| ASK BOB June 2004 Q. I have just taken up the game after many years away. I am a middle-aged lady and I am throwing a 14 lb. Ball. I feel like I am not throwing it hard enough should I consider a lighter ball? A. If you are of small stature then a lighter ball could be your answer. It also could be that after these many years of not bowling you may have a timing or swing problem. I suggest you find a coach in your area to make sure that this slow speed is not caused by a swing problem. A coach could also tell you if the ball weight is correct. Thanks for the question and welcome back to our great game.
Q. I have seen you bowl and noticed that you have 3 finger holes in your ball. Why do you have a pinkie finger hole? A. I started using a pinkie finger hole about 6 years ago because of a very sore wrist. I was to the point of having to quit the game because of the wrist pain. I had tried everything wristbands, taping the wrist and pain medication. Nothing helped. The pinkie hole solved the problem the wrist pain is gone. Now this grip feels so comfortable to me that even though I don't need it anymore I don't want to change back. There is another advantage to a pinkie finger it mellows out the roll of the ball. Since going to that grip I get less under/over reaction and a better read of the lanes. The disadvantage is that I have lost some carry power the ball flairs less and entry angle is cut down. Sometimes though you have to give something up to gain something else. Losing some carry is better than not being able to bowl at all. Over all this has been a good move the quicker read of the lanes and more accuracy seems to balance out the reduced carry.
Q. I am going down in ball weight. I have been using 16lbs. And I am now going to 15lbs. My problem is I can't afford to switch everything all at once. Do think I will have any problem switching back and forth from 15 to 16? A. Every one is different but if your game is solid you should be ok. I have some experience with this because my arsenal contains both 14 and 15-pound balls. I personally don't have any problem going back and forth. Here is a hint though going down in weight during a league session is easier than going up in weight. After using the lighter ball for a while then going up the ball feels much heavier for a frame or two. Going lighter is unnoticeable. I have also changed weight in tournaments and I can go up or down and not notice the weight difference because of the effect of the adrenalin rush of tournament play. Send questions to sosbob@charter.net
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