Finger Question

[jimcross]

Along with other parts of the body which seem to want to get even for all the years that I've told them what they will do, and when they will do it, by trying to reverse the process by telling me what they will allow me to do, and if they will allow me to do it at all, the arthritis in my bowling fingers are getting into the act.

Has anyone ever tried using the forefinger and middle finger, instead of the middle two?

I'm thinking of trying it out on one of my not-much-used balls.

 

[wchester]

Due to a permanently injured ring finger, PBA hall-of-Famer Billy Hardwick used the 'claw' grip and was extremely successful with it during his career. bBt keep in mind that he used a full-roller release, and played mostly off the gutter.

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Jim,

Mike Miller went the other way and used the ring finger and little finger with no thumb.

What about using all finger, Bruce Kennedy from Victoria use to do that way back in the 70's

 

[jimcross]

Due to a permanently injured ring finger, PBA hall-of-Famer Billy Hardwick used the 'claw' grip and was extremely successful with it during his career. bBt keep in mind that he used a full-roller release, and played mostly off the gutter.

Interesting indeed. I bowled for years wuth a conventional grip and a full-roller release, and off the gutter. Maybe I should try it again. Lane types and conditions very different though.

John, years ago just as a trial, I tried an 'all finger' ball. It was TERRIBLE. The ball had NOTHING on it.
It was obviously me, as I was in a tournament with the late Jim Ferguson ( who held the record in the late '80s for the most 300 games ) in the early 90s, and he was then using an 'all finger' ball with great success.

 

[RobbieB]

Dana Miller-Mackie used an index finger grip on tour for a while. What are your current pitches - incorrect side pitches will cause joint problems.

 

[jimcross]

Dana Miller-Mackie used an index finger grip on tour for a while. What are your current pitches - incorrect side pitches will cause joint problems.

Rob, middle ( bowling ) fingers have been bent out of shape , arthritis, for at least the last 30 years. Pitches are strange to accomodate this. Why I'm thinking about this is basically that the index finger is normal - no bends and still full strength. ( as opposed to the other two).
When the school holls are over and Cameron has some spare time here, I'll work out with him span, pitches, etc.
Thanks for your input, it's interesting to see that several pros have used the index finger over the years.

 

[Ash]

Have you condiered using the sarge-easter drilling pattern?

I lot of people use it when they have Ring finger problems or are trying to cut down on revolutions.

Basically, you drill the middle finger standard fingertip, and the ring finger conventional, the thinking is that it takes most of the pressure off the ring finger, it's great if you have tendonitis in your ring finger, and I imagine it would work similarly with Arthritis.

It looks like this...

 

[RobbieB]

Getting the side pitch for the index finger is the tricky bit. One way is to get an old house ball, punch a 0/0 thumb into it and punch an index finger hole in at the correct span, and just keep rotating the grip and redrilling with various pitches until you get one that has no sideways pressure on the joints. I'd start with 3/8 left at 0 forward, more left for reverse and less for forward, and change 1/8 at a time until it feels right.

If your MF/RF spans are similar, you might find a slot grip with a pinky hole comfortable as an alternative. This helps the two damaged fingers work together as a unit whilst still keeping the ball secure in the palm of the hand.

 

[jimcross]

Thanks everyone. When the school hols are over here and the bowl is a bit quieter, Cameron and i will look into all this. He has some ideas also.
When I have it drilled I intend trying, - All 3 fingers in, index and middle in and index and little in. I've selected a ball that I know EXACTLY what it presently does, so should be interesting to see the differences.

The Sarge / Easter looks interesting, but my really 'crook' finger is the middle. Ring finger pretty good - 90% at least when warmed up.

I'll let you know what happens.

 

[RobbieB]

Jim, this might be worth a read. No idea what steelfingers are though.
BowlingChat.net • Forum • View topic - Four Finger Drilling

 

[John_Velo]

G'Day Rob,

I saw it a few months ago whilst browsing the net.

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