How do I throw a backup ball without a thumb

[unclemantis]

I am throwing my strike ball with 2 fingers and no thumb. How do I do this in reverse? I have been having trouble picking up the 10 pin.

[striker12]

well if your right handed you now how you come up the right side of the ball for a backup ball you go up the left side but not fully more up the back left part of the ball i use to throw a backup ball 3 years ago for my spare shots when i never had a spare ball but i did mine with only my thumb no fingers.

[75lockwood]

Just as an fyi, the best way to shoot single pin spares regardless of location is by throwing a straight ball, right handed pro's do not hook the ball at the 7 pin simply because depending the lane conditions you will have to play a different line to hit that 7 pin in the first frame of the game than you would in the last frame. throwing a straight ball however takes lane conditions out of the equation and you will do the exact same thing to make the spare every time you need to.

that being said, throwing a backup ball can be a useful tool when trying to make splits such as the 5-10 (5-7 for left handers)

the idea of throwing a backup ball is to rotate the wrist in the opposite direction (clockwise for a right handed bowling) so instead of starting with your hand behind the ball start with it on the side and rotate so it's behind as you release. that being said i don't know if this is possible for thumbless, i know 2 handed it can be done because the none ball side hand can hold the ball on the hand until the rotation begins, it would be something you need to experiment with.

[billf]

I was going to say why bother but that wasn't the question.
Anything that can be done two-handed can be done thumbless. Two-handers such as Belmo and Palermaa use their fingers but no thumb.
Rotate your wrist/hand/fingers clockwise instead of the natural counter-clockwise direction.

[unclemantis]

Sounds like I need to.experiment.

[billf]

Most thumbless bowlers don't stay behind the ball but more to the outside. To go back up you have to release with your hand between the ball and your body. The speed is usually a ton lower also so don't be surprised if you fall into that category.

[RoccoRock]

Both myself, and a friend bowl thumbless, and we've both experimented with a backup ball for 10 pins. In the end, it wasn't worth it. It hurt our wrists, and fingers, and was very inconsistent. IMHO, it would be much more useful to learn to throw a straight ball, either with or without your thumb. I throw a straight ball without my thumb by using a lighter, plastic ball, and throwing it a little harder. It still rotates, because of what Bill said. It's hard to come straight up the back without a thumb in. However, even though it rotates, it's going so fast, and with plastic, it never grabs the lane, so it never turns. You can do whatever you like, that's the great thing about bowling, there's not one way to do it. However, if you were on my team, asking me for advice, I would tell you forget the back up, go straight, not just for 10 pins, but almost all spares.

[unclemantis]

I currently use a 12 pound urethane Columbia 300 U-dot. Would trying a 10 pound house ball work?

My wife will not allow me to buy 2 new balls until my game is consistent. ;)

[billf]

Wow, why so light a ball? I thought I read 12 lbs wrong...

[unclemantis]

Collar bone healed wrong so there is always pain in my shoulder. I have tried my old 15 pound balls and that nearly killed me. I have tried many weights and throwing styles for the past 2 weeks. Now I am at a comfortable weight and style. I might be able to go higher weight maybe 13 but due to the heavy oil lanes

[billf]

The way a back up ball causes the arm and shoulder to rotate differently, you may want to re-think the attempt to perfect that style with that injury. It causes the shoulder to come over into the collar bone more than a "normal" release.

[unclemantis]

So much for the backup idea. I guess I just need to practice a straighter ball without a thumb

[unclemantis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TexWIjXF8MQ

[billf]

That was good.

[RoccoRock]

There you go, if you can throw that every time your golden. I'm working on that myself soon, once I put the pinkie hole in my spare ball. I can convert about 90% of my 10's now, but it I can do what you just did, I can convert even more. Plus, that's a great way to shoot most spares. Just watch the PBA tour and see how many guys hook at spares. Even the two handers go straight and fast at most spares. You have to hook at spares like the 2-8, 3-6-9-10, and others, but single pin spares, most splits, and many other spares it's probably best to go dead straight.