13# or 14# or just quit?

[Douglas]

Hi all
This is my first post. I just started bowling, 2 months on a league. I am 71 years old and i just pulled a muscle or syatic nerve? I am struggle with consistency, I also had a heart attack 6 years ago so I am weak on the right side. But I love to bowl and would like to improve. I bought a Ebonite Cyclone 14# with a generic drill pattern. will I loose allot of mix if I go to a 13# ball, the 14# seems a little heavy?

[backlasher]

I went to a 13# Wisdom by 900 global from a 14# Hammer and I can't tell much difference. I have arthritis in my lower back and left hip, so heavier weights don't work very well. I bowl for fun and as long as it's an enjoyable experience I don't care what the "proper" weight might be. I joined a senior league (I'm 66) and folks use all manner of weights so just use whatever you need and don't give it a thought.

[bowl1820]

If Your in springhill, go talk to Kevin at Kevins Pro Shop in Springhill Lanes. He can really help you out.

[noeymc]

no any ball can knock down all the pins i mean 12 year olds have 300 games and i put money on it they use balls less then 14

[J Anderson]

Hi all
This is my first post. I just started bowling, 2 months on a league. I am 71 years old and i just pulled a muscle or syatic nerve? I am struggle with consistency, I also had a heart attack 6 years ago so I am weak on the right side. But I love to bowl and would like to improve. I bought a Ebonite Cyclone 14# with a generic drill pattern. will I loose allot of mix if I go to a 13# ball, the 14# seems a little heavy?

Big difference between a pulled muscle and syatica. Many people with siatica benefit from physical therapy and or yoga.

My dad bowled till he was 87, My father in law until a year before he passed away at 86. Both of them had switched to lighter balls. You should have some time left to get better and enjoy game.

[AZBowla]

I would say that a 12 pound ball moving at 15-18 MPH would knock down more pins than a 15# ball going 10 mph would.

[AZBowla's Girl]

I think as long as you bowl and have fun, it doesn't mean that you have to have the heaviest or lightest ball. As long as you feel comfortable with the weight then that is what matters. I would go with what feels right to you and go from there. You can always increase or decrease weight when needed. Once you have your form down, the pins will fall.

[75lockwood]

Never "just quit" if it means going down to a 8lb ball who cares? your there to have fun! if 14 or even 13 feels to heavy drop even more, sure you might see a drop in carry, but who cares? your there to have fun, not to hurt yourself with a ball that is to heavy.

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[backlasher]

We do a lot of salt water fishing here on the Gulf Coast and one of the guides is fond of saying "it's the Indian not the arrow". I've seen some little ol' ladies knock down a lot of pins with an 8# ball. If you put it in the right place pins will fall. Use whatever you need to.

[billf]

You shouldn't notice much difference between a 13 lbs and a 14 lbs. Lower than that most manufacturers do change the core so the reaction can be different. Always have fun bowling that's the first rule of a hobby.
Hope you heal quickly.

[got_a_300]

As billf said the only real big difference is maybe the ball
will have a generic weight block if going to a ball under
14#.

I'd have to say if your not planning on bowling a lot of big
money tournaments or anything like that and if you're out to
just have fun on a league then it doesn't really matter what the
ball weight is that you use as long as it is comfortable to you
and your not out to try and carry a 200+ average.

[Trex]

I can strike just as easy with an 10lb "Storm" shift as I can with a 16lb "Storm" shift!!! If I were you, I would get a Storm bowling ball that is a weight that is comfortable to throw!! I say Storm because I have tried other brands in a 10lb & The Storm balls I tried had better pin carry than a 10lb Hammer Raw jacked/Columbia Scout/Ebonite tornado...etc.

The core in the 10lb Storm even though it is different than that in a 16lb ball, still had great carry compared to other brands!! I am Storm all the way now!!! I have tried all brands on the market... and I have better results with Storm & Roto Grip<<<which is owned by Storm.

That Storm shift I used for a while after an injury forced me to go from 16lbs to 10lbs was an amazing ball as I could still ave 200 with this ball. They don't make that ball anymore, but I would say a Storm Marvel Pearl would do just as good.

So yeah if you want a 13lbs go for it!!! It will work just as good!!

[Douglas]

Boy what a resource this is. i really want to thank everyone with with all the great help. Keven at Spring Hill lanes is drillind my Roto Grip Critical Therory (Storm) on Friday. I talked with him and Anthoney and they think i should be ok with the 14# ball. But after reading all this great info i am going to order another lighter ball as a back up. It will be fun to try lighter ball. Thanks again for all the help. I am going to enjoy my new sport. Doug in Spring Hill Fl

[Zothen]

Welcome to the boards!

I would go with 13lb ball! I would strongly suggest seeing a chiropractor or back doctor to make sure what you have is not a serious problem and I would also suggest not bowling for at least 2 weeks to give your back/syatica time to heal. Your struggle with consistancy might be due to the muscle or syatica pull,so don't push it and take time to heal!

Zothen

[ArtVandelay]

Welcome to the boards!

I would go with 13lb ball! I would strongly suggest seeing a chiropractor or back doctor to make sure what you have is not a serious problem and I would also suggest not bowling for at least 2 weeks to give your back/syatica time to heal. Your struggle with consistancy might be due to the muscle or syatica pull,so don't push it and take time to heal!

Zothen

I couldn't agree more! Medical advice is the more important advice, in my opinion...

For what it's worth, there's a girl on my bowling team that uses a 10 pound ball and her average is a 167. She gets robbed sometimes, and will hit the pocket but the ball deflects too much, and what SHOULD have been a strike leaves a couple pins. But she is so accurate it doesn't really matter. She will often go a game without an open and finish 180+.

I'd bet you could go with a 12 or 13 pound ball. Just don't jeopardize your health!

[Douglas]

If Your in springhill, go talk to Kevin at Kevins Pro Shop in Springhill Lanes. He can really help you out.

I saw Kevin yesterday and i picked up my new ball (14# Roto Grip Critical Theory). My son also got his new ball yesterday ( 14# Strom Lucid). We went to open bowling last night (twilight bowling) I don't care for that. well my pulled syatica is going away. i have been doing stretches and ice, it really helps. I was surprised that my ball seemed to have more hook than the Lucid but that could be different style of throwing the ball. what we did notice is the drive through the pins on both balls. now my next venture is going to be getting a lighter ball and trying it. Maybe i should try a lighter house ball? we will see what happens. again thanks for all the help. Doug

[Douglas]

I have a 100 average on my bowling league, Just bought a Brunswick PowerKiol XZ Glove and in two days I am averaging 147. The Powerkoil helps with consistency and a nice hook. I have to put my left foot on the dot farthest to the left and throw between arrow 1 & 2 arrow from the right, to hit the right pocket. I would like to go straight down the right side but I keep missing the pocket to the left. I hope this makes sense. Doug

[75lockwood]

Doug,

given that you have to start so far left in order to hit the pocket means one or more of the following:

lane's are very dry: the less oil on the lanes the more a ball will hook
you are very rev dominated: you apply a lot of revolutions to the ball in comparison to your ball speed (see chart below)
the ball you are using is to strong (easiest thing to fix): given that the critical theory is a very strong bowling ball it is reasonable to see that a rev dominated bowler or a bowler on dry lanes wound see the ball hooking as much as it is. it may be a good idea to look into a weaker ball, bowlingball.com's perfect scale is a nice way to compare the different balls.

if getting another ball is not much of an option at this point in time there are a few things you can do:

uncup your wrist: going from a cupped wrist to a straight or even broken down will decrease the leverage you have on the ball and cause you to loose revs
speed up: going to a 5 step release or speeding up your foot work will give the ball more speed and help lower your rev dominance

axis rotation: keep your hand behind the ball apposed to off to the side, this will change your axis rotation hopefully reducing overall hook.

if possible, post a video of yourself bowling, so we can give more specifc advice for you, other than that, look into an entry level or mid performance ball.

http://wiki.bowlingchat.net/wiki/images/2/29/BallSpeedvsRevRate.JPG

[Bizwan65]

I say go to whatever weight is comfortable and allows you to enjoy it. My wife had to drop down to an 8 lb White dot from a 12 lb T-Zone due to pain in her hand. She is enjoying the sport more now that she isn't experiencing hand/finger/thumb pain.

[Douglas]

First of all I want to thank both of you for the good advice. Bizwan65, I am handling the #14-pound ball fairly well now that the pain in my leg is gone. I do stretches before I bowl and that really seems to do the trick.

75 Lockwood, I can tell you know allot about the game and I appreciate all your advise. My ball speed is around 16 MPH and that seems to be me comfort zone right now.

I have another ball (Ebonite Cyclone 14 pound) that I can try, but I really love the Roto Grip Critical Theory. I think easiest fix will be changing the cupping and axis rotation, because I am using the Brunswick Powerkoil and that is just changing the settings. I am also giving a little flip at the release, but not coming over the top. I can also try to change that.

There is really allot to know about this game, but it is comforting to know there is help on this site. Also it is fun seeing progress with some changes. Thanks again Doug

[Douglas]

I went to the lanes this morning and tried out some of the gowling tips. Now i can stand on the right side and have the ball break into the pocket. it sure is easier this way. all i did was backed off on the cupping and no rolling the hand at all. I just let the ball side off my fingers with a little push off with the tips. I am also more consistant. thank you very much, i am enjoying this sport more and more every day. Doug

[75lockwood]

Glad to help :D

keep us updated on your progress (post your scores section)

and remember, HAVE FUN!

[Tampabaybob]

Hi all
This is my first post. I just started bowling, 2 months on a league. I am 71 years old and i just pulled a muscle or syatic nerve? I am struggle with consistency, I also had a heart attack 6 years ago so I am weak on the right side. But I love to bowl and would like to improve. I bought a Ebonite Cyclone 14# with a generic drill pattern. will I loose allot of mix if I go to a 13# ball, the 14# seems a little heavy?

Doug...... I live fairly close to you, in Brandon. I coach every Saturday at Oakfield Lanes in Brandon (Oakfield Drive) and I'd be happy to work with you some Saturday. No Charge. I'm a certified Bronze Level Coach, former PBA member and have been coaching over 40 years and I'm almost as old as you ! The 14# ball could be a bit heavy, but the telling point is how you're throwing it. Give me a call if you'd like to come down some Saturday and we'll shoot a few games together and help you out. 813-716-3641.

Bob

[Douglas]

Well I went to my bowling league last night and we won our first game of the year(2012). With my 100 average I bowled a 155. I think my average should be around 140 next week. So I am happy with my improvement. I owe allot of this to my Roto Grip Critical Theory Ball and the Brunswick Wrist brace. With a little help from me. I will let you know if there is ant further improvement, Thanks to all. Doug

[Douglas]

On Saturday in met tampabaybob at the bowling lanes. he gave me a great lesson, he showed me what i am doing wrong. i am sure in time it will help me become a better bowler. he is a great guy with tons of knowledge. Thanks allot Bob.

[Douglas]

when i got the lesson from Bob, i brought my video camera and recorded everything he showed me. this will be valueable in the future. he showed me so much that will be looking at this video for years. if you are in the Tampa area, give Bob a call and setup a lesson, you won't be disapointed. Thanks again Bob Doug

[J Anderson]

On Saturday in met tampabaybob at the bowling lanes. he gave me a great lesson, he showed me what i am doing wrong.

I sure hope he followed up by showing you how to do things right!;)

[Douglas]

I sure think he did, He looked at what I was doing and told me what I was doing wrong. He then showed me the correct way to do it. Now it's up to me to see if I can do it right. I will keep the board up dated with progress. Thank you Doug

[Tampabaybob]

Doug, had a great time with you on Saturday. You will see your average go up before the end of the year....guarenteed . Whenever your ready for some practice together let me know...you've got my number.

[Douglas]

Thanks Bob, I had a great time. i will give you a call the next time i am in your area. Doug

[Douglas]

Hi Bob
We went bowling last night, my first 2 games weren't very good, I was trying to do to many different things. So I told my wife, Bob said accuracy accuracy accuracy. All I did was put my toe on the 3rd spot to the left and aim for the 12th board and watch the ball go over the 12th board. I had my highest game ever; I had 7 strikes and shot a 203. Thanks allot Bob Doug

[75lockwood]

Congrat's on the 203 Doug! 7 strikes? not to shabby :D

how was the spare game?

[Douglas]

Thank you
How was your spare game; that is an interesting question? I had 4 shots at spares and every one was the 7 or 10 pin and I only got 1. I was hitting the mark so close that I thought every 1st ball was going to be a strike, I was in a zone that a may never be again but it sure was fun. Thanks for asking I love to talk about bowling. Doug

[Tampabaybob]

Doug.....That's great !! Congratulations on the 203. Now you know one of the biggest secrets in this game...Accuracy, Accuracy & Accuracy !! Remember what I told you, it doesn't matter how you bowl as much as if you're accurate or not. As long as you're close to being lined up you'll shoot good.

If you get a chance to practice this week try the spare shooting system I showed you. Remember, shoot all of your spares over the 3rd or middle arrow to take advantage of the heavier oil (so your ball won't hook as much), line up your ball the 5th arrow or the 4th arrow (middle) and shoot two or there boards to the right of the arrow to the right you lined up with. Takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it your spare shooting percentage should go way up. Glad to hear things worked well for you.

[Douglas]

Well my league average was 104 on Wednesday and I bowled a 130, 143 and a 170 today (Friday). So it is still working, I have to work on accuracy a little, also my spare game is getting better. This is allot of fun. Thanks Doug

[Tampabaybob]

good job. Sounds like you're getting there, just keep working at it. One of these days soon I'm going to be unemployed again because the company is shutting down. Hope to be "retired" once again. Let me know what day & time you bowl and where the bowling center is and I'll try to take a ride up to watch. Bowling is like riding a bicycle....you never forget how.

[billf]

good job. Sounds like you're getting there, just keep working at it. One of these days soon I'm going to be unemployed again because the company is shutting down. Hope to be "retired" once again. Let me know what day & time you bowl and where the bowling center is and I'll try to take a ride up to watch. Bowling is like riding a bicycle....you never forget how.

But sometimes you have to knock the rust off and may wobble for a few minutes..

[Douglas]

Hi all
This is an update. last night on league I had 129, 160 and 161. So the game is getting better. Bob I told my wife you would like to come up a watch me bowl on league night, she said that would make her to nervous. she can't stand any pressure. Doug

[billf]

Bob would be watching you so why would your wife be nervous? lol

[Douglas]

you have to know my wife, she thinks everyone is watching her bad bowling. Doug

[Tampabaybob]

Doug.... Maybe, just maybe, I could help her as well. That is is she's open to having a little help. I don't think I'm that intimidating so I would stay in the background. Hey, maybe I could wear a disguise !! Only kidding. Let me know if she reconsiders. Right now I'm still working and no one knows when the final day will be. Don't think they know as well. Just let me know.

[Douglas]

well things are getting better, I changed me delivery a little and I am scoring better and more consistent. My last three game were 152,177 and 201. I know that doesn't sound very consistent, but it is a great improvement for me. What I am doing is cupping the ball at address with my left toe on the 5th dot and throwing the at the 12th board (between the 1st and 2nd arrow) with my thumb going from 2:00 over to 10:00. right or wrong to seems to work. my average has gone up around 60 points. I don't see me getting much better but at my age (71), I am happy with that. thanks for all the help. Doug

[Tampabaybob]

I think thats a great improvement over what you were shooting. I'm guessing that at "our" age, 200 average is not out of reach. As you bowl, and your accuracy increases you will see improvement. Just keep thinking, accuracy, accuracy, accuracy !! LOL

Hand position changes can definitely help. don't be afraid to experiment.

By the way, here's a link to this months new 'Bowling This Month' magazine. Can't say enough good about this mag. Enjoy.

http://d27vj430nutdmd.cloudfront.net/6909/145490/145490.1.pdf

[Douglas]

thank you bob, nice to hear from you. Doug

[jbeck]

Thanks for the posting the pdf link. After reading it I'm definitely going to subscribe to the magazine now! I learned so much in a couple of articles that will definitely help my game or has answered some questions I already wanted to ask, but didn't know how to word them! Thanks again Tampabaybob!