14# vs 15#

[MiggityMatt]

I've thrown a 15# ball for years. Unfortunately, I broke my wrist in March. I started rehabbing with a 10# about 5 weeks ago. I'm currently at 14#, bowling 2-3 games a week. I'm contemplating staying at 14# but I'm worried it will push past the break point because I'm a speed dominant player. So far, that hasn't been the case but my ball speed is still down a bit. I have a friend that dropped down to 14#. He has done well but he has more hand and a natural ball speed that's a bit slower than mine.

Is there a drop off in pin carry with a 14#? I would especially like to hear from anyone that has made the transition. All comments are welcome, of course.

[MICHAEL]

I bowl with a Missouri Bowling Hall of fame bowler here in Kansas City Mo. I never really thought about the weight ball he used, so yesterday, I ask him what weight he uses.

He throws nothing but 16lbers... Pat is 60 years old, and has many 800's and even more 300s, you can check him out at bowling awards! He swears by the fact that he gets better carry! I know some say that's not so, but his record speaks volumes!

[Shaneshu87]

it's basic physics what would hit harder a fully loaded semi, or a semi with an empty trailer. now this is an age long debate, and believe it or not, not all pins weigh the same. i'm sure someone can back that up i do not remember their specific weights, but i know that the lighter the pins the lighter the ball you want to use. i bowl in one house that has synthetic lanes and lighter pins, when i throw my 16 pound equipment i leave ring 10's like CRAZY! i can switch to a 15 lb (same ball same drill) and shoot lights out and carry the house. but at the wood house i shoot my 15 lb stuff leaves allot of stone 8's or flat 9's. but then again if your speed dominant and throwing with power then you can compensate for that (F=S*D) distance never changes, increase your speed increase your force.

[Amyers]

The guy that owns the house I bowl in and runs the pro shop there just tried to make the transition from 14 to 15 but wasn't happy with it and went back to 15. I believe part of it is he is more rev dominate and his speed did not increase much with the 14lbs equipment. If you throw faster with the 14lbs it can help make up for the weigh loss but if you throwing about the same speed you are going to lose force. It works for some not for others. Some balls also have better stats than others when you drop weight seems to have more of an effect on certain equipment from looking at the numbers

[bowl1820]

Might take a look at this article by Ron Clifton:

Click here for WHAT WEIGHT BALL? COULD 14 LBS BE YOUR "SWEET WEIGHT"?

Excerpt:
Today's 14 pound balls can actually carry the pins better, for some people, than 15 and 16 pound balls. There are several pros on tour that have dropped down to 14 pound balls and I am sure there are more to come. Today's 15 and 16 lb balls actually "hit" too hard. They often don't deflect enough in their path through the pins. This lack of deflection causes lots of 9 pins, 4 pins, 8 pins and even 4-9 splits (right handed) on what looks like great pocket hits. Contrary to what most people think, its not the sheer weight of the ball that knocks down the pins but a combination of forces, with the most important being the friction between the ball and the lane surface.

[bowl1820]

it's basic physics what would hit harder a fully loaded semi, or a semi with an empty trailer. now this is an age long debate, and believe it or not, not all pins weigh the same. i'm sure someone can back that up i do not remember their specific weights, but i know that the lighter the pins the lighter the ball you want to use.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Pin Weight
Maximum: 3 lbs, 10 oz
Minimum: 3 lbs, 6 oz

[striker12]

I throw use to throw 14lb balls back when I hurt my wrist at the end of 2 seasons ago and I have gone back up to 15lb because I was a lot of speed but I also have a lot of revs but my 14lbs where not picking up at all on the backend then after abit of time working on my throw I have slowed down and I still thow my 14lb 716t some of the time because its got a different layout then my other bowling balls.

but when it comes to shorter oil patterns the 14lb ball works great because I can get my ball to go down the lane farther and I can still hit the pocket with a lot of power or Brooklyn.

but if you create any side rotation on a 14lb ball I noticed that the ball dose not hit the pins as hard as if I throw it end over end

[Aslan]

There's been a lot of talk about it recently.

The game has changed and since angles and revs have become more important than accuracy and "power"...most players have switched from 16lb to 15lb. 15lb is by far the most popular weight for men at all levels of the sport from any statistics I've seen.

As Bowl1820 mentioned, there's been a more recent trend towards going down as far as 14lbs.

My feeling, as a low rev/lower speed player...I need all the weight I can get to keep the ball from deflecting right and into more the 9-pin area. Not to mention, I still go by the words of the great Earl Anthony that said in his training series, "You want to throw the heaviest ball you can control." For 60 years, that was the rule...and I'm not big on a lot of these new "fads" so I'll stick with that. When some new young gun wins 30-40 titles throwing 14lb equipment...maybe I'll expand my horizons. But in the "ole days"...guys mostly threw 16lb and usually would only go down in weight as they got older, had elbow problems, or wrist problems. My Grandfather threw 14lbs and he had bad arthritis in his hand and wrist and a bum shoulder.

[MiggityMatt]

I appreciate everyone's input.

Iceman, It sounds like Pat is "old school" and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. As you said, his accolades speak for themselves.

Shane87, I had never even considered the weight of the pins. Nice tidbit, ty.

Amyers, That makes sense. Currently my ball speed is 16.8 (Qubica, close to the pins). My pre injury speed was 17.5 with 15#.

Striker12, That is one of my concerns when I my ball speed back up, blowing through the break point.

Bowl1820, thanks for that link. It was good read. It talks about friction creating more power than the inertia of the weight. Also that a lighter ball can hook more because it takes less energy to turn. Makes sense but something that never occurred to me.

Aslan, Hard to argue with the great Earl Anthony.

[jnv32185]

I used 15# equipment for the majority of the time I have been bowling. I currently have a bad wrist and had to drop down to 14# so I could actually finish more then two games without being in excruciating pain.

I was very concerned about dropping down to 14# and after weeks of talking with my pro shop guy I decided to go for it. I personally have not seen much of a difference in performance. To be completely honest I am bowling better now with the 14# then when I was using 15#. My average is about 20 pins higher then I ever had with 15# equipment.

I guess I am not the only one that this has happened to either because the guy in the pro shop told me before I dropped that he has a few people that HAD to drop to 14# just like me and most of them actually have the highest averages they have held.

In my opinion use what ever # you are comfortable and can use without being in pain.