Getting confused about choosing a suitable bowling ball is a common scenario. Willingly or unwillingly, you might fail to select the bowling ball having the perfect dimension. Most importantly, when you’re a novice player, choosing the appropriate bowling ball must be tough. Many bowlers believe that a bowling ball has a universal size, but that’s not true.
The bowling ball has multiple sizes and weights. Your bowling ball must fit your hand, and you must feel comfortable whilst swinging and throwing. Too heavier and too lighter, both bowling balls are inappropriate for your game. In our discussion today, we’ll enlighten the size and weight of a bowling ball you should have. So, let’s start!
What Size Bowling Ball Should I Use?
It’s hard to control the lightweight bowling ball; in contrast, heavier balls are difficult to carry. So, knowing the right size of a bowling ball is essential for ensuring effective bowling. What size bowling ball should I use to hit the strike? If you eagerly want to make a good bowling score, let’s first identify different bowling ball size ranges. Based on popularity and use, bowling balls are divided into four types by their size.
Ten-Pin Bowling Balls
Usually, the diameter of the ten-pin bowling ball ranges between 8.500 to 8.595 inches (21.59 to 21.83 centimeters). It’s a worldwide popular bowling ball dimension that’s introduced and regulated by USBC. The ten-pin bowling balls are comparatively bigger than the duck-pin and candlepin bowling balls.
But the weight of the bowling ball stays within 16-pound making it a pro-level bowling ball. Perhaps, that’s why ten-pin bowling balls are recognized and used globally. Whether it’s an indoor or outdoor bowling game, the professional bowler plays with ten-pin bowling balls.
Duckpin Bowling Balls
Duckpin bowling balls are smaller and regulated by the national duckpin bowling congress (NDBC). Typically, the dimension of the duckpin ball ranges from 12 to 12.7 centimeters (5 inches), and the weight is 3.6 to 3.12 pounds consecutively. However, the diameter of the duckpins is almost 9.4 inches (23.3 Cm) tall. As the bowling balls are smaller, squatter bowling pins make the stroke shorter. Usually, the duckpin bowling balls are preferable to play in the indoor play areas.
Five-Pin Bowling Balls
There’ll be only five bowling pins in five-pin bowling balls to make the strike. The dimension and weight of the five-pin bowling balls are the same as the duckpin bowling ball. It’s 3.6 to 3.12 pounds in weight and 12.1 to 12.7 centimeters in diameter without having a fingerhole.
Candlepin Bowling Balls
The candlepin bowling balls are the tiniest bowling balls of all time. New England and the easternmost provinces of Canada are the primary introducers of the candlepin bowling ball. The bowlers of these two provinces play with the candlepin bowling ball most of the time. The average weight of the candlepin bowling ball ranges from 2.4 to 2.7 pounds.
When calculating, you’ll find the weight is the same as the average weight of a single bowling pin. However, the diameter of the bowling ball is about 4.5 inches or 11 centimeters. Indeed, the tiny bowling ball that’s half of the ten-pin bowling ball easily adjusts into your palm.
What size of bowling ball is perfect for you? -The Decision
After discussing the dimension of different bowling ball types, you must’ve made your decision. The dimension of your ball should range between 8.500 to 8.595 inches when you’re an advanced bowler. Remember, the bowling ball’s weight should be 10% of your total weight. So, if you’re just practicing and having a muscular body, you must still get the heavyweight bowling ball.
The ten-pin bowling balls feature a larger dimension, up to 16-pound weight. So, they are suitable for outdoor and international bowling games. In contrast, the duckpin, five-pin, and candlepin balls are suitable bowling instruments for indoor bowling games.
Why Is Bowling Ball Weight Important?
The consistent high speed at the beginning depends on the weight of a bowling ball. If your bowling ball is heavier, it’ll produce more hook and action to the bowling pins. Gradually, you can create more strikes with the heavier ball than with an average, lightweight ball. Contrarily, the low-weighted bowling ball can’t produce much speed like the heavier ball.
Professional bowler avoids the lightweight bowling ball in their game. Nevertheless, lightweight bowling balls become a better choice when you want to produce consistent speed. In a nutshell, the weight and size of the bowling ball are essential to creating the required bowling speed.
The Sum Up!
If you want to create a momentous hook, concentrate on the weight and size of your bowling ball. From ten-pin to candlepin – all balls are played by their respective players. Now, it’s you to decide which bowling ball size is suitable for your match. What size bowling ball should I get – hopefully, you got the right answer and started to begin with that.