Bowling

Prototypes of the game of bowling - that is, a round, rather heavy projectile designed for skating rather than throwing with a set of similar targets - archaeologists and ethnographers find in different parts of the world: in India and Finland , in Yemen and Polynesia . The oldest protobowling specimen is considered to be a game kit, found in 1930 in the burial place of a teenager of the pre-dynastic era in Egypt and dating to 3200 BC. e. ^{[5] [6]} The oldest room, equipped for a game similar to a bowling alley, was also found in Egypt, Cairo , in 2007 - the building dates from 2000 BC. e. ^[7]

However, the homeland of modern bowling should be considered the area of Upper Germany - the existence of wooden pegs (Kegel) and a stone ball for knocking out (Kugel) here are evidence already for the III century BC. e. At first, they were used in religious rituals: the one who knocked down the peg was freed from sin ^[8] . Gradually, the ritual was desacralized and developed into a game that many German-speaking peoples loved. During the Great Migration , most likely, this game spread throughout Europe: by the end of the Middle Ages , it was known under related names in France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark and England ^[7] . At the same time, the rules and equipment of the game varied not only from country to country, but also from city to city, which is why, obviously, its modern variety has developed: only in 9-bowling there are about a hundred variants of the game.

The oldest bowling alley in the world and still operating in England, in Southampton , is said to have been used as such back in 1299 ^[7] . And in 1366, King Edward III of England was already forced to ban " balls on the grass " in his troops, prompting too gambling soldiers to devote their time to more useful exercises in archery ^[6] .

In the XVI century, bowling varieties, especially 9-bowling, became a universal passion for peoples living in the North Sea basin. Everyone plays it - peasants and workers, soldiers and sailors, nobles and kings, - the British, Dutch, Danes, Germans, French. Moreover, often to the detriment of their direct responsibilities and wallet. King Henry VIII of England, a passionate player himself, issued a decree prohibiting everyone except wealthy citizens from playing ball on the grass, because discipline was shaken among the troops and among the working people ^[7] . The same monarch is said to have invented to use cannonballs as a ball ^[9] .

At the same time, there is evidence that it was the great contemporary of Henry VIII, the German religious reformer Martin Luther , who allegedly fixed the name of the game " pins " and set the number of pins in the game to 9 as optimal ^[5] . Francis Drake is also told about the famous English corsair that the news of the approach of enemies caught him in the middle of a bowling game, in response to which he allegedly said: “There is still enough time to defeat ... and the Spaniards too!”. And about the youngest contemporary of Drake, the devout king Jacob I , they say that, fearing sin, he avoided playing many games, but made exceptions for bowling ^[7] .

Thus, it is quite natural that in the era of the colonization of America, along with the colonists, the popular game also moved to the New World. The oldest park in Manhattan in New York is called the “Bowling Green”, as are the eight cities in the “ old states ” of the USA ^[10] . Particular adherence was distinguished by immigrants from Holland and German principalities.

By the second quarter of the 19th century, the game of bowling in America took on such a clear gambling character, fraught with brawls, sorrows and cheating, that the game was first banned in Kentucky , then in New York , and in 1870 in the entire United States of America ^{[5] [6]} . Along with these prohibitions, 10-pin bowling (tenpin) appeared, which did not formally fall under the law, and began to spread rapidly. The pins in it were not arranged in a rhombus, as with 9 pins, but in a triangle. Gradually, the number of differences increased. Towards the end of the 19th century, this 10-pins (tenpin) almost completely replaced the 9-pins in the United States.

Although the origin of the “tenth pin” in the United States is disputed by England ^[11] and Scotland ^[5] , the United States will rightly be considered the birthplace of the most popular version of bowling, since it was here in 1895 that the official standards for bowling pins, lanes and balls and unified rules for playing tenpin; and also held the first championship in world history (Chicago, 1901) ^[10] .

At the end of the 30s of the XX century in the USA at the AMF plant (American Machinery and Foundry) Gottfried Schmidt ( English Gottfried Schmidt ) invented equipment for automatic pin setting and ball return - pinsetter ^[12] . The next push in the development of the bowling industry was the introduction of an automatic scoring system in the 1970s ^[13] .

One batch consists of 10 frames . In each frame, the player has two throws. If a player knocks down all 10 pins with the first throw, such a throw is called a strike ( eng. Strike - hit) and is indicated by "X". If a player knocks down all 10 pins in two throws, such a throw is called spar ( English spare - reserve) and is indicated by “/”. If as a result of the first throw in the frame there are non-adjacent pins, for example angular 7 and 10, such a combination is called split ( English split - split) and is indicated${\displaystyle \mathrm{<span\; class="mwe-math-element"><span\; class="mwe-math-mathml-inline\; mwe-math-mathml-a11y"\; style="display:\; none;">Ⓢ</span></span>}}$ {\ displaystyle \ circledS}   where S is the number of pins knocked down. For "conversion" of the split, that is, spar when splitting, additional points, except for spar, are not awarded. If after two throws there are unshot pins, such a frame is called "open."

If there is a strike in the frame, the total points for this frame will be equal to the number of pins knocked down in this frame (10 pins) plus the number of pins actually knocked down for the next two throws (in one or two frames, depending on whether there was a strike in the next throw) . If sper is shot down in the frame, then the sum of points will be equal to the number of pins knocked down in this frame (10 pins) plus the number of pins actually knocked down for the first throw in the next frame. If the frame remains open, then the sum of points will be equal to the number of pins knocked down in this frame.

Since the number of points in the frame, in the case of strike and spar, depends not only on the throws in this frame, but also on the following throws, the last, 10th frame receives special status. If a strike is struck in the tenth frame by the first throw, the player can make two more throws in the same frame. If spar is successful in the tenth frame, the player can make one more throw. It should be noted that spar and strikes in the 10th frame, of course, do not apply the above rules, since there is no next frame. If for the first two throws in the tenth frame there are ungrounded pins and the frame is opened, the game ends.

Thus, the maximum number of points in one game is 300, since you can earn 30 points in each frame (10 points per strike in this frame plus 20 points per strike in the next two throws). In professional leagues, such as PBA (English) , the best players have an average number of points scored per game, usually not lower than 200.

Two consecutive strikes are called “double” ( English double - double), three - “graters” ( English turkey - turkey), four - “hambone” ( English hambone - ham).

Official bowling competitions using a set of 10 pins are held only on special equipment that meets all the specifications and standards of the International Bowling Federation (World Bowling; WB) . Equipment requirements are established by Order of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation No. 742 of September 2, 2014. ^[14] In the case of a sports situation not described in this Order, the rules and standards of WB apply.

Tracks

Paths arose in the street version of the game - in rooms, as a rule, were content with the floor. The paths were simpler made of durable clay or slates, and more expensive - from boards of pine and maple 1 inch thick and 3 wide; among the rich, the boards were laid on a rib in a special sequence and tightly pulled together “with the skill of a parquet ” ^[2] , while the poor could save by laying down improvised boards flat. A canopy from the sun and rain could be installed above the track. At the end of the path, a place was provided for a “boy”, collecting and placing downed skittles, scoring and returning balls through a special gutter.

Modern tracks are made mainly of heavy-duty synthetic materials , also made of wood and coated with strictly regulated WB varnish.

In modern bowling, the length of the track from the gap line to the center axis of pin No. 1 is 60 feet ± ^1/2 inch (18288 ± 13 mm), from the axis of pin No. 1 to the rear edge is 34 3/16 inches ± 1/16 inch (868 , 5 ± 1.5 mm), while the total length from the spade line to the rear edge does not have tolerances ( reference ) and is 62 feet 10 3/16 inches (19,156 mm for sure ).

Track width is 41 ^1/2 inch ± ^1/2 inch (1054 ± 12.7 mm)

The concept of a track also includes an approach section, an approach line, flat gutters, chippers, a size pins, a tailgate, a pin drop shaft, an automatic pin setting device, markings and indicators. Their shape, size, quantity, manufacturing method and all intermediate distances are strictly regulated and often do not have tolerances, or have minimal. For example, the “reference points” in the approach zone should be round, but not more than 3/4 inch (19 mm), and the span line should be at least 3/8 inch (9.5 mm), but not more than 1 (25 , 4 mm).

The track inclination, its surface and friction force are also controlled, deviations in which are not allowed .

Before the competition, laboratory measurements of all control parameters of the track are mandatory ^[14] .

Skittles

Until 1895, when the material, size and weight of the pins were standardized for the first time, pins were available in all possible varieties: clay, wood, stone, the most fanciful forms. In modern bowling all the characteristics (even the presence of images and the thickness of the paint layer) are regulated. However, some concessions are allowed, especially in relation to new technologies or the prestige of large manufacturers. In the Russian rules established by a special Order of the Ministry of Sports, on the contrary, a conservative approach is taken with respect to the size of pins. Thus, the use of a set of colored pins and pins not made of wood according to Russian rules is allowed only in competitions organized by the International Bowling Federation ( WB ) ^[14] .

Solid maple skittles are made - from a single piece or from several layers. The weight of a standard skittle along with coatings should be at least 3 pounds and 6 ounces (1531 g) and not more than 3 pounds and 10 ounces (1645 g). The size of the pin should be 15 ± 1/32 inches (380–382 mm). The radius of curvature of the uniform arc at the top of the pin is 1.273 inches ± 1/32 inches (31.5 - 33 mm).

At a height of 4.5 inches (114 mm) above the base of the pin, its diameter should be 4.755-4.797 inches (121-122 mm). Such accuracy is important because the pin's center of gravity and, therefore, its stability, affecting the entire game, depend on it. The size of the pins is calculated so that each of them provides 24% resistance to the mass of the heaviest ball, which, according to the rules, is 16 pounds (7.5 kg).

Reasonable wear of the pins, cleaning of dirt and fragments with a metal washcloth (scrub) or emery paper, patches of plastic coating are allowed, provided that all these actions ensure the same appearance of the pins in the kit, and are performed within the limits of the WB standards ^[14] .

Balls

From antiquity until 1895, the time of approval of the first official rules, balls were made of arbitrary materials and a wide variety of sizes. By the 19th century, a ball made of a backout was recognized as the optimal one by experience, which was extremely useful, rare in hardness and strength of wood ^[2] . For its amazing properties, the bakout was called “lignum vitae” (lat. Tree of life), “palo santo” (Spanish holy tree), “greenheart” (English green heart). Obviously, the cost of a ball made of such valuable wood was consistent with the rarity of the material.

In 1905, the first acceptable substitute for a too expensive backout appeared - natural rubber (Evertrue). In 1911, it was succeeded to replace it with even cheaper synthetic rubber (Mineralite), which prevailed as the main material for bowling balls until the 1970s, the era of synthetic polymers ^[6] .

As of 2015, according to the current Russian rules, balls made no earlier than January 1, 1991 are allowed to play ^[14] . Balls are made of polyester (in everyday life - plastic - material of rolling balls) and various modifications of polyurethane (“reactive resin”, epoxy resin , polyurethane with the addition of particles of quartz, etc. - materials of professional balls) ^[15] .

Professional balls differ from rolling balls (provided for the game by bowling centers) not only in material, but also in structure. Its heterogeneity due to the presence of the core provides a displacement of the center of gravity of the ball relative to its geometric center, increasing the rotation of the ball and the potential of an arc-shaped movement ("hook") from the edge of the track into the "pocket" - the area between the first and third pins (for right-handers) or the first and second pins (for lefties).

In addition, finger holes in professional balls are drilled individually so that the middle and ring fingers enter the ball only along the first phalanx.

The mass of the ball in pounds (1 pound is 453.6 g) is indicated by a number on its surface. Thus, the lightest ball - the six - weighs 2.7 kg, and the heaviest, with number 16, is 7.3 kg. As a rule, in bowling centers, rolling balls of the same mass have the same color. The diameter of the bowling ball should be between 8.5 and 8.595 inches , i.e. 21.59–21.83 cm.

When playing tenpin bowling ^[16] with friends, you can try to move away from the rules by inventing your own, for the joys of experimenting and freeing up fantasy. Several successful experiments are known, which over time gained the recognition of players. Here are some of them ^[5] :

1. “Low Boll” - task: with the same number of frames and approaches, score as few points as possible. Strike and spar count as usual. A miss on the first ball counts as a strike. Если второй шар брошен, но сбивает не все кегли, не(?) попадая в жёлоб, он считается как спэр. По крайней мере одна кегля должна быть сбита за подход. Промах на втором шаре считается как страйк. Идеальный счёт — 20 (по одной кегле за подход в 10 фреймах).
2. « Байрут боулинг » (Byroute Bowling) — командная игра на двух дорожках. Задача: каждый игрок команды должен как можно быстрее выбить страйк. В начале игры по одному игроку от каждой команды подходят к своим дорожкам, пока один из них не выбьет страйк, выбившего тут же сменяет другой участник его команды. Количество подходов не ограничено.
3. « 3-6-9 » — обычная игра, в которой, однако, в 3, 6, и 9 фреймах заранее считается страйк.
4. « Лайт страйк » (Light Strike) — обычная игра, однако страйком считаются и 9 (вариант — 8) кеглей; сплит без главной кегли (№ 1) считается как спэр.
5. « 21 » — обычная игра, однако за гейм игрок обязан выбрать фрейм, чтобы подойти третий раз. Это может быть любой фрейм, кроме десятого, причём, использовать дополнительный подход игрок обязан.
6. « Бэйкер » (Baker) — игра команд по 5 человек на две (вариант — одну) дорожки. Первые игроки подходят на 1 и 5 фреймы, вторые — на 2 и 6 и т. д. Если в команде меньше или больше 5 человек, какие-то игроки подходят чаще или реже.
7. « Шотландская парочка » — играют два игрока на одной дорожке, причём первый подходит только к первым броскам во фрейме, а второй — только ко вторым. Через гейм очерёдность меняется.

Хотя в Российской империи и в СССР о существовании 10-кегельного боулинга было хорошо известно, как вид спорта и отдыха он никакого развития практически не получил. Лишь в 1997 году усилиями горстки энтузиастов в Москве была учреждена первая ассоциация любителей этой игры — Федерация спортивного боулинга России . Насчитывалось менее десятка клубов и около 40 дорожек. В апреле 1998 года этой федерацией был организован Первый чемпионат страны ^[17] . Игра стала довольно быстро распространяться, какое-то время будучи даже своего рода модой. Всего за десять лет в России появилось около 490 боулинг-клубов и было оборудовано почти 3,5 тысячи дорожек. С другой стороны, чтобы достичь среднего по миру уровня развития, по подсчётам специалистов, дорожек для боулинга в России должно быть оборудовано не менее восьми тысяч ^[3] .

• Мужчину нельзя изнасиловать ( 1978 год ) — драма финского режиссёра Йёрна Доннера о женщине, изнасилованной игроком в боулинг ^[18] .
• Жадность ( 1994 год ) — комедия Джонатана Линна о профессиональном боулере, который хочет открыть боулинг-клуб.
• Заводила ( 1996 год ) — комедия братьев Фарелли об игроках в боулинг.
• Большой Лебовски ( 1998 год ) — фильм братьев Коэн .
• Любовь в большом городе 3 ( 2013 год ) — комедия Марюса Вайсберга .

• Кегельбан
• Спорт-буль
• Петанк
• Битльес ( кат. Bitlles catalanes ) — каталонская разновидность игры в кегли.

• Зыков Н. Кегли — это спорт (неопр.) . Наука и жизнь (февраль 1974). Дата обращения 19 августа 2013. Архивировано 19 мая 2012 года.
• Окороков М. А. Исследование основных кинематических величин, характеризующих движение шаров в боулинге (неопр.) . Megabowling.ru (2008). Дата обращения 19 августа 2013. Архивировано 19 мая 2012 года.
• Словарь Боулинга (неопр.) . Bowllab. Дата обращения 19 августа 2013. Архивировано 19 мая 2012 года.