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Types Of Bowling: Ten Pin, Five Pin, Duckpin, Candlepin And Bowling Pins
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Published: October 2, 2007
The many different ways by which bowling games are played by enthusiasts are as diverse as the sport's history itself. Still, there are bowling games considered more popular than the other types, and these include ten-pin, five-pin, duckpin and candlepin. Of these highly popular game variants, ten-pin is considered as the most famous.
Basically, ten-pin bowling involves at least 10 pins which a bowler is required to knock down by making use of a specially-designed ball. In this type of bowling, a bowler gets the score based on how many bowling pins he or she can eventually knock down through a single roll of the ball. Obviously, knocking off all 10 bowling pins with just one ball roll will produce the highest score.
Despite its popularity, though, ten-pin bowling is not really an original game variant. Just like with other games, this has its roots in an ancient target sport that became quite popular in 19th century Europe. It was called skittles, an old style of bowling where a wooden ball was used in knocking down nine pins. From its basic structure, U.S. players made several technical improvements, eventually coming up with the concept of ten-pin, now played in the amateur and professional division, making this among the biggest participation sports worldwide.
Admittedly, ten-pin bowling is a major US competitive sport, but in other countries, bowling is often played under generally different settings. In Canada, for example, it is commonly played by using only five bowling pins alongside a rubber ball, generally equivalent to the size of a normal human hand. This game variant is popularly called five-pin, and quite obviously, only five pins are used. In general, the pins are smaller in size for this game.
There is one other game variant played in selected regions of Canada, commonly known as candlepin. In this particular game variant, the pins being used make this different from other types. Specifically, candlepin makes use of cylindrically-shaped pins that taper equally at both ends. With such peculiar shapes, these specially-crafted pins generally come out as candle-like, thus the name candlepin.
As for duckpin bowling, it is popularly played both in Canada and in the U.S. Generally, the balls used are smaller, aside from not having the needed finger holes. The pins tend to squat, thus, somewhat resembling a duck in squatting posture. The phrase duckpin, however, may have to be credited to a 1930 remark made by John McGraw. McGraw was a legendary baseball player and duck hunter who happened to own a bowling club where the pins were a lot smaller than those used in standard bowling. McGraw was overheard saying the smaller-built pins looked very much like ducks, a remark subsequently carried by several newspaper reports. The name eventually stuck to those specially-designed pins, thus creating the term duckpin.
The many different types of bowling ensure the activity will never become dull. With so many variations of the typical game from which to choose, the only concern left is getting that strike.
Sources:
"Skittle." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/skittle.
"Five-Pin Bowling." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/five-pin-bowling.
"Candlepin." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/candlepin.
Kramarcik, Edward. "Ed Kramarcik : Professional Bowling Tips & Techniques." Expert Village. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.expertvillage.com/interviews/profession al-bowling.htm.
"Ten-Pin Bowling." Wikipedia -- The Free Encyclopedia. 1 Oct. 2007. Wikimedia. 2 Oct. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten-pin_bowling.
"Duckpin Bowling." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/duckpin-bowling.
"Bowling Alley." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/bowling-1.
Basically, ten-pin bowling involves at least 10 pins which a bowler is required to knock down by making use of a specially-designed ball. In this type of bowling, a bowler gets the score based on how many bowling pins he or she can eventually knock down through a single roll of the ball. Obviously, knocking off all 10 bowling pins with just one ball roll will produce the highest score.
Despite its popularity, though, ten-pin bowling is not really an original game variant. Just like with other games, this has its roots in an ancient target sport that became quite popular in 19th century Europe. It was called skittles, an old style of bowling where a wooden ball was used in knocking down nine pins. From its basic structure, U.S. players made several technical improvements, eventually coming up with the concept of ten-pin, now played in the amateur and professional division, making this among the biggest participation sports worldwide.
Admittedly, ten-pin bowling is a major US competitive sport, but in other countries, bowling is often played under generally different settings. In Canada, for example, it is commonly played by using only five bowling pins alongside a rubber ball, generally equivalent to the size of a normal human hand. This game variant is popularly called five-pin, and quite obviously, only five pins are used. In general, the pins are smaller in size for this game.
There is one other game variant played in selected regions of Canada, commonly known as candlepin. In this particular game variant, the pins being used make this different from other types. Specifically, candlepin makes use of cylindrically-shaped pins that taper equally at both ends. With such peculiar shapes, these specially-crafted pins generally come out as candle-like, thus the name candlepin.
As for duckpin bowling, it is popularly played both in Canada and in the U.S. Generally, the balls used are smaller, aside from not having the needed finger holes. The pins tend to squat, thus, somewhat resembling a duck in squatting posture. The phrase duckpin, however, may have to be credited to a 1930 remark made by John McGraw. McGraw was a legendary baseball player and duck hunter who happened to own a bowling club where the pins were a lot smaller than those used in standard bowling. McGraw was overheard saying the smaller-built pins looked very much like ducks, a remark subsequently carried by several newspaper reports. The name eventually stuck to those specially-designed pins, thus creating the term duckpin.
The many different types of bowling ensure the activity will never become dull. With so many variations of the typical game from which to choose, the only concern left is getting that strike.
Sources:
"Skittle." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/skittle.
"Five-Pin Bowling." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/five-pin-bowling.
"Candlepin." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/candlepin.
Kramarcik, Edward. "Ed Kramarcik : Professional Bowling Tips & Techniques." Expert Village. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.expertvillage.com/interviews/profession al-bowling.htm.
"Ten-Pin Bowling." Wikipedia -- The Free Encyclopedia. 1 Oct. 2007. Wikimedia. 2 Oct. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten-pin_bowling.
"Duckpin Bowling." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/duckpin-bowling.
"Bowling Alley." Answers.com. 2007. Answers Corporation. 2 Oct. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/bowling-1.
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