Bowling: general concepts. The history of the game

When you see how they play bowling, it seems that hitting the skittles at the end of the lane is quite simple. In fact, entire throwing systems have been developed that allow you to knock down as many pins as possible with one blow. Professional athletes tend to knock down all the pins with one throw. For an uninitiated person in the intricacies of bowling, this is almost impossible.

Various varieties of bowling have been played since time immemorial. So, for example, in ancient Egypt, objects for the game, reminiscent of a bowling alley, were discovered.

motherland modern bowling Germany is considered to be where, as far back as the third century AD, a game was widespread in which wooden pegs were knocked down with a stone ball.

Bowling as a sport.

Modern Bowling is a sports game in which you knock down as many pins as possible with special balls in two attempts.

This game can be played both indoors and outdoors. The most popular game is ten pin bowling.

To play bowling, you need to know some basic terms. For example, frame is one game that contains two throws.

You also need to know what a strike is.

strike- This is a complete hit on all the pins in one throw.

Well spar called the case when knocking out the entire number of pins occurred with two throws.

When playing bowling, there are points, the maximum number of which is 300 points.

As mentioned above, special balls are used for this game. They are usually made from polyester, but can also be made from polyurethane.

bowling balls convenient in that each person can choose for himself the right size and weight of the ball. When people choose bowling as just leisure or entertainment, rolling balls are in the centers. But professionals and athletes in this sport have their own balls, which are made individually for each of them. In these individual balls, holes are made exactly for the fingers of the owner.

With skittles, everything is easier. They are the same for everyone. They are usually made of plastic, and there is wood inside them.

For a successful game, it is very important to direct the ball directly to the center of the pins, for this you need to train a lot so that the ball rolls exactly along the given trajectory. It is also necessary to calculate the required number of steps to the line, which, by the way, cannot be crossed, otherwise the throw will be canceled. And it is equally important to understand at what point you need to release the ball in order to get a strike.

Today, more and more people, young people and not only, choose bowling as entertainment on the weekends or even to celebrate a holiday (birthday, new year).

Shopping and entertainment complexes increasingly installed bowling lanes to attract people for this game. But there are also special bowling clubs, of which there are about sixteen thousand worldwide.

And the largest of them, which has 141 tracks, is in Japan. The Hall of Fame is located in the USA. It contains world records and awards for legendary bowling players. For example, for the first time 300 points were scored in 1953 by the famous Bill Philips.

Bowling is the most common game that is known in every corner of the world. She is not easy. In order to play bowling, you must not only know the rules, but also have a certain skill. The main attributes of bowling are skittles, there are 10 of them and they line up in a pyramid at the end of the lane, and a ball, the weight of which can vary from 6 kg to 16. So how to play bowling?

First of all, at the beginning of the game, you need to wear special shoes that will prevent slipping, and choose the appropriate ball that will be easy to launch. As a rule, from 6 to 10 kg are women's balls. From 10 kg - these are men's. Professional players order individual production of balls. A bowling game consists of 10 frames, in each of which the player throws the ball 2 times, and in the last frame - 3 times. After each roll, regardless of how many pins are knocked down or whether they are knocked down at all, they line up again. The ball, as a rule, is held with the right hand, however, it will be much more convenient for the left-hander to do it with the left. Each of the balls has holes for fingers: middle, large and ring. Taking it in hand, it is important to make the correct run-up and send the ball strictly straight towards the pins. You can first practice with a run and calculate in advance how many steps it will take for him, but their recommended number is 4. The goal of each throw is to knock down all the pins.


The maximum number of points per game is 300. They are counted for knocked down pins. If some of them are knocked down, then each shot down is worth 1 point. If a strike is hit or several in a row, points are doubled, bonus points are added. The total score and the number of points for each frame is shown on a monitor in the player's field of vision. Each playing track has a line called a foul. It is from her that the throw is made. You can’t stand up for her, just like stepping on her. But if all such an incident occurs, a beep sounds and the frame is canceled. It is important while playing bowling to learn how to evenly distribute body weight and clearly send the ball to the target. To do this, the player and the ball must be one. In the game, the coherence of all movements and harmony is important. Then the target will be hit with a high probability by an accurate hit of the player.


Bowling is a game that requires endless practice. Even professionals are constantly improving and mastering new techniques. Only in constant training can you fill your hand and easily hit the skittles with a well-aimed hit.

Probably, there is no person in the world who does not know what bowling is. . People from all over the world are familiar with this game. And even if you personally did not have to take part in it, then you have seen how others do it for sure. At least on TV.

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It is safe to say that bowling is able to unite different layers of the population. He is adored by poor and rich people, young and mature, men and women. In addition, bowling is great fun.

Origin story

So far, historians have not been able to agree on who invented this game.

But the following facts are absolutely certain:

  • judging by the contents of the tombs, the ancient Egyptians played bowling;
  • the ancestors of modern Germans mastered this game as early as the 3rd century BC. e.;
  • bowling was brought to America by settlers from Holland;
  • at the beginning of the 14th century, the British got acquainted with the game.

The passion for this sport was so rampant that some rulers even issued special decrees prohibiting playing it.

But only 50 years ago, as Wikipedia notes, the Olympic Committee included this game in the list of officially recognized species.

Rules and concepts adopted in bowling

The essence of bowling is to lay down as many pins as possible with one ball. Ideally, the competitor should knock down all the pins.

According to the rules, there can be no more than six participants on one track. What is a sport without terminology. If in hockey a certain period of time is called a time, then in bowling it is called a “frame”.

By the way, this game develops excellent qualities:

  • perfect coordination of movements;
  • the ability to respond quickly;
  • sleight of hand;
  • accuracy.

During one frame, the player has the right to make two throws. If the participant manages to knock down all ten pins at a time, then we have a classic strike.

If all the pins fall after the second stroke, we are talking about a spare. Mazis, who even for two throws did not manage to lay the skittles, have the so-called open frame.

Masters sometimes throw balls, twisting them. This action is called a hook. And you don’t wish a foul on anyone - a situation where a participant steps on a line that cannot be stepped on during a throw.

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Special shoes

Before the game, the participant must take care of the appropriate footwear. Special shoes are distinguished by special heels and soles. the sole allows the player to slide when throwing, and the heel, which has a ribbed surface, on the contrary, will act as a brake.

Professional shoes are designed in such a way that both the heels and the sole can be replaced if necessary. This is due to the fact that in all bowling centers the coverage of the lanes is different.

From this article, you learned quite a bit about the game that is loved in all corners of the earth. Bowling is an excellent entertainment, a sporting event for both professionals and amateurs.

Without a doubt, this game attracts an increasing number of fans every year.

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About bowling

Bowling has been around since ancient times. Archaeologists discovered the first prototype balls for the game in the grave of a child in ancient Egypt. The burial dates back to around 5200 BC. In another tomb dating from about the same time, several stone balls, three pieces of marble and nine thin pins were found. As far back as 1939, the famous Egyptologist professor Finders Petrie suggested that in ancient times the ball had to be thrown through the lined marble gates. The goal of the players were skittles lined up in the shape of a rhombus. Based on this, it can be assumed that the first ball was thrown by a bowling player 7,000 years ago. Then there was no mention of bowling for a long time. As a religious rite, bowling originated in Germany in the 3rd century. Kegel was a symbol of a pagan who had to be destroyed and eradicated as a phenomenon. According to the German historian William Pel, during the ceremony, the one who knocked down the most pins won.
The first bowling alleys were made of clay, slate or ash. The number of pins varied from 5 to 17. As early as the 1200s, bowling alleys were made of wood, but they were rarely more than a foot wide. At the end of the lane there was a fairly wide platform on which skittles were placed. The platform was several feet wide. Traces of similar tracks have been found in Germany. But the Germans weren't the only ones playing this game. English written documents of the 12th century contain references to a certain game, which was very popular among the troops. The game became so popular that the military, who had to practice archery, took more time to play it than to practice. That is why in 1366 the English king Edward III declared the game of skittles illegal. In general, the game of skittles was considered a game of ordinary people, but over time it became more and more popular and interesting. Back in the 15th century, the first so-called bowling centers, which were also called bowling alleys, opened in London. They were an indoor court for the game. After some time, such centers began to be located near places of recreation and in public places - in hotels, taverns, bars, as there were always those who wanted to spend time playing the game. Therefore, the game of skittles and balls subsequently began to change, avid players appeared, ready to give their last money to try their luck again and break the skittles. Repeated attempts by the authorities to ban the game led to the fact that she went underground. So, in the 18th century, one of the judges decided to close all alleys and bowling centers in London. At that time, Skittles, Dutch Skittles and other equally popular types of bowling were played in the vicinity of the city. That is how a new game called "Inflate Justice" appeared. Instead of 9 pins, players had to fall into one of 9 dug holes. Despite the direct resemblance to bowling, the judge decided not to ban the new game.
The game was also very popular in the Netherlands. In the 17th century, from there it came to America and acquired its modern look. That is why America is considered to be the birthplace of bowling. By the way, in New York there is still a quarter in which the Dutch settlers lived. The quarter was named Bowling Green, which translates as a lawn for playing balls. However, most of all for the development of bowling in America did the Germans, who first appeared in the country around the 50s of the 17th century. On comfortable lawns and in large mansions, in small alleys and quiet parks, bowling alleys began to be installed. Public censure was caused by the fact that some bowling fans began to play for money. Some states have decided to ban 9-pin bowling. But even here there were people who circumvented the law - a variant of the game with 10 pins arose, which is most common today. The game got its name from the English word bowl, which translates as "to roll balls."
In the 19th century, New York began to be called the American capital of bowling. At that time, there were a huge number of immigrants from Germany in the city. On January 1, 1840, the first indoor bowling alley was opened in Manhattan. The paths in it were made of baked clay. Over time, more and more bowling clubs began to open, located not in the open air, but in enclosed spaces.
In 1875, 27 bowling alleys in Manhattan united to form the first National Bowling Association (NBA). The beater established the rules of the game, the size of the ball, the location of the central skittles. After only five years, it was decided to publish the rules of the bowling game, but they never received due attention and general distribution. The concept of a game consisting of the already traditional 20 throws was introduced in 1890 by the then-founded American Bowling League (ABL). As a result, in each round it was possible to make not three, but only two throws. Thus, it was possible to earn a maximum of 200 points. In addition, the height of the pins has been reduced to 15 inches. The popularity of the game has plummeted due to innovations. The American Bowling League (AABL), founded in 1891, banned money bowling. As a result, the game has ceased to be interesting for the vast majority of avid bowlers. The organization of bowling centers put forward a proposal to close the League. The proposal was supported and AABL ceased to exist. The regulars of bowling clubs soon came to the conclusion that there was a need to create elementary rules for the game. As a result, the American Bowling Congress was born in 1895, but it took even this now prosperous organization 10 years to gain ground and authority.
Until the early 20th century, bowling balls were made primarily from guaiac wood or backout, a hardwood. Already in 1905, the first rubber balls appeared, and in 1914 the then-famous Brunswick Corporation introduced the first rubber bowling ball.
Gradually, the number of centers for playing the favorite bowling began to grow, but when opening new bowling centers, technical problems constantly arose. There was an acute shortage of boys who set up skittles knocked down by balls. In addition to the fact that the young assistants demanded a high fee, were dirty, they were also rude to visitors. But even such small workers were worth all gold. The solution was found quite by accident. In the 1930s, one of the smaller bowling centers was run by George Berkeley, and the establishment was frequented by Gottfried Schmidt, an engineer from Dexter Fodder's company. Once Berkeley dropped in on Schmidt when he was at work and became interested in a machine that sucked paper and thus lifted it, then sending it to pressing and packaging machines. The idea arose to adapt these machines for lifting skittles. Meanwhile, Bob Kennedy tried unsuccessfully to solve this problem for many years. He liked the developments of Schmidt and Berkeley, but he never managed to use them - the company did not show interest in the development, they began to look for sponsors, investors and sponsors who would help in creating the pinspotter. When the Second World War began, bowling was completely forgotten. In 1945, AMF Vice President Morehead Patterson purchased a patent from Schmidt for the manufacture of a pinspotter, and a year later the new invention could be seen at the exhibition. The first pinspotter was installed in Michigan in 1951, and the first industrial models appeared the following year. These simple machines made it possible to save huge amounts of money on the wages of the boys, who, when they manually set the skittles, one mechanic could easily follow several lanes at once.
Now the systems have become automatic, the number of bowling centers has grown significantly. By the way, the largest bowling center with 141 lanes is located in Japan.

The history of bowling goes back over 7,000 years. Sir Flinders Petrie, a professor of Egyptology at the University of London, discovered objects for a game similar to modern bowling in the tomb of an Egyptian child. The date of his burial refers to 5200 BC.

Research by Dr. Malcome Rogers, Senior Curator of the San Diego Museum, has established that the inhabitants of Polynesia, located on the islands of the Yellow Sea, in ancient times played a game that vaguely resembled bowling, which they called yulla mika, where the lane exactly corresponded to the length of the bowling alley. requirements of today and was also 60 feet.

“The ancient chronicles of Paderborn tell that bowling was first played in the galleries of cathedrals. The canons of the time required parishioners to take turns setting their skittles at the end of the gallery. These objects embodied Heide, which means "pagans" in translation. The parishioner would receive the ball and be asked to throw it in the heide.

A successful roll testified that the thrower was leading a pure righteous life and was capable of killing a pagan; if he missed, it meant that more frequent attendance at church would lead him to his cherished goal. Similar traditions already existed in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. e. Bowling has been played in different ways at different times in all parts of Europe. The game of skittles (their number was nine) became a favorite pastime for the people of Holland. For the first time in England, this game (skills) began to be played in the 14th century. Curling, a variation of the old game of bowling, has its origins in Scotland. Bowling has also seen hard times. Thus, King Edward III of England (1366) was so afraid that the bowling alley would abandon archery, which was an integral part of the defense of the kingdom, that he quickly forced Parliament to take appropriate measures. Other kings who reigned after Edward III passed and perpetuated laws prohibiting this game, but some of them went to the trick and introduced an amendment into them that allowed the game of skittles within the palace. The nobles soon took to this form of entertainment and the legal restrictions were removed. Bowling alleys, along with other buildings, were built in the Whitehall area by order of Henry VIII (circa 1530). Personalities who played a prominent role in the history of England paid tribute to the fashion fad. One of them was Sir Francis Drake, the famous English admiral and navigator who circumnavigated the globe, who lived from 1540-1596. He, in particular, became famous for refusing to stop playing when he was informed that the elusive Spanish armada was approaching.

Medieval chronicles say:

“While Drake and other officers of the English fleet were enthusiastically playing bowls in the immortal match at Plymouth Hoe, and this was taking place on the afternoon of July 19, 1588, a small warship entered the harbor. His commander reported that a Spanish armada had been sighted off the coast of Cornwall early in the morning, but Drake insisted on continuing the match, saying that there was still plenty of time to win the game and defeat the Spaniards.

Skittles (which used nine pieces) and a ten-piece bowling game that closely resembled the modern bowling game were brought to America by Dutch settlers who began playing it on Manhattan Island in 1626. More than a hundred years later, in 1732, John Chambers, Peter Bayerd, and Peter Jay leased for eleven years an abandoned pepper field that was the only vacant spot immediately adjacent to Fort Battery near New York and is now the area of ​​Lower Broadway. They fenced off the wide field, where the parades used to be held, with a beautiful fence and arranged a grassy bowling alley on it. This fenced-in place in the Broadway area still stands today. In an old bowling publication, it is noted that although the game was banned by the Puritans, individual members of this religious movement could not resist the temptation.

One of them wrote in 1658:

“To those who are suffering, I will say here that I should not admit my mistakes, which they will find out on this page sometime in the future, and this will become public, but my conscience worries me, and I can no longer be silent. .. It was excruciatingly hot, but I was more tormented by those desires from which I kept myself lately. I'm afraid this game of bowls has cast a spell on me. Because I played it today and for money. Still, I was lucky, and I won 10 pounds. Woe is me! My Puritan brethren would be horrified to hear of this, and so my confession is all the more frank. I love this game, I'm happy when I win and meet wonderful people on the green lawn. May this confession lighten my soul.” The first actual mention of the game of bowling in American literature appears to have been made by Washington Irving in his Sketches, where he speaks of the thunderous collision of balls with pins.

In the countries of Central Europe, the game of skittles (the variant with nine figures) was popular from the Middle Ages until 1850. Skittles were set in a diamond pattern, and by 1820 this arrangement had become generally accepted in America. However, by 1850, criminal elements had taken complete control of the bowling alleys, most of the games were rigged, and constant scams eventually led to a ban on bowling. Deception and swindle became so blatant in certain cities that the game was declared criminal in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York, and in 1841 the authorities of Connecticut passed a law prohibiting bowling in any form.

The law specifically emphasized that "the use of lanes for games with nine pins, the number of which may be more or less, is prohibited, under penalty of a fine not exceeding $ 50." But as a result of such legislation, the tenth pin appeared and the modern triangular arrangement of figures arose. In 1875, delegates from nine bowling centers located in New York and Brooklyn met at Hermania Hall in the Bowery and organized the National Bowling Association (NAB) to revise the existing rules. This organization managed to survive until 1890, when it was replaced by the American Amateur Bowling Union (ALB), which also soon collapsed, and for some time attempts to create similar societies were not made. It wasn't until September 9, 1895 that the American Bowling Congress was formed. ABC developed uniform rules of the game, developed uniform technical requirements for balls, pins, lanes and other accessories, and also assumed the responsibility of overseeing the development of American bowling (a ten-pin variant). The ABC currently has over 2 million members, a governing body of 70 staff, and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 1572 Eastcapitol Drive. The Congress meets annually, and its congresses are held simultaneously with grandiose competitions. For a long time, bowling had a bad reputation, as various schemers swirled around it, and the rooms in which the games were played were poorly lit and smelly.

Eventually, the Bowling Alley Owners of America was formed and set out to raise the standards of service at these establishments and soon achieved unheard-of results in this field, as evidenced by the accompanying photographs. Bowling center today
it is a sparkling, fully modernized building for family entertainment. Under the scrutiny of the leaders of the WCA, bowling leagues for young children are opening everywhere; most modern centers include children's rooms, where mothers can safely leave their children for a while, while they themselves play with other housewives.