Bowling

Another sport which again is not a stranger to us Malaysians
Bowling
thanks to Shalin Zulkifli
what is bowling anyway?

Bowling is an Sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a bowling ball along a flat surface either into objects called pins or to get close to a target ball. There are many forms of bowling, with one of the most recent being ten-pin bowling and the earliest dating back to ancient Egypt. Other places where bowling was first seen were ancient Finland and Yemen, and in 300 A.D. in Germany.The first standardized rules were established in New York City, on September 9, 1895.Today, bowling is enjoyed by 95 million people in more than ninety countries worldwide and continues to grow through entertainment mediums such as video games for home consoles and hand held devices.

Bowling is an anaerobic type of physical exercise, similar to walking with free weights. Bowling helps in burning calories and works muscle groups not usually exercised. The flexing and stretching in bowling works tendons, joints, ligaments, and muscles in the arms and promotes weight loss. Apart from the physical benefits it also has psycho-social benefits, strengthening friendships or creating new ones in groups.

Like any other physical activity, warming up helps to prevent injuries. Checking the soles of shoes for sticky objects helps to avoid falls. Since bowling balls are heavy with varying weight ranges, to avoid back and wrist injury they should be picked up with both hands. It’s recommended to bend one’s knees while picking up bowling balls to avoid back injuries. The bowling ball return mechanism has a driven wheel, and bowlers should keep their hands clear of it.

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
• Irish road bowling