Is my ball too heavy (14 lbs)

[Bendial]

Hi Guys,

Beginner bowler here. Been bowling for a few months now and got a bunch of games under my belt. Started having some wrist issues in January so took a few weeks off. Tuesday night I joined my first league, and after the 2nd game my wrist was just done, I had pain near my thumb/index finger area and my wrist was majorly fatigued. I stuck it out and kept going (and shockingly my 3rd game was my best score lol). Yesterday a lot of soreness, and today a lot of soreness. I was going to go to practice tonight but I think I'm going to skip it so my wrist/arm has time to recover. Is my ball just too heavy? I know its a vague question but I'm not putting a lot of spin on the ball so I don't think im torquing my wrist weird with bad technique or anything.

I was thinking of getting a 12 lb ball to use for a while to learn good technique with, and once I build up the strength and technique, go back to my 14 lb. What do you guys think?

[ecub]

Can you post a video of you bowling from behind and maybe from the side, so we can see what your doing? You maybe doing something, that you're not supposed to.

[75lockwood]

How old are you, and do you have a history of arm/wrist pain? it doesn't really make sense to have that much pain without prior injury, if it is a wrist problem i would say look into a wrist support, if it's simply bad form, see a coach/post video here for help in rectifying that

[Bendial]

I'm 32, I do have a history of wrist issues, cracking and lots of computer use, etc. I've been on computers my entire life pretty much mousing most of the day lol.

[Zothen]

Try a wrist brace(Scorpion,Mongoose,etc) as it may help!

Zothen

[ecub]

I'm 32, I do have a history of wrist issues, cracking and lots of computer use, etc. I've been on computers my entire life pretty much mousing most of the day lol.

I'm 49 and I'm sure I've been working on computers longer. Before switch boxes were around, I'd use a keyboard & mouse with one hand and another keyboard & mouse with the other. My later years, my office computer system is setup for right handed, my home computer is setup for left handed (mouse on left side). So to help ease your wrist issue with computers, try using your mouse on your left at your computer at home.

[Tampabaybob]

Definitely invest in a wrist brace right away. A 14# ball shouldn't be to heavy for you, so I'd say give it a chance before investing in another ball. Also, speak to the driller of your ball and see if he can tweak the grip a little. Sometimes a little more bevel on the thumb will ease that pain. Not sure why your index finger would be feeling it also, but see what the pro shop has to say.

As Lockwood mentioned, posting a video will give us some insight to see if your swing/approach has anything to do with the pains. Just give us a few frames from the back and a couple from the side if you can. You'd be surprised what someone else can see that you will never realize that you may be doing wrong.

[Bendial]

I got a wrist brace Saturday and it helped A LOT! Bowled a 138, 104, and then a 161. The 2nd game was when I started drinking beer :P lol. Not nearly as much fatigue at the end, and less soreness yesterday and today :)

[Tampabaybob]

I'm sure the beer helped as well...LOL Glad the wrist brace helped. How did the weight of the ball feel ? Did the wrist brace make the weight factor go away? Hope so, because you really don't want to go below the 14 lb ball if you can stand the weight. Remember you're throwing that 14 lb ball at 34 lbs of wood. Anything less in weight has too much deflection. Additionally most balls under 14 lbs only have a generic weight block inside the ball and that makes a huge difference in the pin carry.

Good to hear everything is ok with the wrist, though.

[Bendial]

Yeah honestly the weight didn't feel nearly as bad with the brace on. I threw a couple of frames with the brace off as well with no pain. I think it comes down to conditioning more than anything since I'm still pretty new to bowling I'm using muscles that aren't normally getting much use. I'd recommend a brace to any new bowler now.

[scottymoney]

I used a wrist brace for a month and a half after I hurt my wrist. It helped and kept me pain free while bowling. I didn't use it last night as I am back to 100%. I did not see any real difference in my game with or without it.

[Tampabaybob]

Yeah honestly the weight didn't feel nearly as bad with the brace on. I threw a couple of frames with the brace off as well with no pain. I think it comes down to conditioning more than anything since I'm still pretty new to bowling I'm using muscles that aren't normally getting much use. I'd recommend a brace to any new bowler now.

Glad to hear it worked out well for you. There's nothing worse than having to put up with pain during and after bowling.
The muscle memory will get better the more you bowl and you will start to have less aches and pains.

Now lets see if we can help you out with your game. If you can take a video of you shooting 3 or 4 frames and post it we'll offer a few suggestions to help you get those scores up. One thing about this game, the higher the game you shoot the more you want to come back to beat it. We can help you get there. Good luck.