It's an eternal question! Kind of like, "Which came first--the chicken or the egg?" Is bowling a sport? That question leads on to another: Are bowlers athletes? Too often, bowling and bowlers' claim to be discriminated, "You can't be a sport because: You don't sweat, you drink and smoke while performing, You sit more than you move, and you can be out of shape and still get high scores.
It's been hard to argue those arguments. Not many scientific studies deal specifically with bowling and fitness. People in bowling assume that "real" sports require huffing and puffing, which bowling admittedly does not. However, a small but growing core of sports science professionals inside and outside of the sport has become convinced that bowling and bowlers do indeed fall within the realm of sport and athletics.
"Sport” is academically defined as a well-organized physical activity, with sub-factions and sub-disciplines that are regulated through rules. Bowling fits that definition, given all its membership groups rules and levels of involvement. Of course bowling is a sport, and it takes an athlete to perform it well. Bowling simply differs in the bio-motor abilities it requires
Bowling's bad reputation comes partly from the fact that it's an anaerobic sport. “Anaerobic” means you're relying on adenosine triphosphate, which is stored in the muscle's fibers, for immediate energy. Performance in bowling comes in short bursts of energy that stress the muscular-skeletal system (muscles, joints, and bones) rather than the cardiovascular [heart and lungs]. That's why the sweating and "windedness" seen in a continuous-activity sport such as soccer or long-distance running aren't present. Bowling is more akin to weightlifting, golf, and even platform diving. You get up, perform the activity, and then go back and wait for your next turn.
Cardiovascular endurance plays a minor role in bowling performance. Some cardiovascular fitness is important because it helps the bowler stay fresh for longer periods of play, maintain fine motor control and execute properly. However, there seems to be a threshold aerobic level for bowlers, beyond which further increases have limited contribution to improving performance.
Comparing a bowler to a sprinter on a scale of 1 to 10 in various bio-motor abilities, bowlers would rank very low on speed, compared to sprinters. However, a bowler's power needs would be up there with the sprinter, if you look at the full spectrum of bio-motor abilities, you'll find that bowlers actually score high on several of them: Power, balance, coordination, and flexibility. These needs are called "functional fitness."
Physical fitness concerns itself more with aesthetics and appearance; while on the other hand, Functional fitness refers to how someone performs. A basketball player trains to jump higher. A bowler works to acquire and then sustain a low finishing position. Developing the wrong muscles (or the right muscles the wrong way) could hurt your performance. Too many pushups, for instance, can overdevelop the chest muscles and force your swing off-line. You want muscles that are strong but lean.
Let's face it, you've got only so many hours in a day to eat, sleep, work, and train. You have to allocate your training time to where it will do the most good.
The principles of kinesiology (the study of the body in motion) will determine the most effective exercise program for a bowler. Bowling is really a combination of a lunge, a twist, and flexion and extension of the shoulder, or extending the arm straight out in front of the face after extending it behind the body.
Today's power game generates so much torque, or twisting on the body that bowlers who generate a lot of revolutions create a “whiplash” effect on the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints. Enormous stress is placed on the body when the ball is thrown. This is one of the biggest reasons bowlers develop “bowler's tendonitis”, and many other cumulative-trauma disorders.
In addition, the lunging motion of the final step stresses not only the torso and upper body it's the ball comes down from the peak of the backswing, but also the supporting leg and knee. You're asking your supporting leg to bear 90% of the body weight, plus the ball, plus the centrifugal forces in motion around the body as the ball swings forward. These forces are multiplied several-fold when we throw the ball.
Bowler's specific training should enhance flexibility, strength, power, stability, balance, endurance, and general conditioning. As might be expected, programs will vary according to the trainer and athlete's priorities and philosophies. Very high levels of fitness are probably not beneficial to bowling. For example, you need adequate strength to hold a 16-pound ball and carry it for many games. Improving your strength beyond this level may have limited benefit. However, if a bowler's fitness level is below threshold level in key areas, bowling performance may be adversely affected, especially in the later stages of tournaments.
