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Comment by jaqalopes | Hacker News Reader

Western mass here, still can't understand the appeal of "classic" tenpin bowling. I feel like I'm a reasonably strong guy and throwing the giant ball for a night kills my arm every time, never mind that it's impossible to actually aim it. Candlepin is so much more accessible and fun, especially leaving the downed pins on the lane instead of clearing them each throw. I'm lucky to have a popular and high quality candlepin alley down the road. Wishing the best for the woman in this article to keep her place running.

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I feel like I'm a reasonably strong guy and throwing the giant ball for a night kills my arm every time, never mind that it's impossible to actually aim it.

You’re supposed to roll the ball, not throw it!

Kidding aside, it’s all technique. My octogenarian father-in-law and his wife bowl on several leagues without problems. Both are reasonably proficient amateurs. Neither are large or muscular.

You could be trying to use power/speed as a substitute for aim and spin control.

Western Mass here too - if you want to go "old school" you can bowl here in Shelburne Falls as the second oldest alley in the country (running since 1906). Bonus: to get there you literally have to walk down a narrow alley from the main street in town to get there.

https://www.shelburnefallsbowling.com/

> I feel like I'm a reasonably strong guy and throwing the giant ball for a night kills my arm every time

It's definitely worth combing the alley for a lighter ball that still fits your hand. Can't go too light or the physics are poor, but I remember being a young person who just wanted to use the heaviest ball and that doesn't work after the teenage invincibility wears off.

Candlepin is most certainly the better game! While "splits" do happen in tenpin, they're nowhere near as varied as candlepin with its "wood" and ability for pins to move but not fall down. Getting a strike or a spare means something, rather than tenpin where knocking down all the pins on most frames is basically expected. Candlepin has a world record single string score that is far from 300, whereas in tenpin perfect games are common.

Probably why tenpin is more popular. Casual players have more fun getting a couple strikes and a few spares on a night out.

I agree on that front. These days when I end up bowling it's usually at one of those newer hip bowling+drinks type places, which are generally tenpin. I haven't done enough big ball bowling to develop a technique or anything, but it's easy enough to roll them straight down the alley and get a decent score - it feels like the ball does most of the work.

This was my thoughts on why tenpin has taken over. The sense of some achievement without practice/dedication.

Northeastern CT, my town had both duckpin and regular. Both are now long gone. As a kid, duckpin was WAY more fun than knuckletwister!

Another Westernmasser, Pittsfield just had 2 newspaper articles about ownerships changes at separate Candlepin alley's last week.

UK here. I'd rather play candlepin because of this but it's all tenpin here :(

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