Relaxing of thumb

[mickyd213]

Hi guys,

Bear with me here as I try and explain...

I have for as long as I can remember have always squeezed the ball through my entire swing and even through my release ( primarily down to bad technique which I'm trying to sort out now) This caused a poor transition of the ball on to the lane not to mention the reduction of RPM's and accuracy.

To alleviate the gripping problem I have gone to having forward pitching which as strange as it sounded to me at the time has actually made me relax my thumb ( to a degree) but I still feel the need (although I know it's not necessary) to grab the ball at the bottom of the swing.

The gripping at the bottom is no where near where it was with the reverse pitch so I am wondering if:

1. There is anything besides more practice (thanks Yogi) that will enable me to totally relax my thumb

I do have a few more things to try but was wanting other feedback to see if there is anything different to what I'm trying...

Thanks in advance,

Mick

 

[WAC4504]

Hey Mick, you might try using a thumb slug in your ball if you don't already. I had a thumb slug put in my Mars when it was re-drilled and it made a world of difference. I some times have a problem of gripping the ball with out knowing it, but with the slug it's hard to do 'cause the slug is smaller than the hole, so your thumb tip can't grip the ball. At first it's kind of strange feeling, but once you get used to it I think you'll like it. From now on I'm getting thumb slugs in all my balls.

 

[tonx]

A few simple fixes are possible.

Tape - Use it. White or Black doesn't matter, but everyones thumb size changes with air tempurature and humidity. Remember that white is textured, and will reduce speed of the thumb clearing the ball, and Black is smooth, encouraging a quick release speed.

Forward pitch - good smart move there to reduce grip pressure. Depending on how long physically your thumb is, you may need to increase forward up to 1/4 more than "standard" if you have a very short thumb.

Bevel. Depends on your flexibility. If you have a very inflexible thumb, too much bevel will add taper to the hole. An inflexible thumb really needs to feel locked in because it will clear a ball much much faster than a flexible thumb. The hardest ones are inflexible thumbs that are short, but require lots of bevel for comfort. This is when you increase forward pitch in the thumb again.

Oval. Use an oval thumb hole if your thumb is not perfectly round on profile view. Use a good machine to avoid taper of the oval. If doing it manually, make sure you try and take equal top and bottom of hole.

Rosin - last resort. Use rosin to increase grip only if you have super clammy moist skin. Most rosins and powders are eliminated with a good fit, however if your skin texture and bowling just don't go together, consider using rosin sparingly.

Technique - Late timing in the front of the swing will make you feel like you need to pull the ball down from the apex of the swingplane to catch up to your feet. Any physical "pulling" in the swing will tell our central nervous system that we are going to lose the ball on the downswing, making us increase grip pressure. Make sure you are not pushing away too far, and that your feet are not too quick during your approach to promote "early-late" timing in your delivery giving you more time to allow the ball to fall from the top, rather than you having to pull it down.

Hope this helps.

 

[mickyd213]

A few simple fixes are possible.

Tape - Use it. White or Black doesn't matter, but everyones thumb size changes with air tempurature and humidity. Remember that white is textured, and will reduce speed of the thumb clearing the ball, and Black is smooth, encouraging a quick release speed.

I'm going to remove the white tape and add an extra piece to the back of the thumb to see if this helps.

The hardest ones are inflexible thumbs that are short, but require lots of bevel for comfort. This is when you increase forward pitch in the thumb again.

Thats my thumb in a nutshell. I have gone from 1/16" rev to 1/4" fwd

Rosin - last resort. Use rosin to increase grip only if you have super clammy moist skin. Most rosins and powders are eliminated with a good fit, however if your skin texture and bowling just don't go together, consider using rosin sparingly.

I'm finding now that with the fwd pitch I'm not needing as much which I'm hoping is a step in the right direction.

Technique - Late timing in the front of the swing will make you feel like you need to pull the ball down from the apex of the swingplane to catch up to your feet. Any physical "pulling" in the swing will tell our central nervous system that we are going to lose the ball on the downswing, making us increase grip pressure. Make sure you are not pushing away too far, and that your feet are not too quick during your approach to promote "early-late" timing in your delivery giving you more time to allow the ball to fall from the top, rather than you having to pull it down.

This is the area of my game that I need to work on...

Thanks for all your ideas, It has re-iterated what I know to be my deficiencies and has reassured me that I'm heading in the right direction

 

[ricky leung]

Hi Folks,

Would anyone can tell me if my thumb is quite short, forward pitch
then is good for me, not to try reverse thumb.

Tks

Ricky

 

[jason_doust]

There's a couple of variables to consider before anyone can answer that one for you Ricky. It's a possibility, but you'd need a good driller to look at it for you and consider your span and flexibility at the same time.

I think Purvis Grainger is back in HK these days and Brunswick's Alan Chan is a very knowledgable character too. Both good fellows and I'm happy recommending either to you.

Whichever one you see, say "Hi" from me!

Cheers,
Jason

 

[Brenton_Davy]

Hi guys,

Bear with me here as I try and explain...

I have for as long as I can remember have always squeezed the ball through my entire swing and even through my release ( primarily down to bad technique which I'm trying to sort out now) This caused a poor transition of the ball on to the lane not to mention the reduction of RPM's and accuracy.

To alleviate the gripping problem I have gone to having forward pitching which as strange as it sounded to me at the time has actually made me relax my thumb ( to a degree) but I still feel the need (although I know it's not necessary) to grab the ball at the bottom of the swing.

The gripping at the bottom is no where near where it was with the reverse pitch so I am wondering if:

1. There is anything besides more practice (thanks Yogi) that will enable me to totally relax my thumb

I do have a few more things to try but was wanting other feedback to see if there is anything different to what I'm trying...

Thanks in advance,

Mick

Mick,

Just a little tip I give bowlers who have problems with gripping or squeezing the ball.

When lining up, hold the ball in your non-bowling hand, insert the fingers til in the correct position and then use the non bowling hand to roll the ball on to your thumb, rather than putting your thumb in the ball. From there, keep the weight of the ball on your non-bowling hand. This leads to a relaxed grip and less likelihood of re gripping at the botom of the swing.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Hey Mick, you might try using a thumb slug in your ball if you don't already. I had a thumb slug put in my Mars when it was re-drilled and it made a world of difference. I some times have a problem of gripping the ball with out knowing it, but with the slug it's hard to do 'cause the slug is smaller than the hole, so your thumb tip can't grip the ball. At first it's kind of strange feeling, but once you get used to it I think you'll like it. From now on I'm getting thumb slugs in all my balls.

Yes it does feel strange , when i got my ball drilled recently with a thumb slug it was pointed out to me that i was used to gripping my ball like a claw and squeezing my thumb . When i was doing some practice releases the ball was still on my hand, it was just a mental thing trusting the ball in your hand, with a slight technique adjustment i got used it. It was an old habit which is quite common i've found, where i was controlling the ball on my backswing and release by locking my thumb. I can now relax my thumb keep it straight and still releases with ease

 

[RobbieB]

On reading wac4504's post, the only thing I can think of is that the slug in his ball was not fully driven down to the bottom of the hole, so his thumb tip is in the void under the slug. If I am interpreting this wrong, please let me know, but that is not how a slug is supposed to be installed.

I'm at 7/16 forward on a 4 1/2" span, and thinking of going to 5/8" forward, as I feel I still have to keep the thumb overly tight atm. Also try looking up Ron C's magic carpet on the net - I ordered some and they work really well to reduce grip pressure without having to have the thumb excessively tight.
Bottom line is, if you still feel as you have to squeeze the ball in the swing, keep increasing the forward pitch (assuming correct spans) until you don't.