Is a resin ball or a 16lb ball right for you?

[Hammer]

Sometimes I think our male ego makes us do things that we shouldn't. In bowling we see guys using these aggressive bowling balls with big hooks and we think boy I would like to do that. So we get an aggressive 16lb resin ball and then get frustrated because we can't controll it. Now our game is more like work then fun. In reality what we should have done was to get a less aggressive ball like a urethane that you can adjust for a nice controlled hook and bowl more straight down the boards. This gives you a wider target to shoot for instead of bowling coast to coast and trying to figure out where you should stand for your break point. This game is hard enough and it seems like you want to make it as easy as possible on yourself. As far as weight goes being men we want to think that sure, I can handle a 16lb ball because I am a man. Well what you would find out for yourself is that the right weight for you might be a 14lb ball. You would find that it is easier to keep your hand behind the ball before release and keep your hand straight or cupped a little so you get some nice revs and hook. Where as the 16lb ball might break down your wrist as you get near the release so you start grabbing the ball and lose revs and accuracy. So it seems that you have to really put some thought into what you will buy for yourself if you are to be a bowler. You want to make the game as easy as possible for yourself so you enjoy it better. In reality then if you are not a real experienced bowler maybe you should get yourself that urethane ball for yourself and make it a 14lb ball. Oh yes, you still can get strikes with a 14lb ball. I have seen senior
ladies at the bowling alley get strikes with a 10lb ball with a speed of 9mph. So give some thought before you make your purchase. You want to make it easy on yourself and then when you find you have a good game going for yourself you can then creep into more aggressive equipment. But get the basics down first with easier to handle equipment. Doing this might give you better scores earlier. Alright men, get with it.

[Zothen]

LOL,I could'nt have said it better! That brought me back to the first time I learned to throw a finger tip ball in the mid 80's. I walked into a pro shop and being pig headed I asked for the biggest hooking ball their was and the pro shop guy tried to sell me an entry level ball,after several minutes of not being able to talk me in to entry level he gave me what I wanted. Well out to the lane I went with new ball in hand and being shown how to throw my new ball,I proceeded to practice while the pro guy went back to a packed pro shop. No matter how I threw the ball,I watched it go from right 1 board all way to left gutter over & over again. I left and went back several times to practice and same result,so I walked into the pro shop on the verge of quitting and I tell the pro guy I can't control this ball and he says"Thats why I wanted to sell you an entry level ball til you learned how to throw a hook." So he was slow and we went to the lanes and he watch me bowl and hes chuckling. I looked at him and he says"Stand on the 22 board and throw it over 2nd arrow." Damn if that ball didn't hit pocket,2nd time Brooklyn,and the rest of the time around middle. I scratch my head and could'nt understand why I was in middle. He said I was throwing too far out and with my ball speed and revs it gave ball time to build up friction and as soon as it hit the backend it took off. I have been a Down & In player ever since.

Moral of the story-If your pro shop recommends a non aggressive ball for learning,listen to him!

Zothen

[scottymoney]

I think in the end the saying is either "adjust your game to the equipment or your equipment to the game". Basically you don't want to buy hook in a box unless you realize that you are going to have to move your lines. If you are stubborn in your approach and where you are going to aim. Stick to the equipment with that reaction.

[Davec13]

16LB balls have kind of gone the way of the hummer. Sure they are nice to have, but no one really needs them anymore. I think most people have finally realized that the heavier the ball doesn't equate to more strikes anymore. I think the only people even toying with the idea of 16lb balls now are older bowlers getting back into the game and being stuck in an older mentality.

A huge hooking ball also is a nice thing to have in your arsenal. While it may not work on your THS if you ever find yourself in a tournament you'll sure be glad you have it. Then again if you know the ball and can change up your style you may be able to play on a THS with it on a line no one else is using when the lanes start breaking down.

In the end the old saying "he who dies with the most toys" applies to bowling too.

[noeymc]

i throw my hammer on a house shot and it worked good and its a high oil ball 212 on bowlingball.com rating system

[75lockwood]

Well....

there are logical reasons for wanting a 16lb ball and to increase hook potential, given that you are trying to knock over 35lb worth of pins you will need a lot of force, there are 2 ways to increase force, increase ball weight or increase speed. that being said, if moving from 14/15lb to 16lb causes a dramatic drop in speed, you will end up with less force, its all about finding the perfect weight for you.

as for a ball with extreme hook potential, everything is relative, there are certain lane conditions that call for such balls. that being said, i agree that your typical bowler does not have need for such a ball, and should spend there time working on consistency and accuracy instead of going out and getting the most powerful ball on the market.

[Ball99999]

So were you standing too far right?

[GoodGorilla]

My first ball was 16 pounds. My main problem with it, it made my hip really sore. Other than that, there were many shots with it I knew I could have been more accurate with a 15 pound. All of my balls are 15 pounds, I still wonder if 14 would be better.

[Hammer]

My first ball was 16 pounds. My main problem with it, it made my hip really sore. Other than that, there were many shots with it I knew I could have been more accurate with a 15 pound. All of my balls are 15 pounds, I still wonder if 14 would be better.

When I was younger I had a 16lb purple Hammer in the beginning of the 90s. Years later I bought a Raw Hammer Anger that was 15lbs. That seemed to be okay. Then I started getting osteoarthritis in my hips and knees and some issues in my hands and wrists. So I figured that I would try a ball that I could bowl more direct with a controlled hook. By the way I have been bowling for 27 years. So I bought a new Hammer Blue Hammer ball that is urethane and 14lbs. Boy, is this thing great for me.
Being 14lbs I feel that it is easier to controll what I want to do with it and it is easier on my body. I like throwing my first ball with it because I can really crank this thing with the fingers on release and I don't have to worry about it hooking 2 lanes over from my lane. I still have to tweek it for a little more hook doing the abralon surface thing. I find myself looking forward to throwing that first ball each frame. At this stage of my life, 66 in a couple months, 14lbs is definitely the right weight for me.

[AZBowla]

Heaviest ball I own is a 15 pound Dv8 Marauder. I usually throw a 14, but I thought the extra weight might help with carry. When this ball hits the pocket right, it hits like a freight train. I'm going bowling this upcoming friday for the day (AMF has a nice deal going on right now, from 11am to 5pm all you can bowl for 6 bucks - taking the day off to take advantage of this) and I'm going to work on a few things to see if I can increase the number of solid pocket hits I can get with this ball. I think 15 is my max, this ball is pretty heavy and it gives me a workout trying to get the ballspeed up. I might (gasp) try a two handed approach to get some more revs and speed on it. I want to see if I can get better results that way. One thing I do know, I won't keep getting my thumb hung up in it that way! LOL....

[Brother_jd]

all you can bowl for 6 bucks. that is a steal.

[AZBowla]

all you can bowl for 6 bucks. that is a steal.

Heck yeah it is! I saw that in my inbox this morning and immediately requested Friday off to go do it - I'd go sooner but I don't get paid till then. I could go by myself sooner but I'd rather take my GF and the kids along and let them bowl also. It's good for up to 4 people at $6 per so for about $25 or so I can take the fam to go bowl for almost the whole day. Can't beat that with a stick! :D

[75lockwood]

Heaviest ball I own is a 15 pound Dv8 Marauder. I usually throw a 14, but I thought the extra weight might help with carry. When this ball hits the pocket right, it hits like a freight train. I'm going bowling this upcoming friday for the day (AMF has a nice deal going on right now, from 11am to 5pm all you can bowl for 6 bucks - taking the day off to take advantage of this) and I'm going to work on a few things to see if I can increase the number of solid pocket hits I can get with this ball. I think 15 is my max, this ball is pretty heavy and it gives me a workout trying to get the ballspeed up. I might (gasp) try a two handed approach to get some more revs and speed on it. I want to see if I can get better results that way. One thing I do know, I won't keep getting my thumb hung up in it that way! LOL....

thats one way to fix your thumb problem LOL

[75lockwood]

Heck yeah it is! I saw that in my inbox this morning and immediately requested Friday off to go do it - I'd go sooner but I don't get paid till then. I could go by myself sooner but I'd rather take my GF and the kids along and let them bowl also. It's good for up to 4 people at $6 per so for about $25 or so I can take the fam to go bowl for almost the whole day. Can't beat that with a stick! :D

Can your kids handle that much bowling? i took my 9 year old cousin bowling when there was a 3 hour deal for $12 (number of people doesn't matter), and he was done after 3 games..... he played with the pinball machine while i bowled another 12 or so games lol

[AZBowla]

thats one way to fix your thumb problem LOL

That's what I thought too, but we'll see - I may suck even worse trying to bowl like Belmonte than I did when I tried to bowl in sunglasses like Pete Weber. I did a few practice releases in the front room by rolling it across the carpet and into some pillows though and it seemed pretty easy and natural for me. I even tried the little skip-step Belmonte does at the end and it seems like a piece of cake. Of course hitting a pile of pillows that's 10 feet away from you is much different than hitting a pocket shot down 62 feet of bowling lane, so again we'll see. My GF thinks I'm crazy for trying this but if it works, won't that be something, especially with another ABT tournament coming up next month... muwahahaha...

[75lockwood]

That's what I thought too, but we'll see - I may suck even worse trying to bowl like Belmonte than I did when I tried to bowl in sunglasses like Pete Weber. I did a few practice releases in the front room by rolling it across the carpet and into some pillows though and it seemed pretty easy and natural for me. I even tried the little skip-step Belmonte does at the end and it seems like a piece of cake. Of course hitting a pile of pillows that's 10 feet away from you is much different than hitting a pocket shot down 62 feet of bowling lane, so again we'll see. My GF thinks I'm crazy for trying this but if it works, won't that be something, especially with another ABT tournament coming up next month... muwahahaha...

Lol, all i have to say is all is you will suck at it when you first try, it took belmo years to get that good, if you go into it thinking you will do awesome on the first day, i hate to burst your bubble but you won't lol. if you want to do something, do it right and stick with it! otherwise don't try it :p

lol i used this exact advice with one of the new young bowlers in my Saturday league, he felt the need to change balls every time he made a bad shot, so i told him to pick one ball and practice practice practice, continually changing and trying new things without sticking to it won't ever do you any good :P

[AZBowla]

Can your kids handle that much bowling? i took my 9 year old cousin bowling when there was a 3 hour deal for $12 (number of people doesn't matter), and he was done after 3 games..... he played with the pinball machine while i bowled another 12 or so games lol

Well since it's only good for 4 people I can't take everyone, so it'll probably just be me, my GF, my 18 year old son and 5 year old stepson (you've seen him on Youtube, he's the little guy who thinks he's pro - he won't let me coach him at all lol). Unless my GF gets the same coupon, then we'll just come in two groups and take up two lanes, muhahahaha... or I might bring my 6 year old daughter and have her look up at the guy behind the counter with her big brown puppy dog eyes and say "pweeeeease can I pway too" and I bet she'll get away with it because she's super adorable and she'll only bowl a couple games anyway before she gets tired of it. We'll see. My whole family is a bunch of bowling addicts though so I'm sure we'll get our money's worth.

[AZBowla]

Lol, all i have to say is all is you will suck at it when you first try, it took belmo years to get that good, if you go into it thinking you will do awesome on the first day, i hate to burst your bubble but you won't lol. if you want to do something, do it right and stick with it! otherwise don't try it :p


No! I stubbornly reject your reality and substitute my own! LOL...

In all seriousness, I suck now anyway so I'm going to give it a try, see which method feels more "right" and then practice the hell out of it. I figure I have nothing to lose. I've been bowling one handed since I was 12 and have only gotten marginally better mainly because I had never taken the time to really study the game and invest in the proper equipment. Now that I'm doing so, I'm at a good point where it won't hurt to try both methods and see which works better. Perhaps I'll do a hybrid style like Osku Palermaa, where I shoot two hand delivery for strikes and then one-hand it for spares. Who knows. By the end of the day Friday, I'll definitely have it figured out and then I'll be practicing like crazy for December's upcoming tournament out here.

I think I've hijacked enough of this thread - if you want we can talk about this over PM instead.

[Hammer]

WOW! I started reading the second page of my post and I thought that I was on a different post about bargains on bowling at different alleys. We had a deal at our AMF last week of $8.00 for all you can bowl.

[AZBowla]

WOW! I started reading the second page of my post and I thought that I was on a different post about bargains on bowling at different alleys. We had a deal at our AMF last week of $8.00 for all you can bowl.

Yeah sorry about that. I would call Lockwood instead but we save a ton on international long distance charges this way.... :D

Getting back to the topic at hand, I found this on bowlingball.com's FAQ:



Average adult male usually bowls with a: 14-16 lb. ball
Average adult female usually bowls with a: 10-14 lb. ball
Juniors: 1lb. of weight per year of child's age, i.e. 8 yrs old = 8-lb. ball
Buy the heaviest ball that you can comfortably use while maintaining a proper speed. Heavier balls don't always knock down more pins. The impact of the bowling ball thrown would be speed times the mass. Ex: You would be better off with a 14 pound ball thrown 16 mph than a 16 pound ball thrown at 13 mph.
Be cautious of exceptions in size and physical ability; If you are larger/heavier than average, go up in weight; If you are smaller or have limiting physical features, stay lower in ball weight


I am 6 feet, 220 and I roll a 15 pound ball and a 14 for spares so I can get a bit more speed on it than the 15. I think a 16 would be way too heavy for me.

[75lockwood]

No! I stubbornly reject your reality and substitute my own! LOL...

In all seriousness, I suck now anyway so I'm going to give it a try, see which method feels more "right" and then practice the hell out of it. I figure I have nothing to lose. I've been bowling one handed since I was 12 and have only gotten marginally better mainly because I had never taken the time to really study the game and invest in the proper equipment. Now that I'm doing so, I'm at a good point where it won't hurt to try both methods and see which works better. Perhaps I'll do a hybrid style like Osku Palermaa, where I shoot two hand delivery for strikes and then one-hand it for spares. Who knows. By the end of the day Friday, I'll definitely have it figured out and then I'll be practicing like crazy for December's upcoming tournament out here.

I think I've hijacked enough of this thread - if you want we can talk about this over PM instead.

Lol, first learn to quote more than one post in your reply :p


anyway, the magic number (according the the bronze handbook) is 1500 repetitions for something to become second nature, if your gonna try something, do it 1500 times before you whine that you suck at it and quit lol. 1500 throws = a minimum of 72 games (assuming 0 strikes and 3 throws in 10th every game, so 80 games is a better number

[AZBowla]

anyway, the magic number (according the the bronze handbook) is 1500 repetitions for something to become second nature, if your gonna try something, do it 1500 times before you whine that you suck at it and quit lol. 1500 throws = a minimum of 72 games (assuming 0 strikes and 3 throws in 10th every game, so 80 games is a better number

You are very wise, young padawan. I predict one day you will become a great bowler. :D

I agree with you on the practice angle. Again, I plan to try it both ways this Friday and see what feels best for me, then concentrate on that. Right now I'm pretty much a clean slate. I have about 15 or so games on the new ball and it's been a real shock to the system because it's so different from my previous ball so if I'm going to make any drastic changes, now's the time. I'll start my own thread on this, poor Hammer I totally hijacked his thread - sorry man.

[75lockwood]

You are very wise, young padawan. I predict one day you will become a great bowler. :D

I agree with you on the practice angle. Again, I plan to try it both ways this Friday and see what feels best for me, then concentrate on that. Right now I'm pretty much a clean slate. I have about 15 or so games on the new ball and it's been a real shock to the system because it's so different from my previous ball so if I'm going to make any drastic changes, now's the time. I'll start my own thread on this, poor Hammer I totally hijacked his thread - sorry man.

Strike or miss, there is no try!

lol hammer, sorry we are off on a nice little tangent here :D

[Hammer]

Honest guys, it really didn't bother me. I just thought I would throw that in for laughs. If anyone wants to get off subject on my thread that's okay. If that is the worst thing that will happen to me in my life I will take it. Okay, now what the heck was my post about?

[75lockwood]

Honest guys, it really didn't bother me. I just thought I would throw that in for laughs. If anyone wants to get off subject on my thread that's okay.

So, did anyone see skyfall yet?

[Hammer]

As Homer Simpson would say DOH!

[Rdmonster]

I used a 15 pounder in college.... When I started back up I went 16.... I'm six two and close to 200 lbs... Doesn't feel to heavy.

[GoodGorilla]

That's what I thought too, but we'll see - I may suck even worse trying to bowl like Belmonte than I did when I tried to bowl in sunglasses like Pete Weber. I did a few practice releases in the front room by rolling it across the carpet and into some pillows though and it seemed pretty easy and natural for me. I even tried the little skip-step Belmonte does at the end and it seems like a piece of cake. Of course hitting a pile of pillows that's 10 feet away from you is much different than hitting a pocket shot down 62 feet of bowling lane, so again we'll see. My GF thinks I'm crazy for trying this but if it works, won't that be something, especially with another ABT tournament coming up next month... muwahahaha...

Pete webber uses sunglasses because the camera lights are really bright for tv.

[GoodGorilla]

When I bowl, I never get the thought that I could throw it more accurately if I went down a pound. My hip soreness went away after getting the 15s. Only soreness I get now is in my fingers and wrist, which I think is normal for the amount of games I usually play a week in combination of the way I release the ball (which I am pretty soft now). I asked my pro shop operator about it, we talked about it after he watched me for awhile and said I am fine with the 15. After the holes are drilled and all that my ball is somewhere around 14.5.

[GoodGorilla]

I am contemplating on getting a 14 pound ball to see how it affects my cocking and cupping. Maybe I should borrow my little brother's ball and get some temporary finger tips put in it to try it out.