Ben's Kata Bowling

KataBowling

Kata is a Japanese word that means “demonstration of good form”. Bowling refers to the English form of indoor bowling. A non-competitive way to bowl, designed by Ben Aardvark.

Read the bookThrow a wood
Eighteen chapters, free to read and download. No sign-up.ver: 27/10/26

Throw a wood

Woods don't run straight: the heavy side pulls them round as they slow. Pick a hand and a type of throw, aim a few degrees away from the centre line, hold Throw to build weight, let go. Four woods make an end. The lane is drawn the way Ben draws it in chapter 2.

The lane is longer than your screen: it scrolls sideways, and follows the wood while it runs.

+10°
Nothing thrown yet. The wood with the red label is you.

Bowling as a practice, not a contest

“Competition spoils throwing. It's like making art competitive.”Ben Aardvark, chapter 1

Ben took up indoor bowls at 80 for the exercise. His first lesson reminded him of a judo kata he had done fifty years before, precise and choreographed, and when he asked whether a formal demonstration of bowling existed, the answer was no. So he designed one.

The kata is four ends of four woods: right-hand forehand, right-hand backhand, left-hand forehand, left-hand backhand. The first wood of each end becomes the target; the other three try to replicate it. It takes about ten minutes. Ben has been practising it three hours a week for two and a half years and has not yet performed it, which he says is rather the point.

Compared with normal bowling it gives you more throws per hour, more exercise per hour, no timetable, no opponent and no small talk. He thinks it is a meditation. If you dislike meditation, ignore that.

  1. Level 5The demonstrationfor instructors, students and masters
  2. Level 4Analysis of technique
  3. Level 3Meditationrepetitive, but it needs concentration
  4. Level 2Enjoymentthrowing woods is enjoyable
  5. Level 1Exerciseand the worse you throw, the further you walk

Ben's pyramid of the year 2026, from chapter 1. Most of the benefit is at the bottom.

The book

Eighteen short chapters, each a PDF, written on the assumption that you know nothing about bowling, as a conversation with an alien reporter called Bill. The pictures are Ben's own drawings. Tap a page to read the chapter, or download a copy.

  1. Hands up if you like kata bowling, from chapter 101

    Introduction

    Who Ben is, what kata bowling is, how it differs from normal bowling, and how to get started.

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  2. Lanes 2 and 3 of the indoor green, from chapter 202

    The green

    The markings on the carpet: lanes, the T, the spots, the centre line, and why the pace changes from day to day.

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  3. Identification circles on a wood, from chapter 303

    Woods

    How woods are made, how to read the rings and markings, how they tilt and wobble, and what to buy.

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  4. A running wood tilting and veering, from chapter 404

    Bias

    How woods behave after they have been thrown, and how to measure the bias angle of your own.

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  5. Getting on and off the green, from chapter 505

    Safety

    “The green is a jungle. This chapter will help you survive.” Getting on and off the green, and what to avoid once you are on it.

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  6. Two woods on a collision course across lanes, from chapter 606

    Etiquette

    Respecting other bowlers. And aliens. Nine etiquette rules, what makes a throw safe and legal, and three general rules.

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  7. Paths of right-hand forehand throws, from chapter 707

    Types of throw

    Forehand and backhand, left and right; safe, visiting and invasive woods.

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  8. Woods stacked beside the mat, from chapter 808

    The kata

    Four ends, four woods each. Stacking, the four principles of the kata, and its variants.

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  9. Stance for an outside throw, from chapter 909

    Styles of throw

    Outside, inside, leg and foot styles judged against eight criteria, and why the inside style wins.

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  10. The first principles of kata bowling, from chapter 1010

    Principles

    The ten principles of kata bowling. Define everything. Throw safely. Justify. Be honest. Have ten principles.

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  11. The basic inside stance, from chapter 1111

    The elements

    Grab, grip, stance, position, squat, hover, heading, backswing and forward swing, one at a time.

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  12. Measuring alpha with coins on the T line, from chapter 1212

    The formula

    The fundamental formula of bowling, and how Ben found the alpha error by throwing jacks at the one-metre spot.

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  13. Outbound paths in a lane next to a vacant lane, from chapter 1313

    Safe throwing

    Level 1: throwing from T to T and keeping every wood inside your own lane.

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  14. Inhale on the mat, exhale into the stance, from chapter 1414

    Breathing

    When to inhale and when to exhale, element by element.

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  15. Finding the contact point with a green wood, from chapter 1515

    Base throws

    The throw every other throw is built from: contact point on the centre line, wood arriving just in front of the far T.

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  16. The mat in a legal position, from chapter 1616

    Match throws

    Making it legal: from base throws to match play, with the mat in a legal position and the gizmos put away.

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  17. The first page of viewers' questions, chapter 1717

    Viewers' questions

    Ben answers questions from viewers. Does practice make perfect? How far do woods really run straight?

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  18. The first page of the index, chapter 1818

    Index

    Every term in the book, with its chapter and page.

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There is also a one-page cover page listing the chapters.

δ = β − α

The fundamental formula of bowling, from chapter 12. The angle you must throw at (δ) is the bias of your woods (β) corrected for the angle you throw off by without meaning to (α). Ben measured his own by throwing jacks at the one-metre spot and marking where they crossed the T line with coins.

δdelta, the throwing angleβbeta, the bias angleαalpha, the error

Never bowled?

Indoors or out

Many bowlers play outdoors in summer and indoors in winter. Grass needs more force, and the carpet markings are absent on grass. Kata bowling is indoors, all year, whatever the weather.

Find a club

There are more outdoor than indoor clubs. Most clubs give beginners a few free lessons; the first covers how not to injure yourself, then how to grip and throw.

Ask about footwear

You will need flat-soled shoes that have not been worn outdoors. The club will lend you woods for your lessons; a pre-loved set of your own can cost as little as £40.