Bowling as a hobby for young and old
Bowling is a hobby that is not yet very widespread. Yet it is suitable for every age group and is fun at every level of difficulty. So beginners and professionals can play together without any problems and even whole families can pursue this hobby as soon as the smallest ones can lift a ball. Nevertheless, bowling is a sport that requires body control and dynamism. Sequences have to be automated by training them over and over again and then adding the little finishing touches - that is, of course, if you want to spice up the hobby with the ambition of playing in a league.
Bowling as a hobby has existed in Germany since the 1930s. It is an American variant of the hobby of bowling, which was better known here at the time. To this day, bowling is a subcategory of skittles and is not recognised as a sport in its own right. The most important difference between skittles and bowling is, of course, the number of pins. There are ten of them, as opposed to nine in bowling. There is also a difference in the width of the lanes and the balls, which are called "balls" in bowling. This is another sign that bowling comes from America: the English "ball" stands for ball and ball. In addition, pins are suspended from strings, while in bowling the pins are set up by frames and then stand freely. This makes the game of bowling quite different from skittles.
Bowling - Things to know
The hobby of bowling is very universal. You can go bowling in your spare time, you can join a hobby club and improve your knowledge and skills to the point where you can play in the national league, or you can simply make a family party out of it. Since everyone has the same number of throws in bowling, beginners can also play with advanced bowlers. The advanced bowler has more success, but the hobby is still fun for everyone. Even children can go bowling very well, as there are already very light bowling balls for the smallest ones. Which brings us to the equipment for this hobby. Professional or club players have their own balls as well as their own shoes. There are two types of balls: the strike ball and the spare or house ball. While the strike ball is intended for the first throw and does not roll quite evenly so that the player has the opportunity to clear all the pins at once (strike), the spare ball runs straight in order to be able to clear individual pins. The odd run in the strike ball is created by a core that is not quite in the middle of the ball. The spare ball, on the other hand, is completely symmetrical. Sometimes it has no core at all, but only a compression in the middle.
Bowling equipment
The new generation of bowling shoes differs from those that the casual bowler can rent at the lane. Visually, they are now very close to the normal sports shoe. Since the ball is usually thrown in a four-step in bowling, the last movement of which is a lunge followed by a slide, bowling shoes have a sliding sole and a rubber heel. However, there are also very specialised shoes with interchangeable soles. These can be used depending on the lane conditions and handedness (right or left). The lane in bowling is made of wood and oiled in the front part. This creates different lane conditions depending on the location, which has become a challenge for advanced and professional bowlers. Those who can quickly adapt to a new lane have a clear advantage. Besides shoes and balls, there is other equipment for hobby bowlers. Since the ball is quite heavy, you can support your wrist with a splint. This also helps to maintain the correct posture when releasing the ball. In addition, the usual support bandages for all joints in any hobby sport. Last but not least, most bowlers have a selection of cloths for cleaning the balls. On the one hand, the balls absorb oil from the lane, and on the other hand, they are soiled by the return systems of the lanes. This changes their running characteristics.
Where to play bowling
Unfortunately, bowling as a hobby can only be practised with difficulty in some places. Since bowling alleys exist exclusively as catering establishments, i.e. clubs do not own their own alleys, the sportsman is dependent on a company that maintains the alley. This is not always easy. While membership fees in bowling clubs are usually low for hobby players, a lane rental fee must be paid for every training session and every game. Besides the equipment, which is quite expensive per se, this is another cost factor. The clubs therefore try to support the hobby players in this respect so that almost everyone can afford to play. Unfortunately, this means that bowling as a hobby has not yet become a popular sport in Germany.
Bowling is a hobby that is not yet very widespread. Yet it is suitable for every age group and is fun at every level of difficulty. So beginners and professionals can play together without any problems and even whole families can pursue this hobby as soon as the smallest ones can lift a ball. Nevertheless, bowling is a sport that requires body control and dynamism. Sequences have to be automated by training them over and over again and then adding the little finishing touches - that is, of course, if you want to spice up the hobby with the ambition of playing in a league.
Bowling as a hobby has existed in Germany since the 1930s. It is an American variant of the hobby of bowling, which was better known here at the time. To this day, bowling is a subcategory of skittles and is not recognised as a sport in its own right. The most important difference between skittles and bowling is, of course, the number of pins. There are ten of them, as opposed to nine in bowling. There is also a difference in the width of the lanes and the balls, which are called "balls" in bowling. This is another sign that bowling comes from America: the English "ball" stands for ball and ball. In addition, pins are suspended from strings, while in bowling the pins are set up by frames and then stand freely. This makes the game of bowling quite different from skittles.
Bowling - Things to know
The hobby of bowling is very universal. You can go bowling in your spare time, you can join a hobby club and improve your knowledge and skills to the point where you can play in the national league, or you can simply make a family party out of it. Since everyone has the same number of throws in bowling, beginners can also play with advanced bowlers. The advanced bowler has more success, but the hobby is still fun for everyone. Even children can go bowling very well, as there are already very light bowling balls for the smallest ones. Which brings us to the equipment for this hobby. Professional or club players have their own balls as well as their own shoes. There are two types of balls: the strike ball and the spare or house ball. While the strike ball is intended for the first throw and does not roll quite evenly so that the player has the opportunity to clear all the pins at once (strike), the spare ball runs straight in order to be able to clear individual pins. The odd run in the strike ball is created by a core that is not quite in the middle of the ball. The spare ball, on the other hand, is completely symmetrical. Sometimes it has no core at all, but only a compression in the middle.
Bowling equipment
The new generation of bowling shoes differs from those that the casual bowler can rent at the lane. Visually, they are now very close to the normal sports shoe. Since the ball is usually thrown in a four-step in bowling, the last movement of which is a lunge followed by a slide, bowling shoes have a sliding sole and a rubber heel. However, there are also very specialised shoes with interchangeable soles. These can be used depending on the lane conditions and handedness (right or left). The lane in bowling is made of wood and oiled in the front part. This creates different lane conditions depending on the location, which has become a challenge for advanced and professional bowlers. Those who can quickly adapt to a new lane have a clear advantage. Besides shoes and balls, there is other equipment for hobby bowlers. Since the ball is quite heavy, you can support your wrist with a splint. This also helps to maintain the correct posture when releasing the ball. In addition, the usual support bandages for all joints in any hobby sport. Last but not least, most bowlers have a selection of cloths for cleaning the balls. On the one hand, the balls absorb oil from the lane, and on the other hand, they are soiled by the return systems of the lanes. This changes their running characteristics.
Where to play bowling
Unfortunately, bowling as a hobby can only be practised with difficulty in some places. Since bowling alleys exist exclusively as catering establishments, i.e. clubs do not own their own alleys, the sportsman is dependent on a company that maintains the alley. This is not always easy. While membership fees in bowling clubs are usually low for hobby players, a lane rental fee must be paid for every training session and every game. Besides the equipment, which is quite expensive per se, this is another cost factor. The clubs therefore try to support the hobby players in this respect so that almost everyone can afford to play. Unfortunately, this means that bowling as a hobby has not yet become a popular sport in Germany.
