How to learn to play bowling

Bowling is familiar to many as entertainment, although it is a popular professional sport all over the world that has its own rich history and traditions. How to learn to play - about this in the material "RBC Sport".

Bowling is not only entertainment, but also a professional, technically complex sport that is actively developing all over the world. For the first time, a game similar to modern bowling is mentioned in the 6th century BC. in ancient Egypt. There are references to bowling in medieval Europe. Then bowling came to the usa , where it gained its popularity in its modern form at the beginning of the 20th century.

At this time, the first official rules of the game appeared, the parameters of the balls, the skittle and the playground were determined. Balls began to be made from artificial materials, and not from wood as before. After the Second World War, automatic mechanisms for setting pins appeared (previously this was done by special employees). All this contributed to the popularization and development of bowling.

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Accordingly, the number of players who wanted to compete with each other also increased. Various tournaments and competitions have been held. The first bowling world championship was held in 1960. And in 1988, bowling appeared at the Olympic Games, though only as a demonstration sport.

In RUSSIA, the Bowling Federation was founded in 1997. Since then, a significant number of bowling clubs have appeared in large cities (according to some sources, about five thousand), although compared to the United States, this is extremely small (there are about 140 thousand clubs). Teams of players are formed as a kind of corporate culture in large companies, police and other institutions.

How is the game of sports bowling organized?

The goal of bowling is quite simple - knock down all ten pins in two throws and score the most points. But in sports bowling, things are a little more complicated. There are several main types of games:

The most common type is 10 pins (the height of the pin is 38 centimeters, the diameter is 12 centimeters). The game is played with balls, the weight of which is in the range of 1.7–7.3 kilograms. The balls have three finger holes.
Canadian bowling also uses 10 pins, but they are higher, and the balls are without holes and their weight is no more than 1.7 kilograms.
In European countries, 9-pin bowling is more common.

There are still different types of games, but the most popular and widespread is for 10 pins, where the game is played according to standard rules.

Bowling is played on a special lane, which is 18.2 meters long and 1.6 meters wide. The track consists of forty wooden boards or laminate, the main thing is an indicator of surface friction. Sports bowling pins have a center of gravity, and the ball contains a weight block inside, which helps to guide the ball along a given trajectory. The game requires specialized footwear, which has a leather sole that allows for gliding movements, and a rubber heel to aid in braking before throwing.

Each game consists of 10 sets by each player. In each approach, the player can make two throws with the ball. But if all the pins are knocked down by the first step (“strike”), the approach is considered completed. If all the pins are knocked down after two rolls, it is a spare. A strike gives the player ten points plus the amount of pins knocked down on the next two rolls. Spare allows you to get ten points and the amount of pins knocked down in the subsequent roll. In the third case, the number of points is equal to the number of pins knocked down. The maximum points that can be scored in one game is 300.

For successful bowling you need:

Flexible thinking and the ability to adapt to the situation Determine the type of target selection (“pin-target” - aims at the pin, “target-point” - aims at a point on the lane, “linear approach” - combining the first two) Comfortable and well-fitted pair of shoes Properly choose the weight of the ball (it is not always necessary to choose the heaviest ball, its weight should be comfortable for you, and your fingers should easily enter the holes) Before throwing, you must take the correct stance Do not throw the ball from a place, take 5 steps, and the last step should be the most intense to increase the strength of the arm swing Release the ball on the lane in time How to master the technique of bowling

When playing bowling, there are several factors to consider that will help you win: stance, ball grip, run-up and throw.

First of all, you need to work out the correct stance, on which the quality of your throw will largely depend. The ball grip can be of three main types: standard, semi-grip and fingertip grip. The run is usually done in four or five steps.

The throw is the decisive element that will allow you to score the maximum number of points, and with the accompanying luck, you will be able to make a strike.

How sports bowling is developing in Russia

Maxim Okorokov (Photo: https://russianbowling.ru/)

As Maxim Alekseevich Okorokov, a member of the Russian bowling team, told RBC Sport, “Bowling in Russia is developed at a high level, both sports and entertainment. At the moment, there are about 320 bowling centers in our country in almost all regions of the country, from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, which indicates the high popularity of bowling among the population.

Bowling has been an official sport in Russia since 1997. Under the auspices of the Russian Bowling Federation, championships of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, All-Russian competitions, the Russian Cup, the Russian Championship and national championships for youth and veterans are held on a regular basis. In some subjects of the Russian Federation, official competitions are held for hearing-impaired athletes. In each of the 20 subjects of the Russian Federation, where accredited regional sports federations operate, regular tournaments for youth and students, corporate competitions and commercial tournaments are held. Also during the season, a rating of athletes is maintained, on the basis of which the selection to the national teams of the country is carried out.

Russian athletes have a little more than 100 medals of various denominations in official international competitions in Europe and the world. Including gold and two silver medals of the European Champions Cup, bronze of the World Cups and repeated gold medals of the European Youth Championships. Since 2010, the youth teams of the country have not returned from international championships without medals. In our country, four athletes have the sports title Master of Sports of Russia of international class in bowling, 216 Masters of Sports of Russia. Our country has twice hosted bowling world cups, hosted the European Champions Cup and the European Men's Championship, hosted the finals of the international rating system and many other international competitions and tournaments.

Historically, athletes from the USA, Korea and some European countries have been actively monitored and equaled. It is in these countries that professional commercial bowling leagues exist. Athletes from these countries are perhaps the strongest on the world stage and, in some way, are considered trendsetters in this sport. Among domestic athletes, it is worth highlighting people who for a long time have been permanent members of the national team at various international championships and show decent results, namely: Alexey Parshukov, Ivan Semenov, Nikita Koshelev, Sergey Andreev, Alexander Vasekin, Maria Bulanova, Maria Koshel, Ksenia Apanyakina and others.

How to start bowling

The advantage of bowling, of course, is the opportunity to touch this sport for everyone and at almost any age. Each person has the opportunity to contact a sports school or a coach in their city or region, where they will tell you with great pleasure the theoretical basis and teach you the basic skills of the game. We can say that in order to start bowling, only desire is enough.

For bowling at the initial stage, you can limit yourself to starting equipment (ball and shoes), which will be provided to you at any bowling center. In the future, as the game skills improve, the coach will already tell you which more professional equipment you should switch to. First, you will have your first ball, made to fit your hand and a pair of shoes. In the future, the line of balloons and accessories will expand. Most professional players have dozens of bowling balls and tools for their care (special towels, plasters and much more) in their arsenal.

Bowling develops coordination, stability, accuracy and visual focus well. When playing bowling, almost all muscle groups are involved, and during the throw, their well-coordinated work is necessary to make the throw as correct and accurate as possible.

The game itself and, therefore, the training process can be divided into several main parts:

Theoretical part Work on the physical game (throw technique) Work with the conditions on the track (oil programs) Training the accuracy and repeatability of the throw Psychological preparation

For each of these blocks, there are a large number of different exercises. To study the individual elements of the physical game, exercises are often used that do not include a run-up throw or a throw at the skittles in principle. For example, to learn the intricacies of releasing the ball, an athlete can throw for a long time from a place or from a knee, and to hone accuracy, artificial obstacles can be created on the lanes so that the player shoots only to a certain point on the lane.

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Also, of course, do not forget about the physical preparation of the athlete. Since in bowling a lot depends on the stability and endurance of the athlete, special attention should be paid to the muscles of the legs, arms and, most importantly, the back. Many athletes experience discomfort when playing if the deep back muscles are not sufficiently trained.

The main difference between amateur and sports bowling is the competitive part. Sports bowling is a sport of high achievements, where athletes set themselves the highest goals for the season and career in general, receive sports categories and defend the honor of the country in international competitions and championships. Athletes carefully plan the training process and take a very responsible approach to preparing for competitions. Amateur bowling is most often local evening tournaments that do not carry a special sports load under them and to which people come to have a good time after a hard day's work. That's the beauty of bowling, which can be just a hobby or an extremely serious sport."