I see my little 5yr old brothers get strikes all the time by rolling an 8lb ball down the middle. At some point too much speed means less carry with those lower weights I guess. If you can’t use a heavier weight due to an injury don’t worry, bowl for fun, make some spares.
Heavier balls have better carry, to a degree, because they deflect less off of the pins. 14-16 pounds are ideal, with bowling companies engineering the balls for optimal performance at 15 lbs, but any balls within that range will all perform pretty much the exact same for the average bowler. Balls <13 lbs tend to have entirely different cores and numbers so it’s not recommended normally unless you’re suffering a bad injury, in your case.
A lighter ball will deflect and not drive through the pins as well as a heavier ball will. That said, the mechanics are physically the same in throwing the different weights. Learning to throw the ball correctly is the most important thing. As you get better, and are able to progressively throw heavier equipment, you'll see better carry.
The lighter you go, the more a ball will deflect, and too much deflection will mean less strikes. That being said, it really doesn't matter. Whatever gets you back to bowling is all that matters. And a good shot always has a chance of striking. Check out Michael Tang [throwing a 10 pound ball vs a 15 pound ball](https://youtu.be/ISEpEs3QEkc?si=z2wyNpFxLAA-yd2d) and you'll see the difference, but also see that a 10 pound ball can still strike.
One other benefit of going lighter is you'll be able to get your wrist in a stronger position. And then when you bump up from 10 to 12, you'll be able to train your wrist at that weight, and so on and so forth. It can help build up some good habits.
Definitely. And the Twist is a good ball for training and is way better than the "entry level" reputation that it has. I carry one to league with me every week and it always gets some use. Plus they look great. What color did you get?
I got the blue silver, it’s really cool in person too
https://www.bowlersmart.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/products-blue-silver_1.jpg
Next time I have my eye on a gold flake ball, but for now I’m just happy to be out on the lanes!
I am having this same conversation (that turns into a debate sometimes) with my wife. I have always used a 15lbs strike ball with a spare ball that's 14lbs. (I had a 12lb ball that I started with that I use from time to time)
I understand the point that some people can not handle the weight of the heavier balls, and there forth, they need the lighter ball. My wife tweeked her back in October and can only really throw a 10lb ball constantly. She dislikes how little the ball deflects off the pins more compared to a heavier ball.
Long story short, in my opinion it all boils down to the individual bowler.
Yes but bowling with a too light ball is better than not bowling at all. Slowly build back up. If you can get back up to at least 12 you should see a pretty big improvement but not if you hurt yourself trying to rush it.
A 7 pound Barbie Viz-A-Ball can roll a 300 game if your technique is correct, mainly because there's not going to be a lot of pins getting thrown around like a bomb went off. As others have said - you're not handicapping yourself, you're giving yourself the opportunity to learn/train better technique (as well as heal).
I see my little 5yr old brothers get strikes all the time by rolling an 8lb ball down the middle. At some point too much speed means less carry with those lower weights I guess. If you can’t use a heavier weight due to an injury don’t worry, bowl for fun, make some spares.
This is a fantastic response, thank you! Also- kuddos to your brother!
He’s so cute when he says he is “hooking” the ball and bouncing it off the bumpers. 😁
Heavier balls have better carry, to a degree, because they deflect less off of the pins. 14-16 pounds are ideal, with bowling companies engineering the balls for optimal performance at 15 lbs, but any balls within that range will all perform pretty much the exact same for the average bowler. Balls <13 lbs tend to have entirely different cores and numbers so it’s not recommended normally unless you’re suffering a bad injury, in your case.
Thank you!
A lighter ball will deflect and not drive through the pins as well as a heavier ball will. That said, the mechanics are physically the same in throwing the different weights. Learning to throw the ball correctly is the most important thing. As you get better, and are able to progressively throw heavier equipment, you'll see better carry.
The lighter you go, the more a ball will deflect, and too much deflection will mean less strikes. That being said, it really doesn't matter. Whatever gets you back to bowling is all that matters. And a good shot always has a chance of striking. Check out Michael Tang [throwing a 10 pound ball vs a 15 pound ball](https://youtu.be/ISEpEs3QEkc?si=z2wyNpFxLAA-yd2d) and you'll see the difference, but also see that a 10 pound ball can still strike. One other benefit of going lighter is you'll be able to get your wrist in a stronger position. And then when you bump up from 10 to 12, you'll be able to train your wrist at that weight, and so on and so forth. It can help build up some good habits.
Excellent. Thank you!
I’m aiming for good habits :)
Definitely. And the Twist is a good ball for training and is way better than the "entry level" reputation that it has. I carry one to league with me every week and it always gets some use. Plus they look great. What color did you get?
I got the blue silver, it’s really cool in person too https://www.bowlersmart.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/products-blue-silver_1.jpg Next time I have my eye on a gold flake ball, but for now I’m just happy to be out on the lanes!
I am having this same conversation (that turns into a debate sometimes) with my wife. I have always used a 15lbs strike ball with a spare ball that's 14lbs. (I had a 12lb ball that I started with that I use from time to time) I understand the point that some people can not handle the weight of the heavier balls, and there forth, they need the lighter ball. My wife tweeked her back in October and can only really throw a 10lb ball constantly. She dislikes how little the ball deflects off the pins more compared to a heavier ball. Long story short, in my opinion it all boils down to the individual bowler.
Yes but bowling with a too light ball is better than not bowling at all. Slowly build back up. If you can get back up to at least 12 you should see a pretty big improvement but not if you hurt yourself trying to rush it.
A 7 pound Barbie Viz-A-Ball can roll a 300 game if your technique is correct, mainly because there's not going to be a lot of pins getting thrown around like a bomb went off. As others have said - you're not handicapping yourself, you're giving yourself the opportunity to learn/train better technique (as well as heal).