Bowling

For other uses, see Bowling (disambiguation).

A ten-pin bowler releases the ball.

Bowling is a sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a bowling ball along a flat surface called the lane into objects called pins. There are many forms of bowling, with the earliest dating back to ancient Egypt, while other instances where bowling was first seen can be traced to ancient Finland and Yemen, and much later in 300 A.D. in Germany.

Indoor variations

Bryant-Lake Bowling Lanes in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Included in the indoor category:

• Ten-pin bowling: In the United States, tenpins is the best known form of bowling, which in both amateur and professional versions, is also played around the world, making it one of the largest participation activities. The balls have two or more drilled holes in which to insert fingers for gripping the ball.
• Candlepin bowling: Played in eastern Canada and in New England, a variation of ten-pin bowling, with "double-ended" pins that are the tallest in any bowling sport.
• Duckpin bowling: Commonly found in the mid-Atlantic and southern New England states and eastern Canada, is another variation of ten-pin bowling involving small, squat pins, sometimes with rubber at their widest points (rubber band duckpin bowling). The official small pin is about 9 3/8 inches (24 cm) high and 4 1/8 inches (10 cm) in diameter at its widest part. It weighs no more than 1 pound 8½ ounces (700g). The standard duckpin ball has no finger holes. The maximum diameter is 5 inches (13 cm). For duckpins and candlepins, the maximum weight of the ball is 4 pounds 12 oz (1.7 kg).
• Five-pin bowling: Played in Canada.
• Nine-pin skittles: Played in Europe.
• Bumper bowling: Ten-pin bowling played with the addition of barriers to the channels, making "gutter balls" nearly impossible, popular with children's parties.

Outdoor variations

The second category of bowling is usually played outdoors on a lawn. At outdoor bowling, the players throw a ball, which is sometimes eccentrically weighted, in an attempt to put it closest to a designated point or slot in the bowling arena.

Included in the outdoor category:

• Lawn bowls
• Bocce
• Pétanque

See also

• Pin setter
• Skittles — the sport from which "alley" based Bowling originated
• Skee ball — a game that plays similar to bowling
• Pin shooting — a pistol shooting

Bowling's competitions

• Asian Games
• Panamerican Games
• South East Asian Games
• Olympic Games