The bearing has different names and has different characteristics depending on the country.
Balero is a term that is used in different ways in several Latin American countries. The first meaning mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to a toy also known as a bowling alley .
In countries such as Argentina , Uruguay , Colombia and Mexico , among others, a stick that, by means of a rope , is attached to a ball that has one or more holes is called a ballero. The game consists of propelling the ball upwards to try to ensure that, as it falls, it enters the club, for which a match must be achieved between a hole in the ball and the club in question .
History of the bearing
The origins of the bearing are remote. It can receive other names ( emboque , coca , clash , capirucho , bolero , kendama ), have different characteristics and be used to play with different modalities, although always requiring the player's skill so that the objective can be met.
On the American continent, the ball bearing emerged in pre-Columbian times. It is believed that the Mayans , for example , had a game similar to balero where the “ball” was a skull . In Europe , meanwhile, there are numerous records of the ballero in medieval times, and it is even said that the French king Henry III used to play it.
Parts of the toy and game modes
The ball is basically made up of a stick and a ball. The stick has an extensive lower sector, where the player places his hand; a thicker central part; and a narrow upper area that has to fit into the hole of the ball.
The ball, also designated as a mallet , has at least one hole. The connection between the club and the ball is made through a cord or rope.
The game consists of taking the club and, without releasing it, pushing it upwards so that the ball, thanks to the cord, rises. When the ball begins to go down, you should try to get its hole to fit into the upper, narrow part of the club.
The most common type of game is to consider the winner as the person who makes the most consecutive holes . Another possibility is that the player who makes the most holes in a pre-established time wins.
In Argentina and Uruguay, balero is a colloquial way of referring to the head.
Bearing as head
In the colloquial language of Argentina and Uruguay , the head of an individual is usually called balero. The notion can refer both to the head in the physical sense (the part of the body that contains the brain and the most important sensory organs) and to intelligence or the ability to reason .
“The boy fell from the tree and suffered a terrible blow to the bearing, but luckily he is fine now”, “That boy has a very bad bearing, his behavior is difficult to understand” y “I'm going to look for a cap because the sun is hitting me right on the ball.” son algunas expressions que recurren a este uso del concepto.
In a formal setting, however, this idea is not appealed to. A doctor, to cite one case, will not refer to a “hit in the bearing” but will talk about a “skull trauma.”