BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: punkrawk77 on March 14, 2004, 08:35:21 PM
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Lately I have been thinking that wearing a wrist support while bowling is too constricting. I felt that it could be the reason why I wasn't releasing the ball more conistently. Also if you read in a previous post about my callous at the base of my thumb, keep that in mind too.
So I bowled without the wrist support. I have a Columbia300 Powertac Plus wrist support. Its a combination glove and wrist support.
Without it the ball started coming off my thumb a lot cleaner. I was still able to throw with the same amount of hook with the glove off and my hand and wrist aren't fatigued or in any pain.
I thought I would try a wrist support when I started bowling again to help me hook the ball better and cause i have had wrist injuries from other sports like hockey.
Maybe all the differences I noticed were coincidences? Who knows.
My scores were pretty consistent last night too. 153, 159, 166, 179, 186.
Anyone here have any opinions on wrist supports?
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i brought mine from walmart. 4 bucks. just wraps around my wrist and a strp around my thumb for support. no glove or nothing over my hand.
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I've bowled with ,without then changed to 15# and bowled a few games with , without . I definitely prefer without . I get just as much hook and it just feels freer.
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A bad craftsman always blames his tools. So it cant hurt to have the best tools.
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The reason you might have more difficulty with the brace on is that you should be fitted for a ball using the brace. With the brace on you should have a shorter span. This could explain why you hang up in the ball with the glove on.
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Getting all the pins I can.
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Agree with 'Bones on this one - unless there is a physical need such as an injury, wrist supports are too restrictive. In some cases, they also prevent a bowler from reaching his/her maximum potential.
Punkrawk - not a bad approach, checking results with versus without. You may want to try the experiment over a longer period of time, perhaps a month with and a month without.
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Kill the back row
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I entirely disagree and I don't believe I am alone, that a person shouldn't use a wrist device if they don't have some type physical need and I entirely disagree that they are a crutch and a limitation. I've tried from time to time for the last 15+ years to bowl without a wrist device and it simply doesn't work for me. I get better leverage, more revs, a harder hitting ball, and a higher average and scores with a wrist device than without.....Physical need or no physical need, a person has to do what works best for them and for me it's a wrist device. Also, a person has to try several to see what works best for them.
I have had the Robbys Original Gladitor, the Adjustable Gladitor, the Mongoose, the Robby Revs II, and the Moro Pro Release, just to name a few as there have been others also. I have found that the Brunswick Striker Elite works for me best, hands down. Prior to the Striker Elite, the Extended Pro Release was the best I had used. To sum it up, physical needs or not, if a person bowls better with a wrist device than without, then by golly use a wrist device.
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Lane 1 - The Bowlers Company
Nothing hits as hard as an Uranium
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I believe BrickGuy, use whatever works. The only comment I have about most gloves WITH straps is that, if your grip is not fitted while wearing one, it can alter the span as Pin-Chaser states. From experience, most people buy gloves/wrist supports after the fact, so what the gloves with the straps will do is basically not allow you to bury your thumb in the ball. If you don't hang on as much with your thumb, it will exit cleaner, therefore giving you automatic finger lift. More finger lift should result in more revs which in turn can create more hook. That's been my experience...
I couldn't even hang onto my own equipment trying to wear the old Cobra w/Index Finger and my span wasn't even long but it revved up naturally pretty well.
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Rick Leong
Ten Pins Pro Shop
Track Pro Shop Staff
Vise Grip Staff
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This can be a touchy issue especially when people immediately get the impression that you're calling them a "cripple" because they wear a wrist brace. I do not think that is what anyone is trying to say here. I am definitely not.
I'll present my opinion using a different approach.
If you believe a wrist brace improves your game, use one by all means. However, there are pros and cons to using one. To ignore the cons or say that there just aren't any is just as ignorant as saying there are no pros to wearing one.
Pros:
1) Sustained single wrist position: If you're a firm believer that there is one and only one correct wrist position at release for your game, and a wrist brace helps keep your wrist there, a wrist brace can help you with this. 2) Wrist-support for keeping a straight or cupped wrist: Obviously some people believe there is no other way to get the ball to hook or hook as much. 3) Helps those with physical limitations, such as not being able to develop enough wrist strength.
Cons:
Sustained single wrist position: you should realize that you can adjust to changing lane conditions with a different release. A different release often involves a different wrist position. Your opponent not wearing a wrist brace has another tool to beat you with.
Do the pros outweigh the one con I've presented? If you believe so, get yourself a wrist brace and have at it.
Tenpinspro's advice about getting fitted while wearing your glove/brace is right-on.
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Kill the back row
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I agree Brick. When I first started bowling years ago and was a straight bowler, I used a cheap ebonite glove just so I could focus on things other then my release. I never stopped using it, and now when I bowl without it is so uncomfortable. It feels kind of like driving without your seatbelt on when you've been used to using that forever.
Once I switched to a hook ball I bought my pro release glove and absolutely love it.