How to Compare Bowling Balls
Selecting a bowling ball is like shopping for clothes. There are plenty of choices in color, style and size to choose from, but every item is not necessarily fit for your body. The bowling ball may look great on the shelf and good on your arm, but if you select the wrong bowling ball, it could injure your wrist, fingers and arm. Bowling is meant to be a fun and physical sport, but if the proper precautions are not taken when selecting and comparing bowling balls, it could be hazardous.
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Instructions
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Stick your fingers inside of the holes of the bowling ball. If you cannot easily slip your fingers in and out without your fingers getting stuck, do not pick this ball. If the holes aren't big enough for your fingers, it could cause injury. For example, if the bowling ball player steps up to throw the ball to the pins, one finger is jammed in the hole, the player shakes the ball loose and instead the ball lands on the player's foot, this is an injury just waiting to happen. It's also not a good idea to have a bowling ball with finger holes that are too big for the player's fingers. The ball may fall out of the player's hand before she is ready to throw it.
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Hold the ball in both hands to make sure you can easily lift the ball. A heavier ball will not necessarily knock down more pins. It's the impact of the bowling ball being thrown down the lane that knocks the pins down, not how heavy the ball is. If the ball is so heavy that you can't hold it and instead flop the ball down when playing, that bowling ball will more than likely end up in the gutter.
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Swing the bowling ball in a backwards motion to make sure you can not only hold the bowling ball but you are able to easily maneuver it around. Maybe you've seen the bowling ball players who just drop the ball in front of them and hope the ball knocks something down besides themselves, but that's not going to help the game (or your team) at all. You must be able to have enough arm strength to swing this bowling ball forwards and backwards.
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Be able to carry this bowling ball around if you plan to keep it. If you're just comparing bowling balls for the time that you're in the bowling alley, then Step 4 may be optional. However, if you are comparing bowling balls to buy one to keep, make sure this bowling ball does not weigh you down while it's placed in the bag. The bowling bag already has a fitted frame for the bowling ball to rest in so it won't roll around, but if your shoulder aches while walking around with the bowling ball, this is not the right bowling ball for you.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're buying a bowling ball, consider getting your initials engraved in the bowling ball. This is not just for fashion's sake but to make sure you collect the right ball when leaving and in case someone uses your bowling ball. That's about the only way to prove it's really yours, doesn't belong to the bowling location or to another person.
Buying a bowling ball online is all right as long as you're sure about the weight of the ball and the finger sizes of the ball. If you are not, visit a bowling store location to make sure your guesstimates are correct. Check for the refund policy before you get your name engraved in this ball.
If you strength train regularly, the bowling ball weight could change. As your muscles tend to become firmer and you become stronger, a ball that may have been a sufficient weight before may be too light now.
Arthritic people should consult with their doctors about bowling because shoulder, arm and finger joints are consistently used while bowling.
Resources
- Photo Credit Shamontiel L. Vaughn
