I use a brace about 50% of the time. I don't have the wrist strength to stay behind my ball long enough to get a good dose of revs on it. What I have learned from it is the feel of the release. What I have also learned is the need to take it off. In warm-up I usually throw half of my shots with the brace and half without. I watch the ball reaction. As the shot changes or the condition of my arm/wrist changes through a night. I will put it on or take it off accordingly.
Example, I bowled a handicap tournament the other day on wood lanes (not my usual) in a house known for weird reactions. I rolled the first four warmups with my brace and knew that on this day if I wanted to do anything, I had to take it off, flatten out my shot and play a straighter line. I also brought two very different balls and knew the ER had to go back in the bag and the Hex was the ball for the day. The good/bad new was I finished 3 pins under average -- 167. Good news was each game I improved. Good news (for me) was all the 185-200 bowlers I was paired with finished 14-18 pins under average. Really bad news was that all the slow straight no hand nothin bowlers finished high. Good/bad news was I had to play with my 170 current average instead of my 156 book average from last season. I'm glad to be up so much but dang, if I was only up 10 pins I still could have used that 156. Oh well, I'd rather be a better bowler.
Bottom line, the brace is a tool for me just like having a choice of balls. It can't be your game but it can help your game if you know where, when and how to use it and when not to.
