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Author Topic: What is bowling?  (Read 1414 times)

Pinbuster

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What is bowling?
« on: September 11, 2017, 09:43:35 AM »
What is bowling?

In the simplest terms it is a game where participants roll a ball at pins and try to knock 10 of them down with 2 or less deliveries of the ball. You can get into dimensions of the playing surface, dimension of the ball, dimensions of the pins but the basic premise is to knock the pins down in 2 or less deliveries.

The game has evolved over the years as the playing surface, pins, and balls have changed.

I believe that with shellac surfaces you had to play the track with moderate speed and turn.  With the balls and lane surface of the time bowlers who could throw harder and/or hook the ball a lot were at a disadvantage. So certain styles excelled and were copied.
 
The same was basically true of lacquer.

Urethane lane surfaces on wood lanes changed this. The lane surface now was much harder and lane conditioner did not stay in place. There was not a defined track area where more friction was available. Bowling centers started putting lane conditioner down in patterns providing a friction area so that scoring was easier. Styles adjusted to that condition.
 
Urethane balls added more friction to the equation along with dynamic cores in the ball. Styles adjusted once again. Crankers came into the norm and higher ball speeds were needed.
 
Finally synthetics replaced wood lanes and resin urethane balls provided much more friction. Styles once again adjusted. One handed bowlers, higher speeds, and even 2 handed bowlers.

All styles are products of their environment.

When bowling was at its peak in membership it was during the urethane finish on wood lanes with rubber and plastic balls. Bowlers only felt they need at most 2 balls. When someone shot a high score they assumed the bowler had bowled great. I don’t remember anyone asking what ball was used. It really didn’t matter the balls were all really the same.

With wood lanes centers hated bowlers who lofted the ball, particularly it the loft was beyond the hard maple heads and onto the softer pine boards. With today’s synthetics I’m not sure there is a softer area.
 
I have no problem with 2 handed bowling and/or bowlers who want to hook the lane.  I just don’t feel those styles would have worked on the conditions of the previous era’s.

In longer formats today you often have to get very deep on the lanes and use loft. I feel this could be avoided somewhat if the competitors would ball down early and break the lanes down in an orderly fashion but the mentality is to use the most aggressive equipment from the get go.

I'm sure the shellac players didn't like lacquer and the lacquer guys didn't like urethane.

I believe bowling was better when the ability to repeat shots, small arsenals, and no lane manipulation were the norm. But the cat is out of the bag as far as the conditions the game is played under and I don’t see it going back. So you need to adjust to the current scoring conditions. 

 

avabob

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Re: What is bowling?
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2017, 10:10:57 AM »
Very accurate analysis of the evolution of the game.  Lacquer certainly promoted a finesse game more than any other surface. Old timers use to say that Dick Hoover had as good a game as Don Carter, but had too much ball speed to carry as good.

Since those days the combination of balls, surfaces has steadily increased friction, mandated the need for more ball speed to combine with rev rate.   

Cornerpin

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Re: What is bowling?
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2017, 10:17:04 AM »
Great post.  No doubt that the game has changed significantly over the decades.  Straighter and extremely accurate has slowly given way to revolutions and ball speed.  Almost no oil movement/transition has morphed into almost constant transition. 

All sports change over time, 300 yard drives are becoming the norm for pro golfers, NASCAR is much more advanced than in years past, NFL has changed from a running league to a throwing one, etc.

The last line says it all "So you need to adjust to the current scoring conditions." 

SVstar34

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Re: What is bowling?
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2017, 10:25:27 AM »

In longer formats today you often have to get very deep on the lanes and use loft. I feel this could be avoided somewhat if the competitors would ball down early and break the lanes down in an orderly fashion but the mentality is to use the most aggressive equipment from the get go.


This is a good analysis except i disagree with this one part. Bowling is a score environment, you're going to use what gives you the best ability to score.

I've become a fan of starting with a weaker ball and then moving inside with a stronger ball during/after transition occurs. It all depends on the lane environment, there isnt one set way to bowl.

Gunso

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Re: What is bowling?
« Reply #4 on: September 11, 2017, 10:29:51 AM »
If you are switching pairs every game there is no point in breaking them down any easier. You actually have an incentive to make things harder rather than easier.

milorafferty

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Re: What is bowling?
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2017, 10:42:15 AM »
Bowling was only good when you had to hitch up 'ol Nellie to the wagon to get to the alley. Of course, it was much cheaper to get a new ball in those days too, you just carved it out of wood yourself.  ::)




Bowling is doing fine as it is now. It's not the game(ball manufacturers, USBC, or two handers/no thumbers) fault if you can't keep up with the scoring pace in today's environment.

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Kegler300800

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Re: What is bowling?
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2017, 10:59:37 AM »
What is bowling?

An activity you can do by putting your fingers into something without having to buy it dinner first.
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