The ball is ambling coolly, almost too slow to take seriously. It wobbles left, then right — likely a gutter ball. But wait. It straightens. Pins fly. Strike. What a slow burn. But so worth it. Every few weeks, Dubai’s Cathy Lin’s cousins come home and they participate in a series of fun bowling matches. They divide into teams, with everyone fighting over who gets Lin, chuckles the sale professional. “I’m considered the secret weapon. When I bowl, you might lose interest because it goes so slowly, and you think it’s not going to happen. But then, it does,” she says.There’s just so much joy in the sport of bowling. For Lin, it’s the best way to unwind. Once she grips the ball, hears the cheers behind her, and bowls, she feels exhilaration. “It’s the entire atmosphere. There’s always a song playing in the background that matches the mood, and it pumps up the energy more. And then you just return to eating, while others get their turn. It’s the most entertaining kind of sport,” she says..Motorcycles and sisterhood: Meet the UAE women’s thriving biking community .The joy of watching the pins fall Across Dubai, others are picking up their own routines and forming playful rivalries — just like at Loco Bear. It’s almost addictive to watch. Hilda Grace Ka Bear Mon, a sales professional, hit a strike. “It’s for everyone. And I want to be the best,” she says with a smile as she bowls, going for a full strike. Right after her, Hussain Firoz bowls with a rather suave style, “It’s a competitive sport, and I love competition." As he explains, bowling is often seen as just a casual pastime, something you do with friends on a night out. And, it straddles the line between sport and leisure. It’s competitive, yet calming. "Unlike football, where a missed goal might leave you gutted, bowling is low-stakes fun. You’re not tackling anyone or chasing a clock," explains Dubai-based Danish Sen, explaining that his office regularly organises corporate bowling competitions, once every couple of months. "It's an epic war between different departments," he says, laughing. "I'm terrible at it, but I'm just there for the fun." It’s a sport that gets everyone participating and having a time of their lives. One strike at a time. And the high-fives and cheers that follow. And, hey, you have a little victory dance. And sometimes, that’s all you need. .A brush with bowlingBefore neon lights and curated playlists, there was a different kind of bowling story, one of discovery.In a time when the internet didn’t exist, Dubai-based Arnab Ghosh and his friends were on the lookout for a new activity. Tennis, snooker and pool all had merits, but they wanted something more inclusive. “Back in the days, Al Nasr Leisureland, used to be in Oud Metha, next to the Al Nasir club, was a popular place for youngsters to hang out. And they had a bowling alley. We went, clueless, about what to expect,” he says.They watched others in their lanes, picking up up a ball, step up and swing the ball forward. “It seemed like a cross-sweep of the back foot and sent the pins flying,” remembers Ghosh.As he says, they watched, failed and tried again. “We asked people how to roll the ball and explored the various grips. That’s how we learned to bowl. The internet was still a few years away, and so we didn’t have the option to Google it.” Moreover, the stylish footwork that they had observed, turned out to be the body’s default response to the rolling of the ball. “It wasn’t style, it was simple physics!”The scoreboard wasn’t like any of the others, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the laughter you shared, regardless of whether the ball rolled into the gutter or if it was a strike. And the memories from the night, is what kept them coming back. More often than they thought they would. .We asked people how to roll the ball and explored the various grips. That’s how we learned to bowl. The internet was still a few years away, and so we didn’t have the option to Google it.Arnab Ghosh, strategic marketing and communications professional.A family tradition Decades may separate their stories, but the sense of connection bowling brings, remains timeless. In another corner of Dubai, Angela Christine de Messa shares the same emotion. Bowling is a family pride. “Our mum and her side of the family used to treat it as a sport and even competed in local tournaments back in Philippines,” she explains. There was sheer passion around the sport, and the family would gather around to hear her mother’s stories. “Her love of bowling got passed down to us. Now, we bowl every now and then. It’s a fun way to bond,” she says. And here’s the kicker: The one who loses, buys the others dinner. There’s even some fun in losing. From family bonding to finesse, bowling is more than just fun — it’s a craft. And for those who fall in love with the technique, it becomes a quiet kind of art..The zen of technique You can bowl, win entire tournaments be crowned a champion and still find it a relaxing, cathartic sport. Just ask Dubai-based Matt Smith, a media professional who was a U14 champion in Paisley, Scotland. He started with a few of his friends, with each of them with a different skill. And within months, he mastered bowling with such finesse that he soared through several matches. For him, it’s catharsis. There’s just something therapeutic in swinging the ball, and watching it roll down. And the beauty of bowling, as he explains, is that everyone has their own technique of doing it..The tricks and twists So, how do you get it right? Is there a way to hit that strike, or it just luck? Explaining the physics, he says, “The technique is consistency. Picture a rugby kicker, preparing to kick over the posts, every time he goes through the exact same routine as the target is static. Place the ball, line up the target, and step up to the side and then kick. It’s the same with bowling.”Once you are comfortable with a particular weight of a ball, stick with it, even if some shots do not work. “For me, the two middle fingers and thumb are put in place, making sure the holes are not too tight if using house balls. Then, the pinky and index finger are lined up directly at the target, standing dead centre, ball front and centre of body.”Using the arrows on the deck, as he bowls right-handed, he takes one slight step to the right to use the second arrow in the deck as a guide. “I’m not one for a lot of spin and go for consistency instead. More often than not, this will bring the ball in just behind the lead pin and bring the greatest chance of a strike. “If you go too straight, you will leave the chance of a split, hitting the lead pin head on, and the swerve masters are a league of their own, but also leave the chance of a gutter ball.”And, if you are left with a spare, line it up in the same way, using the arrows, step to the side accordingly. “Play your normal shot, as though you are aiming down the middle,” he says.Ghosh, too, eventually found his rhythm — developing a grip and release style that felt intuitive. Like many others, he discovered there’s no one-size-fits-all. “For a straight roll, by a right-handed bowler, it’s best to release the ball roughly along the third arrow from the left. The default grip is to have the thumb as well as the middle and ring fingers in the slots. That’s the most secure grip,” he says. So, whether it’s the thrill of a strike, the joy of shared laughter, or the comforting weight of the ball in your hands, bowling is more than just a game. It’s a moment. One you’ll want to come back to, again and again.