Thumb hole too big!

[Vince805]

Soooo I have had my ball for a few weeks now and its been the best ball ive ever owned so far. But i have a little issue.....Hope you dont think this is nasty or weird but i pick at my thumbs....So when i start bowling my first 2 games its fine but by the 3rd its swells up and sticks. So i took it to the pro shop the other day and told him this and asked him to open the hole up just a tiny bit. I tried it and it felt good. So i took it to practice the next day (yesterday) and noticed it was quite a difference in size. Mainly my fault and being a idiot cuz i asked him to look and make it bigger when it was already swollen. So now it feels like i have less control over the ball on my release because the hole is to big. Granted I did bowl a 268 yesterday but every release felt different and inconstant. Is there anything i can do besides having it plugged and re-drilled?? Thanks

[jbeck]

I had a similar issue, except my thumb doesn't swell. My thumb hole was too tight and I had all my balls resized to make it bigger. Now I think it's better to have it bigger than smaller, because you could easily add bowlers tape to make it more snug. If it swells then it'll feel just right. What I do when I don't have bowler's tape is press the inside of my thumb to the ball...on the upswing it tightens up, but on the downswing it releases just right before my fingers to give me control. So far that works for my consistency.

[Vince805]

I had a similar issue, except my thumb doesn't swell. My thumb hole was too tight and I had all my balls resized to make it bigger. Now I think it's better to have it bigger than smaller, because you could easily add bowlers tape to make it more snug. If it swells then it'll feel just right. What I do when I don't have bowler's tape is press the inside of my thumb to the ball...on the upswing it tightens up, but on the downswing it releases just right before my fingers to give me control. So far that works for my consistency.

Thank for the help jbeck. i didnt even think of that of know there was bowlers tape.....but thats what i was doing also. i would tighten up alot and right before the release let it go. had it not been the the 1st and 2nd frame (which were both 7-10 splits!!!!) i would of got my first 300!! i dont understand how. i did throw it out FAR more then usual but it made a heck of a left turn and looked like it hit the pocket. obviously not but it looked good. striked out 3rd frame on. (258 not 268) not to mention idk how many of my strikes were Brooklyn but hey lol all because i was trying to think of another way to control the ball and be consistent with the bigger hole

[e-tank]

i wrap my towel around my thumb when im sitting down waiting to bowl to combat my thumb swelling. Also id look into a thumb slug

[bowl1820]

You can use bowlers tape.

or Have a smaller size pre-drilled thumb insert put in.

or You could get switchgrips put in with a couple of different size thumbholes to switch to during the night.


Also stop picking at your thumb.

[Greenday]

Just use grip tape. The hole being a little big is fine. It'll accommodate your thumb when it expands and you can just put tape in when you start. Every ball of mine has grip tape in it.

[Vince805]

You can use bowlers tape.

or Have a smaller size pre-drilled thumb insert put in.

or You could get switchgrips put in with a couple of different size thumbholes to switch to during the night.


Also stop picking at your thumb.

So would something like turbo grips (switch grips) work (be best) if i went that route? i was searching for them right now and thats the first thing that came up on google search. I'm thinking ill try the bowlers tape first and see how that works.......And ive tried to stop but it never works. Dr says its a nervous habit but i don't believe him lol


Just use grip tape. The hole being a little big is fine. It'll accommodate your thumb when it expands and you can just put tape in when you start. Every ball of mine has grip tape in it.

Yeah im gonna try that first, see how it works. probably the least expensive thing to try first (not that the others are much more expensive lol) then try the turbo grips. Its now too big even once it expands. and before it does its definitely bigger.

[billf]

I have switch grips and even use tape in them! I've broke my thumb three times and the swelling at times is nuts. Tape is the cheapest for now but when it becomes feasible, I definitely recommend switch grips. Personally, I use the Vise IT (interchangeable thumb) but both products work well.

[Gunz1911]

I have been using http://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-accessories/bowlingballcom/10025/Thumb-Protector-Right-Handed.html

It is not too bad, it has a grip over the pad of your thumb and doesn't make my thumb sweat at all. Figure it would be nice too, makes my thumb slightly bigger for a snugger fit but allows the ball to slide easily. Also can use it with anyball.

[ecub]

There are several options for a thumb hole that is too large for your thumb. You can use tape that is inserted inside the thumb hole or tape that is placed on your thumb. Both tapes are different type of tapes. Tape inside the thumb hole can easily be adjusted by adding/removing layers of tape.

The other option are interchangeable thumb holes. Turbo Switch grips, Vise IT, or GripLocs (http://grip-loc.com/) are the popular options. I use Griplocs. These are best preferred if you add/remove 3 or more pieces of tape. It's also a great option, because the interchangeable thumb hole will feel the same between all balls.

[Juice]

The main reasons for a swelling thumb (not counting previous injuries) is wrong thumb pitch, gripping with the thumb, and a thumb hole that is too large (which makes the bowler grip... see #2). Generally speaking, you should never put tape in the front of the thumb hole. Among other reasons, if you use more than two to three pieces of tape, it changes your span.

After correcting pitches and thumb sizes (some require oval milling), my customers actually go down two or three thumb sizes because the thumb stopped swelling. I've even got two guys that went down four to five sizes because the callous they developed after years of bowling with the wrong fit diminished.

[ecub]

I had issues of thumb swelling due to diet, depending on what I ate or drank prior to bowling, I can expect it to swell.

[ghoul31]

I've broke my thumb three times.

How did you break you thumb three times?

[billf]

At work with a dead blow hammer. I use my left hand for most things but prefer to bowl with my right. Swing hammer, miss target, smash thumb. The last time a piece of bone went out the tip and on the floor. Split it open real good. Same way the second time without the bone fragment exiting. First time was in a Philipino prison where the guards broke my knuckles for me.

[GeorgiaStroker]

At work with a dead blow hammer. I use my left hand for most things but prefer to bowl with my right. Swing hammer, miss target, smash thumb. The last time a piece of bone went out the tip and on the floor. Split it open real good. Same way the second time without the bone fragment exiting. First time was in a Philipino prison where the guards broke my knuckles for me.

I swear Bill, they need to make a movie about your life. :cool: Who would you like to play you on the big screen?

[billf]

They don't have any movie stars ugly enough to play me.

[ShortChanged]

I too use bowlers tape when the thumb is a little big. I would rather more space rather than a tight fit, and you can always make it smaller in a minute, but you can't make it bigger in the same time!

As far as swelling fingers, anytime I feel that my fingers are swelling, in between frames I hold my hand up, to draw the blood away from the fingers, and it helps to keep my fingers from swelling. Try it!

[richardsymms]

Does anyone have my problem? My thumb starts out so big I can hardly get it into the thumb hole then it begins to shrink and by the middle of the first game I have added tape twice to my thumb. Sometimes even more later.

[billf]

I have that on a daily basis. Then there comes a time, around game 20 that is starts to swell again. It's why I use interchangeable thumb inserts and have quite the variety of sizes. In the long run it's cheaper than tape.