Bowling ball Bowling ball A bowling ball is a piece of sporting equipment used to hit bowling pins in the sport of bowling. Balls used in ten-pin bowling are typically hard spheres with three holes drilled in them, one each for the ring and middle fingers, and one for the thumb. Regulating bodies such as the USBC maintain requirements for the properties of bowling balls, including size, hardness, and number of holes, as well as maintaining a list of bowling balls approved for competitive play. Other bowling balls, such as those used in five-pin bowling, candlepin bowling, and duckpin bowling are smaller,
Ten-pin bowling use. With the two-handed release, the dominant hand's middle and ring fingers are inserted into the ball and the non-dominant hand (left for right handers, right for left handers) is kept on top of the ball and helps to support the ball until release. Examples of success with these styles include no-thumber Eric Copping, who has bowled over one hundred perfect games and holds the Vermont state record for average in a season with 246, and two-handed PBA members Jason Belmonte, Osku Palermaa and Jesper Svensson. There is an optimal bowling ball speed at which the player maximizes the chance