Battle Bowling

I’ve always thought bowling is like basketball—except instead of running, passing, and dunking, it’s just one long series of free throws. It’s strange to me that a sport can basically be that. Most people who’ve been bowling have nailed a strike or two in their lives, which is kind of like sinking a free throw. If regular folks can pull it off and there’s no opponent trying to stop you, what exactly makes it special?

I’ve always thought bowling is like basketball—except instead of running, passing, and dunking, it’s just one long series of free throws. It’s strange to me that a sport can basically be that. Most people who’ve been bowling have nailed a strike or two in their lives, which is kind of like sinking a free throw. If regular folks can pull it off and there’s no opponent trying to stop you, what exactly makes it special?

Now, I’m sure professional bowlers put in years of practice, sharpening their accuracy, perfecting their consistency, and developing nerves of steel. But from the outside, it just doesn’t look all that impressive.

There was a time when I got into watching highlight reels from random sports I knew little about—epic hockey goals, slick curling shots, jaw-dropping volleyball plays. Then I stumbled across “best of” bowling clips. A lot of them featured this thing called a split—where you knock down all the pins except two that are sitting at opposite ends of the lane, taunting you. There’s no way for the ball to hit both directly, so the pros put spin on the ball, smacking one pin so it ricochets into the other.

That’s when it hit me (no puns intended):

Why not make shots like this the whole point of the game?

Normally, splits are an accident—a result of a less-than-perfect first roll. But what if you had to play whatever setup your opponent deliberately left you? And what if your opponent’s goal was to give you the nastiest, most awkward pin configurations possible? Suddenly, we’ve got offense and defense. Now we’re talking. I call it… Battle Bowl.

How Battle Bowl Works

On Defense

The first player, Bowler A, goes on defense. Their job is to knock down most of the pins, but leave at least one standing for the other player. If Bowler A accidentally gets a strike, the opponent gets +2 points. For example, Bowler A might aim to leave two pins on opposite ends of the lane—setting up a nightmare split for their rival.

On Offense

Now Bowler B steps in. Their job is to clear all of the pins Bowler A left. Every pin they knock down is worth one point. Miss one, and it’s minus a point.

The Strategy

This changes everything. Leave one pin? That’s a free point for your opponent. Leave two far-apart pins? If they miss one, they get nothing. But here’s the kicker—it’s not exactly easy to intentionally leave tricky setups. Creating a tough split requires skill too, so even defense is an art form here.

The result? Mind games, precision shots, risk-reward decisions… and a lot more excitement than watching strike after strike.

Yes, I just made bowling a lot more exciting.. in theory.

EGON