A Beginner's Guide to Bowling Balls

A Beginner's Guide to Bowling Balls
 
It can be disheartening for rookie bowlers to see more experienced and good bowlers hook their bowling ball down the lane and score a strike. When I was in college, I first discovered the actual mechanics of bowling. I'd previously bowled. But I never truly learned how to bowl. I recall getting irritated because I could run a beautiful hook shot one day but not the next. I recall wondering how my bowling abilities could shift so much from day to day.

It wasn't until college that I realized that it wasn't my bowling skills that had altered. But what had changed were the qualities of the alleys I was bowling on and the bowling balls I was using. For practical considerations, I'd want to focus on bowling ball fundamentals rather than alley features. What you should know about bowling balls as a novice.
 
Bowling is played in many different ways across the world. However, the majority of these varieties are variations on either five-pin or ten-pin bowling. Most people associate bowling with ten-pin bowling. Ten-pin bowling is the most popular and extensively played type of bowling.
 
Bowling balls used in ten-pin bowling have a number of distinct physical properties. To begin, ten-pin bowling balls are 8.5 inches in diameter. However, just reporting the diameter of a bowling ball is deceiving. It distorts the size of bowling balls. A ten-pin bowling ball has a circumference of approximately 26 inches.
 
A bowling ball weighs between 6 and 16 pounds. To meet varied physical strengths of bowlers, ball weights vary widely. And, as in baseball with a baseball bat, the weight of a ball used can vary according on the bowler's skill level.
 
Despite weight changes, the size or diameter of a bowling ball is largely consistent. A bowling ball is made up of three separate parts: the core, the coverstock, and the filler. The coverstock is the exterior of the bowling ball. It is what makes touch with the lane. The bowling ball's core is a complicated blend of dense materials that governs its spin and hook.
 
As the weight of a ball decreases, so does its core. The filler is the substance that fills the space between the coverstock and the core. The density of the filler material used to produce a bowling ball varies depending on the intended weight of the ball. In essence, while all bowling balls are essentially identical in size, the filler is what allows for uniformity in bowling ball diameter while allowing for varying bowling ball weight classes. This is performed by varying the density of the filler material depending on the required weight.
 
You are now aware that not all bowling balls are made equal. House balls are more difficult to hook since they are not meant for it. So, the next time you see someone with their own bowling ball making a gorgeous hook to the target, remember that it may be more about the bowling ball than the bowler's technique.