Secondary Research

By Eleanor Raftery, Gabrielle Walsh, Steven Crane

Bowling Facts• The first indoor bowling lanes were built in New York City in 1840.

•A bowling ball weights between 2,7 to 7,3 kilograms.

•Bowling balls were made out of wood until the early 1900s.

•The largest bowling centre is located in Japan and has 141 lanes

•A bowling lane is 18,2 meters long from the foul line to the headpin.

•Bowling is the number one participation sport in America

•The origins of bowling can be traced about 4,000 years back to Rome and Greece.

History of bowling• According to the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, a British

anthropologist discovered in the 1930s evidence of bowling items in an Egyptian grave. The evidence suggests bowling dates back as far as 3200 BC.

• Indoor bowling lanes made their debut in 1840 in New York City.

• In 1905, the wooden ball loses ground to rubber ones.

• Bowling made its television debut in the 1950s.

• Automatic pin spotters or pin setters are introduced in 1952, slowly leading to the decline of pin boys

• The first standardized rules for pin were established in New York City, on September 9, 1895.

• Bowling is enjoyed by 95 million people in more than ninety countries worldwide and continues to grow through entertainment media such as video games for home consoles and handheld device.

Bowling Safety• Like any other physical activity, warming up helps to prevent injuries

• Bowling balls are heavy with varying weight ranges; to avoid back and wrist injury they should be picked up with both hands.

• It’s also recommended to bend one’s 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 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.

• 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.

Techniques and delivery stylesBall Release

There are typically two different ways to roll a ball down the lane.StraightBeginners 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/CurveThe 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 StylesThere are three different types of styles used when releasing the ball onto the lane. The three styles are the stoker, canker and tweener styles.

StrokerPeople 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.

CrankerCrankers 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.

TweenerTweeners 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.

How bowling alleys work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amx6fp0s28c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDPDkxQomYY