Why are balance holes illegal in bowling?
So why is USBC even banning balance holes? In a news release announcing the ban, USBC said: “Balance holes, also known as weight holes, are meant to correct static imbalance in bowling balls, but more recently have been used to change the design intent of balls.”
How many holes can you legally have in a bowling ball?
Holes or indentations for gripping purposes shall not exceed five and shall be limited to one for each finger and one for the thumb, all for the same hand.
Is 2 finger bowling legal?
There are some who cry foul, claiming the two-handed approach is cheating or illegal. The United States Bowling Congress (USBC), the sport’s national governing body, studied this issue early on and determined there are no rules violations using the two-handed approach.
What happens if a bowler uses an illegal ball?
League or tournament officers who witness non-compliance are responsible to notify the bowler that the ball usage is illegal. The penalty could be forfeiture of league games or disqualification from a tournament, if so deemed by the league or tournament decision on the protest.
Do Pro bowlers use finger inserts?
Finger inserts are used typically in full fingertip grip bowling balls. The pro shop professional can drill through the slugs in the same manner as the ball material itself. The thumb hole can then be contoured and beveled as needed to match the shape of your thumb.
Do all bowling balls have holes?
Balls used in ten-pin bowling typically have holes for two fingers and the thumb. Balls used in five-pin bowling, candlepin bowling, duckpin bowling, and kegel have no holes, and are small enough to be held in the palm of the hand.
How do I know if my bowling action is illegal?
An Illegal Bowling Action is where a player is throwing rather than bowling the ball. This is defined by the ICC as being where the player’s elbow extends by an amount of more than 15 degrees between their arm reaching the horizontal and the ball being released.
Do bowling balls have 3 holes?
Every bowling ball has three holes – one each for the thumb, middle finger and ring finger. The right ball should allow your fingers to be inserted and removed freely, but not easily enough that your grip on the ball is weak.
Is it illegal to have a balance hole in a bowling ball?
Does this mean every bowling ball thrown by a no-thumb or two-handed bowler who uses no thumb is now going to be illegal and have to be re-drilled? No. If a bowler doesn’t use their thumb during a delivery, they can either have a thumb hole or a balance hole but not both.
Can a bowling ball be thrown with no thumb?
Any thumb hole that is not used for gripping purposes during the delivery would be classified as a balance hole. Does this mean every bowling ball thrown by a no-thumb or two-handed bowler who uses no thumb is now going to be illegal and have to be re-drilled?
When does the thumb hole rule go into effect in Bowling?
The rule change strictly addresses the use of the thumb hole and only affects bowlers who do not use their thumb for gripping the ball during a delivery. The change will go into effect at the beginning of the winter bowling season, Aug. 1, allowing bowlers affected by the change the time to make necessary repairs to their equipment.
Can a bowling ball hook more than 3oz?
The committee did find that with the removal of weight holes, they could increase the static weight imbalance while drilling from 1oz to 3oz. Adding three ounces of static weight in all directions did not allow balls to hook more than bowling balls in the market today that use a weight hole and meet existing static weight specifications.