (1.7 kilograms). The heaviest pin may not weigh more than 3 ounces (85 grams) over the lightest pin.
The pins stand on spots in a 36-inch (91-centimeter) triangle. The center of each spot is 12 inches (30 centimeters) from the center of the neighboring spots. The pins are numbered from 1 to 10, starting with the No. 1 (head) pin and counting row by row, from left to right. The No. 1 pin stands 60 feet (18 meters) from the foul line at the far end of the lane.
Professional bowling
Some bowlers once earned a living from the sport by giving exhibitions and lessons, and sometimes by competing for prize money. Organized professional bowling began in 1959, with the founding of the men’s Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) and the Professional Woman Bowlers Association (PWBA). In 1978, the PWBA became the Women Professional Bowlers Association (WPBA). The WPBA broke up in 1981. The Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour (LPBT), founded in 1981, replaced the WPBA. In 1998, the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour changed its name to the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA). The PWBA disbanded in 2004, and several women professional bowlers competed in PBA events. The PBA sponsors dozens of national tournaments. The organization also sponsors tournaments with local organizations of bowling-establishment owners, civic and fraternal organizations, and corporations. Tournaments have been held in major cities throughout the world. 
Canadian fivepins
Fivepins is a popular form of bowling in Canada. Bowlers roll a ball that is 5 inches (13 centimeters) or less in diameter and weighs 56 ounces (1.59 kilograms) or less. Five pins, 12 inches (30 centimeters) apart, stand in a triangle at the end of a regulation 10-pin lane. The pins are 123/8 inches (31.4 centimeters) high and have a diameter of 131/64 inches (3.8 centimeters) at the neck and 43/16 inches (10.6 centimeters) at the widest point. A 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) groove 2 inches (5 centimeters) from the base holds a rubber band.
The No. 5 (head) pin stands at the corner of the triangle nearest the bowler. Two No. 3 pins stand behind the head pin, and two No. 2 pins form the back corners of the triangle. A game has 10 frames, and each bowler can roll three times in a frame unless a strike or a spare is scored. A strike counts 15, plus the number of pins knocked down with the next two balls. A spare counts 15 points, plus the number of pins knocked down with the first ball in the next frame.
Other kinds of bowling
Other bowling games include duckpins, candlepins, lawn bowling, boccie, and ninepins.
Duckpins and candlepins
are 10-pin bowling games that use a smaller ball and different-shaped pins. Both games allow the bowler to roll a third ball in each frame. The duckpins ball can be a maximum of 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) in diameter and weigh no more than 3 pounds 12 ounces (1.7 kilograms). The stubby duckpins stand 913/32 inches (23.9 centimeters) high. In candlepins, the ball is 41/2 inches (11.5 centimeters) in diameter and can weigh a maximum of 2 pounds 7 ounces (1.1 kilograms). Candlepins are 153/4 inches (40 centimeters) high. They are flat at the base and the top and slightly wider in the middle. Both duckpins and candlepins are popular in the eastern United States and eastern Canada.
Lawn bowling,
an outdoor game, is popular in Canada and the United Kingdom (see Lawn bowling). 
Boccie
is an Italian form of lawn bowling.
Ninepins
is a game in which the bowler rolls the ball at nine pins set in a diamond formation. The game is popular in northern Europe.
History
Beginnings.
People have competed in various forms of bowling for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of the sport dates back to ancient Egypt. Archaeologists discovered equipment for a game resembling bowling that had been buried with a child about 5200 B.C.
The ancient Polynesians played a game that involved rolling small balls at round, flat disks about 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter. They rolled the balls 60 feet (18 meters), the distance used in bowling today.
Modern forms of bowling
can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In Germany, village dances and celebrations of baptisms included bowling. The Germans rolled or threw stones at nine wooden clubs called kegles, and bowlers today are sometimes known as keglers.
Bowling appeared in England as early as the 1100’s. The game became so popular that English people began to consider it more important than archery. But archery had such a vital role in the defense of England that Parliament outlawed bowling for a time.
In the Netherlands, people played a game called Dutch pins. They arranged nine tall, slender pins in a diamond. The pins were spaced widely apart. The bowler who first knocked down 31 pins, and no more than that number, won the game. A bowler could also win by knocking over the middle pin—called the kingpin—without toppling any others. The Dutch brought their version of bowling with them when they immigrated to the New World during the 1600’s. The Dutch residents of what is now New York City bowled in a section of Manhattan still called Bowling Green.
Bowling became increasingly popular in New England during the 1800’s. But gambling on the sport became so widespread that bowling came to be considered a social evil. In 1841, the Connecticut legislature outlawed “bowling at nine pins.” Bowlers evaded the ban by adding a pin—and thus started the 10-pin bowling game.
The 1900’s.
The American Bowling Congress (ABC) was organized in 1895. It established standard playing rules and specifications for balls, pins, and lanes. The ABC conducted its first annual tournament in 1901. The Women’s International Bowling Congress (WIBC), organized in 1916, directed women’s competition. In 2005, the ABC and WIBC merged with the Young American Bowling Alliance and USA Bowling to form the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). 
During the early 1900’s, most bowling establishments were small, dimly lit, smoke-filled places. Few people considered them suitable for families. In 1932, the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America was formed to raise the standards of bowling establishments. By the mid-1900’s, the sport had become an accepted form of family recreation.
Until 1951, bowling pins were set by a machine that was loaded and operated by hand. That year, the introduction of an automatic pinspotting machine sped up the game greatly. Use of the new machine quickly led to the construction of large, modern bowling centers.
The International Bowling Federation (Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs, or FIQ) sponsors regular world and regional tournaments for tenpin and ninepin bowlers. In 1971, the world tenpin men’s and women’s bowling championships took place in Milwaukee, the first time that the event was held in the United States.
In 2010, a complex called the International Bowling Campus opened in Arlington, Texas. The campus brought together many major organizations in the sport, including the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, and the United States Bowling Congress. Also in 2010, Kelly Kulick won the PBA Tournament of Champions, becoming the first woman to win a PBA tour title. In 2016, Anthony Simonsen became the youngest bowler to win a major men’s tournament when he won the United States Bowling Congress Championship at the age of 19 years and 39 days.
