IS TENPIN BOWLING GOOD FOR YOU.

[jockey]

Bowling for Open class bowlers is 90% mental and 10% physical.

To the beginner bowling is almost 100% physical.

This is due to the fact the muscles need to be conditioned to work together in harmony. It may take a lot longer for bowlers who play irregular to achieve this.

For those who think bowling provides no physical benefits for even the social player I don't think you are exercising even 10% of your brain.

When you bowl you are using all muscle groups within your body. So the beginner will notice some physical benefit after a short period of time. Up to how far that benefit provides physical change for them will depend on what there current body shape is. Obviously a very fit person would probably not see much if any benefit at all.

You use just as many if not more muscle groups in bowling than you do in swimming. I base this on the fact your body is not being supported by water but is under the direct influence of gravity.

The muscle groups that are the most effected are the muscles:
in the legs
around the shoulders and chest
buttocks
back
I guess that covers practically all of them.

Bowling is a weight bearing sport which is good for the bones in order to avoid osteoporosis. The lightness of the weight does not lessen this benefit.

After a time competing the social player won't gain any more physical improvement benefits from bowling, however they do have the value of a maintenance benefit where they are not losing what they have gained. Bowlers are not body builders you know, and don't want to be.

The open players are prone to back, arm, leg and hand problems. However this will depend on how much they play and what they do to look after there most important asset when they bowl, themselves.

No physical activity provides any physical benefit successfully unless it is being combined with a sensible balanced diet. To expect the activity to produce results, again shows a lack of exercising your noggin.

 

[da_cowman]

Define Fitness...

Is being fit the ability to be able to complete the 3-6 games of bowling you do a week, or is it being able to run for 30 mins? or swim for 10kms? or Cycle for 100kms?

Of course you are going to gain minor physical benefits from competing again after 14 years out. Suddenly your body has to work those muscles again for an extended period of time. They repair themselves stronger and able to go for longer. As for aerobic fitness, you would really have to continue bowling to gain any of this. It takes roughly 2 minutes for your aerobic energy system to kick in. Doesn't sound like long, but it takes the same amount of time for your anaerobic systems (ATP/PC and Lactic) to regenerate themselves. I'll admit that for someone who has been out of the game and not doing much aerobic work, coming back to bowling will provide some improvement. Strength will be increased, and I don't recall saying it wouldn't. Bowling does require high levels of muscle memory and not so much muscle strength, but a good level of muscle endurance is needed for the bowlers to able to repeat their shots consistantly.

Jockey, while bowling may require more muscle groups then swimming, there is one VERY significant difference. the INTENSITY at which eahc athlete is competing. Get Ian Thorpe and get him to have a running or cycling race against the top bowlers in the world, make one a sprint and one an endurance event. Either way my moneys on Thorpe to win. Why? Because the sport that he does directly requires more muscle endurance and aerobic fitness to compete at the highest level. The INTENSITY at which he competes and trains at is much higher, therefore his muscles can work harder and longer. Thorpes' body is trained to react quickly when his body needs energy and would have be developed to do this. His workouts are longer and harder then bowling. Thorpes lung capacity and strength of his heart would be so much greater then the top bowlers that a race, even one that each athlete has not properally trained for would be won by Thorpe by quite a distance. Surely, thats obvious.

If you want to excercise your muscles that are; in the legs. around the shoulders and chest, buttocks, back. You can do this by. Getting up off your computer chair, walking to your fridge, bend down to the bottom shelf where you keep your beer, get out two cans of beer, standup, chuck one to your mate, sit back down, open your beer and lift your arm to mouth to drink beer. Well done, you have no excersised all the aforementioned muscle groups. But it hasn't been completed at an intensity that really requires the body to work anything out.

Jockey said 'After a time competing the social player won't gain any more physical improvement benefits from bowling, however they do have the value of a maintenance benefit where they are not losing what they have gained' Well done, bowling stops reversabilty, one key factor of improving performance. However, what about Specificity? you said it covers all out muscles groups, any inparticular? Perhaps pushing your training threshold? Seriously, I don't think I have ever really pushed my personal threshold while bowling. Does this mean I am fit? Or have gained all the physical benefits I can from bowling?

What it all boils down to is the simple fact that Bowling IS NOT intense enough for anyone to gain significant physical benefits. Now, don't get me wrong, its by no means bad for you. However, the level of fitness required to be in the top level is not incredibly high. Bowling is not a very physical game, but one that requires the bowlers ability to repeat shots, and adjust to conditions and overcome pressure situations.

Later Da Cowman!

 

[bryce965]

:bad-word: seriously how can u type that much i would b able 2 type like 1 quarter of wat cowman just writ [-(
lol i dunno y im postin this #-o

 

[Brad'n'Jo]

Being a carpenter, my husband is pretty fit already (defining fitness as physically and mentally sound or healthy) and yet he is also gaining (and aching) from bowling once more after 14 years. Our fitness is relevant to our individuality, and bowling, being where you are bodily and mentally active, can be beneficial for anyone regardless of level.

Oh, and I already swim, ride a bike, run after kids, etc, etc, (as Mum's do...) and still find bowling (whether in practice, games, tourneys, whatever) good for me and a great way to keep fit. As long as energy is exerted, you're being active and activity is the key to fitness. Laughing is also a good exercise and keeps you fit - both inside and out!

Just my opinion (and I'm only a Mum with a bowling ball - but do you really know me? Nah!)
Keep smiling, Jo

 

[jockey]

da_cowman

If physical fitness is your aim I agree you wouldn't be choosing bowling to achieve it. However to say bowling does not effect or afford someone a level of physical fitness is not completely true.

I used to umpire football at senior level, swim laps, ride a bicycle and go to a gym regularly so I was very fit. This helped a lot in my bowling but I still noticed a difference in my physical makeup after bowling in matchplay over 18 odd games. It was not much but still it added to my fitness level. In fact the gym instructor that conducted my fitness test after 6 months asked me what produced the edge I had over people who were doing the same training (running, swimming, gym work). The only thing I did different to them all was that I competed in bowling at the open level. Again I stress my choice of fuel (diet) at the time also affected this.

To throw weight (I until this year used a 16lb ball) for that many games requires a lot of stamina, energy and concentration (to be competitive). However yes you don't have the same stamina, energy or concentration requirements of an Ian Thorpe or Grant Hackett.

I used the swimming reference for muscle use in my earlier post as I had read a publication which listed bowling as just as effective as swimming for exercising muscles within the body. If I find the article again I will post it here.

One should not forget the fact bowling is a very easy way to help people avoid the debilitating effects of osteoporosis in later life. Not everyone likes swimming, running or riding a bike. Any way we can get people active achieving physical benefits without even trying is a plus for all of us. Not to mention the fact it helps boost the number of people involved in our sport.

The level of endurance fitness required for a distance swimmer against a tournament bowler seems vastly different. It would be interesting to see how different scientifically now wouldn't it.

 

[micky_macca]

Jockey, in your last post you said and i quote:

"If physical fitness is your aim I agree you wouldn't be choosing bowling to achieve it."

What other type of fitness is there besides physical? Are you referring to mental fitness etc?

Another one of your quotes:
"For those who think bowling provides no physical benefits for even the social player I don't think you are exercising even 10% of your brain. "

Yet here you say that bowling DOES provide physical benefits, but then later you say that we wouldnt choose bowling for physical fitness? Are you contradicting yourself? We admit that yes bowling does provide a small hardly noticeable benefit to the average bowler but not enough to keep you physically healthy.

Even the bowl-a-holics as we call them can bowl 50+ games a week and still not gain any helpful amount of exercise.

They key to staying physically healthy is eat healthy and exercise, so how is bowling going to help?

 

[da_cowman]

However to say bowling does not effect or afford someone a level of physical fitness is not completely true.

I never said that it has no benefits. I just said its benefits are extremely limited. You go on to say...

This helped a lot in my bowling but I still noticed a difference in my physical makeup after bowling in matchplay over 18 odd games.

I thought we were talking about the benfits for the 3 games a week league bowler? Of course bowling 18 games straight is going to prove more beneficial compared to the three games a week you normally bowl. I did say this in my post earlier. I'll re-post that bit here

Granted a decent level of aerobic fitness is required for the guys bowling 15 games of matchplay with 2 bowlers to a pair. It's actual benefits for 3 games a week in teams of 4 league bowlers simply aren't there.

As for Brad'n'Jo, our conflict arose in our definitions of fitness. As you said 'defining fitness as physically and mentally sound or healthy' I don't neccasarily agree with that statement. As by this definition, someone with the flu, who is still able to compete longer and harder, compared to someone without the flu, is not as fit. Fitness for me should be based on Resting Heart Rates, Blood Pressure, Haemoglobin Levels, Ventilation Rates, Cardiac Output and the Strength of the Heart, or amount of blood pumped per beat. But thats my HSC PE course talking there as well.

I never said Bowling would provide no benefits. As it does, just the amount of benefits are limited. Progressive Overload is needed to continually improve your bodies fitness. So as long as you bowl the same amount of games in league each week, your fitness, from bowling, will not improve beyond that point.

Later Da Cowman!

 

[Brad'n'Jo]

Hiya Da Cowman

I had a feeling you were studying this stuff in PE as is all sounded very familiar. We're agreed that bowling provides benefits - after all, the initial post by polarbear to which I was replying asked if bowling had any physical (characterized by energetic bodily activity) benefits for social league bowlers. I just thought that as a general, all rounded activity which includes before and after the actual event of bowling, it did. There is no reason why social bowling shouldn't retain fitness, which in itself is a benefit for anyone - able bodied or disabled. (I know, you said it wouldn't improve fitness after a certain point - but please remember that many social bowlers are either not throwing a consistent ball - strikes/one shots are not as common - or are endeavouring to improve their game, thus providing continual inconsistancy to their muscle functions, heart rate, blood pressure, etc, etc.)

My hubby started bowling as a junior/state rep. and as such "grew" into the sport - as many of you have. His body was conditioned. What would happen if you stopped bowling for a period of time and then you resumed the sport? Would you notice any changes? In his experience, he did - both when he stopped and resumed (regardless of his current fitness level and length of time from the sport). Anyway, the topic was to do with physical benefits from social bowling - not whether you gain/continue to gain fitness as per elite levels. (Even elite athletes have their threshold.)

Um, and my initial comment to you was to do with where you'd mentioned in your post: how can walking 4-5 steps and then resting for 2 mins be any good for you? I just thought you'd forgotten the other 4-5 steps to get back from the foul line...

Good luck with the HSC and your future career. (Pharmacy's been mine.)

Happy bowling, Jo