Some help with a new ball please.

[abishai]

Hello. I'm in my second year of bowling and have decided to get a new ball. My current ball is a DV8 HRR but I want to get something that matches my style and lane conditions. The balls I have settled upon based off of reactions videos I've seen are the Roto Grip Wrecker, Storm Fire Road, DV8 Marauder, and a Storm Victory Road. My question is does anyone with experience using one or more of these have anything to say in favor or against? Also I have some back problems, should I go down to a 14lb ball? What would I lose doing so? I do feel sore the day after bowling 3 games with a 15 lber.

Just FYI my style is similar to Curlie Becton's from bowlingball.com.

Thanks,

J

[UBowling]

I don't recommend the Fire Road. I have one and it is one of those balls that will fit a specific need, but shouldn't be purchased if you want it to do everything. With only one other ball that you own I would recommend something versatile that can fill a few needs. The Victory Road would be better for that. The IQ Tour would be the best Storm ball I think.

What is sore when you bowl? A lot of it could be posture or specs on the ball. If you are bending too much or not enough or if you have bad pitches in the finger holes, it can cause a lot of soreness.

[abishai]

Thanks for the reply. What ends up getting sore is my lower back. Basically the spine and just to left and right of it. I have no doubt my bowling posture could use some work but I should have mentioned I have 2 messed up discs in my lower spine that are the root of the problem. If I stand up straighter it hurts a lot less but I feel as if I'm kinda chucking the ball and my aim is all off. Maybe a coaching session instead of a weight reduction could help me take care of that issue.

As for the ball, I looked at the IQ Tour and it definitely fits with how I throw the ball but it's a medium-heavy oil ball. The place I bowl at is usually a medium to medium light THS so I was trying to maximize my ball for the conditions. Do you think the IQ Tour would be able to work to it's full potential on that kind of oil? Thanks.

[Zothen]

I strongly suggest you get a back brace to help take some pressure of your low back while you bowl. I have the start of arthritis and degenaritive disks in my low back and the brace has helped a lot.

You might look into the Roto Grip Shatter for Medium oil or the beserk for Medium-Medium Heavy oil. I also have heard that the new Columbia Vow is a very good ball.

Zothen

[abishai]

Thanks for the info Zothen. I've considered a back brace in the past but never got past the consideration part:) I should probably get one sooner than later though because things aren't gonna get any better back there.

The Vow looks nice but I'll probably get a ball before it's released. Any particular reason you choose the Shatter over the Wrecker?

[J Anderson]

Also I have some back problems, should I go down to a 14lb ball? What would I lose doing so? I do feel sore the day after bowling 3 games with a 15 lber.

Thanks,

J

You won't lose much if any pin carry dropping down to a 14# ball.

I'm not sure about the back brace. Since you already have a low back injury its probably a good idea to prevent further damage. I have read that at least one study found that back braces had no effect on reducing work place injuries. In fact had sightly more injuries, thinking that the brace would allow them to lift heavier weights than they really could.

The more you can do to strengthen your core muscles the less pain you should have from bowling. More flexibility in the hips would also help.

Working on getting a deeper knee bend and keeping your forward spine tilt around 15º should also help.

[Zothen]

I keep forgetting that the wrecker is a medium oil ball!

Back braces are to help stablize the low back while lifting or constant twisting of the back. Since Abishai stated he has disc problems which means his discs are probaly slipped out of their normal spot and may or may not be rubbing on his nerves(Tingling,burning,numbing sensation dow leg(s)) and the pain he feels is his spine pinching the discs means core excersizes may not be an option,which is why I suggested the back brace.

Zothen

[abishai]

Just to give an update, after going back and forth between the Wrecker and the Victory Road I ended up going with the Victory Road. Figured i'd go ahead and get a pearl ball now and maybe add a hybrid sometime down the road. Now I just gotta wait for the ball to get here! Thanks for your input everyone.

P.S.

Got a back brace on the way Zothen.

[Zothen]

Congrats on the new ball and hope the brace helps eleviate some of the pain while bowling.

Zothen