Size

• Bowling balls come in a variety of sizes. The major difference among most bowling balls is the weight of the ball itself. Bowling balls come in weights from 8 lbs. up to 16 lbs. Typically, lighter bowling balls tend to be deflected easier after making contact with pins than the heavier balls. The typical weight of balls used in adult men's bowling leagues is between 14 and 16 lbs.
  
  

Types

• Bowling balls differ by the type of grip and the material that the bowling ball is made of. The grips vary from a three-quarter-finger grip where three quarters of the average bowler's finger fits into the finger holes, and the finger-tip grip where just the first third of the finger fits into the finger hole.
  
  Bowling balls can be made of polyurethane, which is a plastic. The polyurethane bowling ball is typically thrown on a straight path and does not curve effectively on a bowling lane. A reactive resin bowling ball reacts better to lanes with heavy oil and can also be used to throw a much more effective curve ball than a polyurethane ball.
  
  

Benefits

• Bowling is a social sport and does allow people participating in it to get a degree of exercise. The social part of bowling allows friends to enjoy each other's company while enjoying the sport of bowling. Many people enjoy joining a bowling league to compete on a team with their friends while enjoying the interaction with their teammates and competition with their opponents. Exercise in bowling is rather limited, but it is surprising how throwing a 16-lb. bowling ball repetitively can build arm strength.
  
  

Identification

• A bowling ball is a round ball used to knock over pins on a bowling alley. A traditional bowling ball has one hole for the thumb and two holes for the fingers. There are some variations that include three finger holes and one thumb hole to add more rotation on a curve ball. Bowling balls range from single to multi-colored balls and many balls have logos of popular sports teams or cartoon characters.
  
  

Warning

• When rolling a bowling ball, be careful not to loft the ball. Lofting is throwing the ball in the air as far as you can down the lane. This results in damage to the lane surface and can result in chipping the ball, as well. Instead of lofting, the proper method is to roll the ball, with it landing on the lane within six inches of the foul line.