When I bowl, my hands tend to get sweaty, making it hard to grip the bowling ball once I even dropped it. I didn’t hit my foot or anything, but I was embarrassed. Good thing bowling alleys are noisy, and nobody but my party noticed.
I’ve seen some bowlers with small bottles of powder or lots of towels and rosin bags. Now, when I was just starting to get into bowling I didn’t understand why they had these things. I totally understand why now and have recently bought a rosin bag myself.
A rosin bag a helpful pouch containing what some may call a miracle powder with a friction-increasing potential, which will help you cope with the sweaty and moisture-laden hands that come with bowling. It is used in a variety of sports to help minimize moisture and strengthen grip.
What Is a Rosin Bag, and what’s Its Purpose?
Before we can understand what a rosin bag is, we must first understand what the rosin itself. Rosin is a resin material that is a portion of oleoresin, which is released by various pine varieties and is generally referred to as crude turpentine. The oleoresin is divided into two components during the distillation process (which is performed in copper stills): the essential oil and the traditional rosin. This separation yields fluid Rosin, which is filtered in straining wadding after being passed through a tap in the still.
At ambient temperature, this shapes the solid Rosin, which differs in color depending on the tree’s age from which it is extracted, and the amount of heat applied. This progresses from an opaque, black material to brown and yellow colors and eventually to an apparent, colorless mass.
In simpler words, Rosin is a sturdy type of resin that is a thick hydrocarbon secretion from plants derived primarily from coniferous plants. It is made by heating fresh liquid resin to isolate the terpene materials as well as other materials.
This solid or crystal Rosin is compressed to form a fine powder and then placed in bags or pouches with small particles. When this bag is tapped, the powder is released onto the surface being dusted.
The rosin bag’s primary function is to absorb moisture from the hand while also releasing rosin powder, which improves traction and grip. When heat is applied, it becomes sticky, enhancing the grip or making your hand less sticky. It is used for this reason in various sports that enable you to hold on to something, such as bowling, tennis, and many others.
As previously mentioned, rosin bags not only aid in the absorption of excessive moisture created during strenuous sports, but they also aid in the providing of a better grip, making it a valuable product.
To utilize the bag, gently toss it in your hand and respin it to expel the powder inside. The bag could also be gently tapped to achieve the same effect. It can be spread to the palm and its top, as well as the fingers and the spaces between them. The same idea can be extended to other surfaces depending on your sport.
What Is A Rosin Bag Used For In Bowling?
When it comes to performing the proper release, there are several factors to consider. Your grip has a variety of different facets to it. It isn’t just about correctly holding, carrying, and throwing the ball. The ability to keep the ball in place is critical to making accurate and safe throws.
A rosin bag has one purpose in bowling and it’s to help the bowler keep their hands dry so that they can properly grip their bowling ball and release it without any mishaps. If a bowler has sweaty hands and doesn’t dry them when going to pick up their bowling ball, they could drop their ball either when picking it up or when revving to release. Both of which would be bad.
It’s a valuable pouch containing what some may call a miracle powder with friction-increasing potential, which will help you cope with the sweaty and moisture-laden hands that come with bowling. The value far exceeds the cost, which isn’t high at all. Still, something a simple as a rosin bag could keep you and those around you from getting hurt.
Is It Legal To Use A Rosin Bag In Bowling?
Knowledgeable use of powder and knowing and upholding the rules are all things that all bowlers should properly recognize. Still, far too often, bowlers are either ignorant of the reality or prefer to disregard them.
In many tournaments, rosin bags aren’t allowed. Always remember to check with those in charge to confirm this. Some may allow it while others won’t. Their concern would be that the rosin on your hands would get on the outside of your bowling ball. It would then get on the approach and the actual bowling lane which would ruin the oil on the lane.
The risk of anyone slipping, falling, or being seriously hurt is significantly enhanced. That is why it’s important to understand how to properly use a rosin bag when bowling. Use it sparingly, you’re not a baseball player, you won’t need that much.
The inappropriate use of rosin bags is an issue. You’ll be fine if you use a rosin bag to pat down the finger and thumb holes before your delivery and then instantly clean it off the surface of the ball. It’s ok if the powder goes into the finger holes, but it’s not okay if it gets on the ball surface.
Remember that bowling lanes have oil on them and the powder from your rosin bag would ruin the lanes oil pattern if your bowling ball is covered in powder and then thrown. You also want to remember not to put rosin on your hands on the approach. You or someone else could slip on the powder and fall.
