In the past, bowling ball motion was examined using visual analysis. That analysis led to the conclusion that bowling balls go through three distinct phases of motion, skid, roll, and hook, in that order; however, that conclusion was proven inaccurate when USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification department researchers examined the results of the
Bowling Ball Motion Study, which, through the use of equations and graphical data analysis, definitively proved that the actual progression is
skid,
hook and
roll.
The World Tenpin Bowling Association's study on factors that influence scoring in the sport will now be joined by the Hong Kong Sports Institute in addition to the United States Bowling Congress. The study is being conducted to determine new lines of specifications at the sport of bowling's elite level. WTBA, USBC and the Hong Kong Sports Institute will work jointly on the project and make recommendations to the WTBA Congress. A status report will be given on all items in August 2013.
Each year, hundreds of new bowling balls are put on the market and before they reach consumers, prototypes are inspected thoroughly by the United States Bowling Congress to ensure they meet specific standards. The USBC Equipment Specifications team has developed a battery of tests to make sure every bowling ball that makes it to the consumer market is legal based on USBC rules.
United States Bowling Congress (USBC) test robot E.A.R.L. recently made headlines as the cover story of Design News magazine’s Mechatronics supplement.
Design News is a leading technical resource, providing technology news, opinion, and analysis, for engineers and engineering managers. The article detailed how designers created E.A.R.L. (Enhanced Automated Robotic Launcher) with the ability to release a ball with precise accuracy under a wide range of velocity, loft and axis rotation variables.
The United States Bowling Congress has named Herman Glenn (pictured) to the position of Director of Equipment Specifications for the sport's national governing body. Glenn will oversee the USBC team which primarily performs advanced testing and research on bowling balls, lanes, pins and lane dressing to ensure that all equipment meets guidelines set by the organization before it is used in USBC competition. Glenn, a USBC Bronze coach studied electrical engineering at the University of Toledo. 
In an epic battle of man versus machine, the newest member of the Equipment Specifications and Certifications team at the USBC showed off its skills against USBC spokesperson and PBA star Chris Barnes (r.) at the International Bowling Campus on Tuesday. Barnes prevailed, 259-209, but he knows the score does not reflect how
significant E.A.R.L. ultimately will be in industry research. 
After months of calibrations and testing, the newest member of the Equipment Specifications and Certifications team at the United States Bowling Congress is ready to be introduced to the world on Oct. 19. The new addition isn't a scientist, however, it's a state-of-the-art ball-throwing robot named E.A.R.L. (Enhanced Automated Robotic Launcher), which is designed to be able to simulate any type of bowling style with an accuracy and consistency on the lanes that no human bowler can achieve.
Keeping up with the modern and complex work of ball drilling and ball motion is now easier than ever with the Ball Motion Analysis Form and accompanying video tutorials by the USBC Equipment Certification and Specifications team. Let USBC Technical Director Steve Kloempken (pictured) guide you through a series of helpful video and written instructions that detail the process of identifying key bowling ball dynamics such as axis tilt and axis migration.