66 years of age. Just dropped to 13 lbs. still can use 14-15 lbs. I found my carry percentage went up plus the decrease in weight keep me from tiring out to early in the later stages of a 3 game series Still average north of 200.

45-year old guy here with a solid 210 average - About a year ago, I went down to 14lbs after bowling my whole life with 16lbs, my elbow and back couldn't take it anymore (so sad getting old I guess) I can tell you that my pin carry has been much better - though on lighter hits, the deflection with the 14 pound ball is very visible and tend to leave a 5 pin on those hits. No biggie, because nobody misses a 5 pin, right? ;-) With the lighter ball, my swing has become more fluid and straighter, not worrying about gripping it too hard like with a 16 pound ball. I was skeptical at first when switching, but I feel that I am bowling better with the lighter equipment.

I love your videos, they are all so informative and calming, they really helped me decide a good weight ball. I am 14 and I decided to get a 12 pounder because it makes me the least tired, and I bowled my best game of 173 with it. Thank you for the quality videos.

Just putting this out here. And Thanks for the superb vids. Just getting back into it after 20 yrs. In my early life I would use a 16. Go heavy was the motto. Not that I cant handle it now; but I bought a 13 (after testing rental balls for a month or so to 'weigh my decision')) Im at 170 avg. And Climbing, I just bowled a 233 a couple days ago. Im actually liking the 'travel light' approach it just works. My wife is using an 8 pounder. Her average is 160, she gets her share of strikes. And our daughter who is 16 is using a 6 ponder; and just bowled a 147 her best yet. 3 strikes in that game with a SIX POUNDER. I understand science > and I also understand what no pins standing looks like. Weight is part of your personality as a bowler. Work with what is comfy to you is my new motto.

Thank you for the video. It was very informative and lessened misconceptions about bowling ball physics.

Loving these videos breaking down the physics of bowling 🎳 Thank you!

Great video, lots of information I actually didn’t know and I’ve been bowling for roughly 5 years. Keep up the good work!!!

Returned to bowling after many years of golf and hockey. Love the sport and now rank it as my number one choice. I have been trying different weights with mixed results. Recently, I found a used 15# Motiv Alpha Jackal at a local thrift store for a whole $8, had it redrilled and polished, and it changed my game. Now, bowling is a lot more fun. More control and more strikes.

Thanks for advising that a 12 or 13 lb ball will work just fine. I tried explaining this to someone that had never used either. The individual swore to me that I needed to increase the weight of the ball in order for anything to be effective. I disagreed and explained how the heavier ball led to injury. The individual didn't hear or care about that and insisted the heavier ball be used. I think I will share the link of this video with the person so that he could stick to bowling his game, rather than others. Thanks for he video! Much appreciated : )

Great video. I also take into account how wielding a 16 lb ball in the 1st frame is much different than wielding the same 16 lb ball in the 30th frame. I'm not super old, but I'm old enough that a 16 takes a toll on my arm throughout the evening and it messes up my swing a bit by the last game. So I moved down to a 15 with slightly better results and I'm even considering moving down to a 14 now.

I honestly like the 15lber most. I used to bowl with it a lot and it did just fine. I thought 16 would be great, it was a struggle for a while. But now I'm carrying a lot more w decent speed(16mph) and good revs. I probably just got better overall, been thinking of moving back to 15, might give it a try.

Answered all of my questions thank you

Another awesome video from one of my favorite bowling coaches.

Once again a great video complex info given simply to answer a pressing question. Based on this video and his other on ball weight I decided to buy a 14lb spare ball to test this theory I’ll keep you posted

Thinking about upgrading to 14 pounds, i got the bowling down. I know my marks and what shoud be strikes, but my arm sometimes goes crazy from what i now realise is my ball being too light. Thanks for this video

Always enjoy your videos

Interesting research. I've been experiencing this myself... I threw always 15lbs for years because that's what everyone said to do... But I'm kind of a weak guy and I often found my arm and shoulder sore the next morning... I dialed down to a 14lb ball and feel pretty good about it. My arm doesn't hurt anymore and I found that I get more length out of my ball down the lane. Which actually helped my scores a bit because I'm kind of a "low speed cranker" if you will

Nicely done! Thank You!!

I had top drop from 16 to 14. Age and arthritis. I bowl better now. Enough that it felt worthwhile to get a Storm Physix. That helped improve my game even more.

I just discovered my swing is so much better with 14 lbs as well as my ball speed and rev rate. Making the change permanent.

LOVE your videos...keep'em coming!

I am learning lots watching your videos and I’m bowling surprising fantastic from Australia….

Thank you very much! As a junior I used to use a 14 pound ball and I'm not very strong now as an adult and I got pressured into a 15 lb. My speed is only around 14 miles per hour I've had the ball for a couple weeks and I'm experimenting with bowling again. My- co Bowlers are telling me that a 16 lb ball will get more strikes. The question that I had and I hope to find out in this video am I better off with a 14 pound ball with more speed purse is a 15 pound ball with less speed. Now I'm learning about what you said keeping the arm straight. I find a parallel with all the information with bowling as I've not both for 40 years and I quite this to all the information I've learned about golf the golf swing different types of golf clubs over the past 15 years. I'm excited

Thanks for the information

Wow, great video!!

I now too bowl with 14lbs, i have a few 15s and 16s, but so far 14 lbs balls are showing much better scores.

Excellent vlog

36 old, 220 average bowler. Used 15 lbs for most of my life. Switched to 14 lbs last year and I bowled my first 800 series and another 300. I play deep on the lanes and throw a big sweeping hook at medium speed. My personal opinion is that if you are a relatively straight bowler then sticking to 15 or 16 is best to prevent too much deflection. But I have seen my carry percentage jump like crazy the way I throw it. I went from averaging 210 last year to 220 this year. I get more rev rate and get through the ball much cleaner using 14 vs 15.

Hey coach,I am 69 years old every one ask me what lb. Ball weight when I told them 13lbs they didn't believe me at first and laughed,Started hitting the right launch angles , I don't slide,I like your videos coach keep them coming,please BRILLIANT content, they say there's no I in team but there is an "Individual" it starts off with the individual and then a team going on my third year in the league there's a lot of haters out there in the Senior League, please respond peace love and hair grease coat😎😁👀

This one of the best bowling videos in KZfaq channel! Congratulations, Coach! =)

I have a bad knee (slide foot) and 14lb helps me keep my timing. I'm speed dominate lefty stroker and average 210.

Oh yeah one more thing coach the the art of bowling is art and you are definitely the artist.

You are a good teacher.

Like the video it helps me A lot in bowling

Adding 15 lb ball to the bag tomorrow. (Mostly because the pro shop doesn't stock 16 anymore) The 16 lb balls are sticking around until they split or get retired by the usbc lol.

Thanks, helpful

Very interesting thank you

I play with plastic 9lb ball throwing it 20mph and score around 150-195. because the ball is light i aim alittle bit more to the middle and when i hit the side of the head pin (but not too much the side if it) it usually strikes. i play just for fun.i throw straight but trying to go with a little bit of angle to the head pin.

Great video. You touched on the effects of inertia; I would like to see a presentation that discusses this topic a bit further. as well as momentum. For example; speed of footwork vs. bodyweight, ball weight, height of backswing etc., and their affect on ball speed and overall power. I'm a one-handed bowler and have observed two-handers take relatively short approaches with bent elbows, a quick hop, no high backswing, late timing, and head and torso well forward of their hips. Yet they seem to create good ball speed and overall power with this style. Whereas one handed bowlers are taught to use longer approach, higher backswing etc. to increase ball speed and power Well balanced forward momentum, I believe, is a key to bowling with more power, and two-handers seem to prove this. So how do we use inertia and/or momentum to our advantage?

Great video, Arthur! Thanks for the shout out on our book!

Love youre videos....thank you so much for youre insight....i have been biwling for 2 years....i started with a 15lb ball and found that it is pulling my arm behind my body and was throwing my accuracy out the window from the start of the push away..i went down to a 14 and found that i was able to get my arm a bit straighter thus giving me a more accurate shot...i am thinking of going down to a 13 pounder just so i can get that ball to roll off my hand and fingers smoother....i hope it works....

Your videos always contain interesting and thought provoking information. Would be nice to be able afford various weights to do your own experimentation. I believe the biggest obstacle to going down in weight is ego and pride for most bowlers. Your experience when bowling should always be , what is the lane giving me and what is my ball doing.

Always enjoy your videos...thanks for the good info!

Whatever you comfortable with it sounds like. I only started considering this because I knew a dude big dude 250 all muscle he uses 13 pounds be having some high scoring games

*Do a video about how to remain calm and focused during tournament play, I have a tournament in less than a week and want to know how to be mentally prepared and stable before and during competition*

Yes I'm a bowler an I got a storm Hyroad an I increased my average from 172 to 195 an it was just under 16 lbs I can't wait to get a new storm ball an bowling is the best sport out there

Ive got and roll 14 15 and 16 depending on how I feel physically. Bad back chooses for me but i'm able with the options to do e well typically

very informative.

3:42 jesus christ thats a lot of backswing and hook

Good ol Jib Lanes in Queens. One of the last left.

The mathematics can overlook the human factors that result from a change in ball weight. When I changed from 16 to 15 at age 64 (ME age 64, not the balls), totally against expectation, my downlane ball speed actually DEcreased! (I'm not sure how my foul line ball speed changed) . Anyway, with a lighter ball I found it easier to release with the fingers, which enhanced my axis rotation and rev rate, resulting in larger angles of entry which should (methinks) help prevent bad effects of any deflection since the angle of entry is now larger to begin with (before deflection).

I bowl 2 handed so 16 pound is still what I prefer. I don’t have a lot of money so I have a 14 pound Motiv Forge Flair, 15 pound Motiv tank, and 16 pound Motiv sniper; all pre owned. They cover all the bases I have to cover so far, I’m averaging 120ish.

Nice video! I using 14s now, thinking about going up to 15s because I do tend to muscle the ball. I've held off just because I bowl so much, and our twice or three times a week friendly competition consists of six games rapid pace.

I throw primarily 14lbs because every 15lbs ball I have leaves solids 9s like crazy. I'm rev dominate though and I just don't get enough deflection out of 15.

Good info

Love the actors in this one!!!!

Arthur, this was a very interesting video. Kenny Sonnes

I like many around 2010 was persuaded to go with 15lb balls, it was the thing everyone was doing, it must be right if everyone does it! ... shortly after I started having an issue with my shoulder, ligaments sore and stretched, forcing me to switch to left handed bowling and it was not pretty a 58 yr old man relearning a passion, after almost 2 years the right shoulder was solid again and I was able to go back to my natural side and I quickly returned to my form at 15lbs, all was well minus a few periods of soreness in shoulder, so now at 69 yrs old going through garage found what was my all time favorite ball, a Columbia 300 aftershock pearl 16 lbs, I wondered if it would still work in 2023 so I threw it in the bag on my next trip to practice, to my surprise the first time I threw it was smooth perfectly online and possibly with another .5 mph too, the sudden comfort and virtually perfect release and accuracy was shocking to me, and the game I threw was around 240, just for giggles I took my favorite 15 lb ball and threw it with a final around 205.... that was back in February, I am now throwing almost exclusively 16 lb and i can actually throw more games, I am 6-1 216, not a small guy but have always worked in the trades but for me 16 lbs has actually made bowling easier and more fun for me and my shoulder issues have not returned after bowling 2 leagues and a couple of practice sessions a week and now I regret following the crowd ....

In my experience with 14 vs 15 or even 16; is the difference is more noticeable when playing much deeper on the lane. Playing straighter you wont notice as much deflection if any.

One last thing. The author felt kinetic energy is more important than momentum because the velocity is squared in the formula. He then wanders around the subject of deflection. Oddly enough later on he states that deflection will be constant based of the weight of the ball. i.e. a 14 lbs ball at 17 mph deflects the same at a 14 lbs ball at 10 mph. Somehow after coming to that conclusion, he didn't go back and revise the chapter where he decided that kinetic energy was most important.

Years past I threw a 14lb finger tipped, never really bowled over 235 on a good day. Now I'm 67 and I wanta drop down to a 13lb. My ball speed is kinda slow and my hands give me a fit sometimes, so I've decided to go with a conventional grip. I also decided to go to a storm tropical. It has the same core as the heavier balls and I want more than a 12lb'er. I've been out of bowling for bout 15 years and I've noticed a lot has changed a tad, equipment wise. Now I'm retired, the bowling alley is closer than the lake. Another reason to get out of the house..

I use an 11 pound ball and do okay oh, I just forget keep my arm straight sometimes but I can never make it hook when I throw with my thumb and fingers only when I throw with just two fingers

How to bowl correctly for left ..tq

I have 16, 15, 14lb. balls but use 15lb. 99% of the time. My strikes and pin carry seems best at 15lbs. so far. If my bowling arm has slight injury 14 lbs. is better for my arm. I have dumbbell and 16lbs. ball to make arm a little stronger.

Thanks for the info. I'm looking at getting back in the game now that I'm retired. Always through a 16£ ball but the local pro recommend that I go with a 14. I guess that I need to set my ego aside lol

I used 16 pound balls from the time I was 14 to my mid 20s. Then I walked away from the sport for 12 years and came back about a year ago and decided to drop down to 15 pound gear. I definitely felt that 15 pound balls would allow me to play more games per week without feeling sore/tired. But after finding out that my team mate who has a 224 average was throwing 14 pound gear I've decided to lower the weight down to 14. I haven't thrown a 14 pound ball since I was like 12 years of age and now I'm 38. I haven't yet received the 14 pound ball I ordered online just yet, but I'm excited about using it. There was once a time where if a man threw anything lighter than a 16 pound ball, they'd be considered weak and/or elderly men. Everyone on the PBA tour threw 16 pound equipment up until fairly recently. Now 90% of the pros on tour are throwing 15 pound gear. The newer balls and the technology they have now compared to 20+ years ago allows many of us to drop down to a 14, or 15 pounder and we don't have to sacrifice hitting power/ throwing strikes etc. Not only that, lighter balls build up a bit more kinetic energy and allows our balls to kick out messengers with more power. I can't wait til my new ball shows up! 😎

I bowled today for the 1st time in 15yrs with my 9yr old found out he’s ambidextrous and for his 1st time bowling he loved it. I forgot how much I missed and loved to bowl, I was using a 15lb shop ball loaned to me by the pro shop. My whole body and arm is sore after playing just 4 games. I’m 49 and thinking about purchasing a ball again. I use to bowl daily in my younger days until I got injured in a car accident I stopped almost completely and finally did after my 30th birthday. I will say, their are so many balls to choose from. I use to use a Brunswick Yellow Dot and Rhino. I’m more concerned about ball weight and not expending my energy to get that 24inch sweet spot swing by trying to hold on to the ball. I’m opting for a 13 or 14lb I just don’t want to purchase a 13lb ball and then feel its to light after getting my arm and body to playing again on a regular basis. I’m researching and watching so many videos and everyone has their own thoughts on this matter. Awesome video BTW, very informative. Apologies for the long comment!

I bowled my first 300 with a 14lb back when I was 16. I'm now 40 and have used 15lb balls ever since but think I might actually go back to a 14.

How would I get a bowl and trainer in San Antonio Texas

So, I got some 14lbs balls, and tried them out. Using a 15lb Brunswick Quantum Bias, and a 14lb Brunswick Quantum Bias (both with same layout) I noticed a few things. 1) It's easier to throw the 14lb ball faster, but potentially at a sacrifice of ball roll/rev rate. Faster ball doesn't mean better striking. 2) When throwing 14lbs, I noticed if I didn't really "hit it at the bottom", my ball in general didn't carry as well as 15lbs. I believe this to be related to gravity as heavier balls roll earlier in general. 3) I also noticed that because of the different dynamics of both speed and weight, I needed to move right and really focus on axis rotation in order for the ball to finish properly. 4) Summary: I think you are right to summarize that its best to throw proper weight, but when I threw both balls at 15.5mph, my 14lb ball didn't finish as well as 15lbs. In other words, if you don't increase speed and rev, unless you have a physical problem, don't drop to 14lb from 15lbs. If anything, bowlers should go to the gym to improve their physical game. Increased rev rate and ball speed TOGETHER to me means more strikes.

this is a confusing topic I bowled the most 300 with a 16 pounder but 3 months ago I bowled a 300 with a 13 pounder and I continue to bowl with 13 pounder 3 weeks and I left to many splits that it made me put the 13 pounder back in my closet I hit the pocket so hard that the pins come like a bat the ball deflected it hits the pocket and went to the right not through so you have alott of speed you can't use a light ball till your speed slows down

I'm interested in this topic. I'm a senior bowler who has gone from 16-15. Recently I had spine surgery and dropped to 14. I'm wondering if I got back into the gym and went back to 15, would I leave less corner pins or just concentrate on more angle? I ended this year at 215 in my men's league.

I am not sure that this has much real world applicability. While increasing the ball speed as the ball weight decreases equalizes momentum and equalizes results, by observation - for most bowlers there is only marginal ball speed increases as the ball weight is decreased. A better test would change only one parameter the ball weight. Another parameter that would be interesting to explore would be the change in ball spin/revs as the ball weight decreases. The lighter balls seem to have a lower moment of inertia. From personal experience - Having moved from 16 to 15 and now to 14 lbs - with the modern equipment - the lighter balls need some increase in revs to maintain good carry.

New bowler here, interested in purchasing my own bowling ball for sanitary reasons and consistency. I am 225 lbs and a power lifter, any suggestions on weight? I am so new to this that I just need a starting point.

Arthur, I find it very frustrating when random bowlers give me or my children unsolicited advice (or the gift of a free ball without asking me first). The other person must know better than Dad, because look at his crazy hook or speed or whatever. It's taken me much longer to train my kids with good swings and follow through. My one kid even looked like he was trying to dribble his ball like a basket ball by the time his hand left contact with the ball he was cranking it so hard. 3 months before I finally got it through his head that you need your follow thru to follow the swing, not the crank all because, "someone with a higher than dad's scores said"

I am 56 yr old who hasn't bowled in 8 yrs until last week. I tried our sons 15 lb ball and my bicep to wrist was absurdly sore so I got me a 13lb house ball and while the soreness went away I found I am more consistent. (6 games and avg of 178) I just purchased 2 balls at 13 lbs for now. I want to get used to getting out there again and will probably go up to 14 by end of summer depending on how I am doing. Does this sound ok or am I thinking wrong. The 15 was just so uncomfortable to throw. I do catch hell for using such a lite ball since I'm 6' and a bigger guy.

I feel more comfortable with 15 lbs. But I have scored well with 14's.

Does anyone know if the core on the IQ tour is the same shape on all weights? I wanted to get a 13 pound but will do a 14 if the core is different...

This only applies to 3 finger bowlers and you can swing the ball... so if you use 2 fingers like majority of the New Era Bowlers 13lb or 12lb is perfect

My strike % is better with 15# but do to arthritis I use 14# and I get to fast and miss my mark! Does that make sense Arthur?????

I was told to get a ball that was x% of body weight blah blah blah. I got a 14lb ball and after two games I couldn't throw it straight. I went down to a 13lb and it felt so good and I didn't notice a difference in ball deflection ( I know there was some). I may go back up to the 14 in the future but for now I'm stinking with the 13.

Dead flush hits look essentially identical for 14 through 16 lbs. It's the light hits where deflection is more of a concern and the ball doesn't bounce back much after contacting the 3 pin (or 2 for a lefty).

Excuse me, I have 1 question. I am an underweight 50 kg (110 lb) Asian guy. I started bowling with a 9 lb house ball in 1999. Then, I used a 10 lb house ball in 2007. After that, I own a 10 lb Columbia 300 White Dot polyester also in 2007. I bought another 10 lb Columbia 300 Jazz coreless entry-level reactive ball in 2011. My body weight at this point is around 45 kg (100 lb). I only gain a little bit of weight to 50 kg (110 lb) recently and some of my friends advised me to increase the weight my balls a little bit because my ball always get deflected whenever I got double wood or bucket for spares. I originally wanted to go for the 14 lb balls to avoid the generic cores in most of the 12 lb and 13 lb cored balls. The pro shop pro who attended me however advised to go for 12 lb or 13 lb balls because he said 14 lb might be too much for my body size to handle. I ended up listening to his advice and buought a 12 lb Columbia 300 Power Torq Solid and a 12 lb Track Strata Hybrid around 2-4 months ago. The frequency of me getting a strike does not increase significantly after migrating from 10 lb to 12 lb, but the chance of my balls get deflected whenever I get double wood or bucket for spares has been reduced. Should I keep on familiarising myself with the 12 lb balls or should I do something to increase my body strength (i.e., weightlifting, etc.) so that I can use 14 lb balls to get more strikes? Thank you.

I have a thought, if and when u hit the (pocket) to get that strike does this mean that u hit 2 pins at the same time to get that strike, or does it have any bareing on the Ball going straight threw to get that strike

I wonder who that student was who improved XD

I love my 14 lb ball. =)

How do I combat lanes in leagues where other bowlers are playing with urethanes? I have seen in such lanes my game is messed up by urethanes. I struggle to score. I have a low rev rate of around 175 and speed of 13.5 to 14.

Thanks for your video. I’m a beginner, but have about the highest speed in my seniors league. Am tall and thin, so a 12 lb ball is comfy. But it is hard to get much hook on the ball. So strikes are rare. My avg is still 120. Am thinking angle (using a hook) is more important than speed, so I will talk to my pro shop guy (who bowls over 250).

I'm 130 lb and I just bought me a 12 lb bowling ball is that good

I went from a 15lb ball to a 16lb ball. My average is up 16 pins and rarely leave a 5 pin anymore.

I would like to be part of this community. I like and I sub today ^_^ your good bro. And there is such a thing called. *BAD PRACTICE*

Doesn’t the ball hook more the heavier it is. If so that would mean you could get more angle and having a heavier ball could help you slow down which helped me tremendously because I use to fling a 15 pounder at 21mph but I went up to 16 and threw it naturally bringing me down to a 18mph ball speed which prevented me from getting so many pocket 7 10 splits

Made me think

I’m a 72 yr old that never had my own ball but in my youth used house balls and could bowl in the 160-230 range with a straight ball. Now, I had a ProShop make me a ball he suggested 14, too heavy for me so I went with a 12, and taught me how to hook the ball. Now, the ball is still too heavy and hooks so much my score is 94, and 65 and my hand is killing me. I’m frustrated.

I just shared this with one of my local youth bowlers he is 16 years old and throws a 16 lb ball because he thinks that hits the hardest and he's listening to people in Facebook groups

I'm one of those very intelligent bowlers he's talking about. I don't have anything to add, just thought everyone should know.

i am 67 years old , aretired carpenter who has been bowling 16 poun d balls for years, my first reactive was a purple excalibur i found that my pin fall on the 2 and 3 games was always lower than the first so i swapped to a 15 pound ball exactly the same as i am bowling now, my average has jumped by 25 pins in 6 weeks it works for me, i am currently bowling a jackal and i am left handed so for me this works my shoulder and elbow are not as sore now either, give it atry you might be surprised at the result

I am 61yrs old, and 14lb balls seems to work best for me. I like that weight.

TL;DW, more often than not, yes. There's a reason every major ball manufacturer optimizes their product at the 15-pound mark. No, you don't have to bowl with a 16-pound ball, especially if it's uncomfortable. But going a step down makes no sense. You're sacrificing a lot of energy and introducing more troubling variables to deal with like launch angle because you think you're going to get more revs/speed. It's not worth it; no modern serious bowler would ever tell you to step down if you don't have to. You want revs? Again, the heavier equipment tend to offer bigger differentials (*essentially*, a ball's hook potential) and smaller gyration values which will make up any difference in rev rate to achieve the same amount of hook. You don't need a massive rev rate to be a successful bowler nor be chucking them at 17+ mph. All that matters is getting the ball into the pocket at the right time at the right launch angle. But if you want to reduce the chances of leaving 10-pins, the extra hitting power of heavier balls will help with that. Every strike makes the difference vs a 9/.

That's a good point about bowling, if it's too heavy for the bowler then it'll screw up their swing, if it's too light for them, then it's just as bad, cause if they swing like it's a heavy ball & the ball's too light, then it'll cause an inaccuracy in the deliverance of the ball, if the ball's too heavy, then not only could it cause an inaccuracy, but they might not get enough power in swing & if it's too heavy, they might pull a muscle, which the weight of the ball & the ball's design should be considered for the individual's strength & bowling style, Bowling is an interesting game that's fun & it all depends on Physics, sort of like a game of pool, but without a stick to knock balls into pockets, it requires mathematics & physics, a scientific game.