Lately, I've been watching the older PBA videos from the late 80's to late 90's, I wanted to see what it was like bowling back in those days - I wasn't bowling much or at all in the 90's, but I did watch the legends bowl.

I just realized these legends, many wore some type of wrist device. And ditched them later on, as they got older.

My question is..... Did they even really need them? Or was concept of the "stretched span" caused bowlers to have tired or sore wrist?

I remember watching one of the PWBA shows on Youtube.. I want to say it was one of Brenda Norman's matches against CDB, where when they interviewed her about her release and how she hits up on her ball.

She stated (and I'm loosely paraphrasing; going off of memory) that she learned to bowl and practiced on old wood guardian lanes, where they'd roll up, then STOP (her words there), so she needed an extra kick in the back end, and that's where that hit up on her ball came from.

I mention this, because the lane conditions could have been what those guys were bowling on as well, but in not having the wrist like Norman, they could have compensated with those braces.

I know I noticed a big difference between wearing a Cobra versus without, and that was back in that day as well..

BL.

LOL. the Cobra...I only tried one on, and the thing turned my hand inward in my down swing. No thanks!

There wasn't much metal in the wrist supports you see the guys wearing in the shows from the 80's and early 90's, but there were endorsement checks.

that's what I was wondering about too.... interesting.. even commercials, they seem to have more back in the days. Cuda C, some white ball and a building if I remember, voss and ozio.. even Ronald McDonald and friends too lol

anyone, remember the miller lite one with john madden, 2tall jones, and Rodney dangerfield? lol

The white ball and the building commercial was the introduction of the original XS....

i attended a bowling camp last summer with joe slowinski and he was saying back in the day the wrist braces you saw on TV they took out the adjustment devices so they did not actually support or restrict wrist movement. they pros just wore them on TV for the endorsement check

Mike Scroggins wears one currently though, doesn't he?

Yes, not only do most of the P League women wear the wrist braces, they also seem to be custom colors. Not that I'm usually looking at the wrist braces wink wink nudge nudge.