How to keep your thumb knuckle from raising up in the thumbhole....

[Hammer]

Chances are when you start your downswing you grip harder with your thumb to control the ball more to the release zone or out of nervousness for fear of dropping the ball early. When you grip harder for whatever reason your thumb knuckle raises and hangs up in the thumbhole causing a bad shot like a pulled shot. To combat this try this in your practice time. Instead of pressing down with the tip of your thumb pad press down more with your thumb knuckle which of course is right below your thumb pad. Pressing down with your thumb knuckle will keep your thumb flat in the thumbhole and let it come out more easily like it should. I have been doing this in practice drills and it seems to work for me.

[Jaescrub]

Thanks hammer I'm
Going to work on this I have been getting better after some coaching from my PSO and some changes in equipment. But this sounds like one more thing that would just put some more icing on the cake.

[Aslan]

Thanks hammer I'm
Going to work on this I have been getting better after some coaching from my PSO and some changes in equipment. But this sounds like one more thing that would just put some more icing on the cake.

Agreed. I'm also going to give that a try.

[zdawg]

Good point, last year back when I first started I had a problem with my thumb coming out right around the same time as my fingers, after my hand had rotated which was literally tearing apart the skin on inside of my thumb closest to my index finger. I went to the pro shop looking for tips and he basically gave me the same advice you mention.

Now I notice my thumb gripping shortly after pushaway on the backswing before it gets to the apex of my new and improved higher backswing. I assume the reason is because the initial pushaway/backswing is slower than the downswing so there is less force to keep the ball "stuck" to my hand, and I also used to cup my hand in my stance all the way through pushaway/backswing which Mark Baker coached me away from doing as it was causing too much muscle engagement in my swing and severely shortening my backswing.

Overall I'm not sure gripping with the thumb shortly after pushaway into the downswing is such a bad thing assuming my hand is completely relaxed on the actual downswing - maybe a question for a coach?

[Pauley]

I have found this tip helpful as well. I always seemed to fail at trying to keep my thumb nail touching the top of the thumb hole, but when I started thinking about gripping with the base of my thumb near the knuckle I finally got it. Same idea I guess just a different way of thinking about it.

[rv driver]

Such an easy, easy fix! I've been gripping my ball like a hawk gripping a titmouse, subsequently causing my thumb to hang up on the ball, a release that's for crap, pulled shots, way too much ball loft, etc. etc. ad nauseum. I'm gonna try this, maybe in conjunction with a thumb slug. I think it's the fingertip grip that's causing me to do that, thereby completely bypassing any advantages from the grip itself.

So, let me get this straight: you push down with the underside-knuckle of your thumb, instead of crooking your thumb (raising the knuckle)?

[Perrin]

Such an easy, easy fix! I've been gripping my ball like a hawk gripping a titmouse, subsequently causing my thumb to hang up on the ball, a release that's for crap, pulled shots, way too much ball loft, etc. etc. ad nauseum. I'm gonna try this, maybe in conjunction with a thumb slug. I think it's the fingertip grip that's causing me to do that, thereby completely bypassing any advantages from the grip itself.

So, let me get this straight: you push down with the underside-knuckle of your thumb, instead of crooking your thumb (raising the knuckle)?


exactly

so picture this as the THumb base==knuckle--Pad/thumbnail grip the ball with the == portion of the thumb rather than the -- or pad/tip of the thumb

[rv driver]

exactly

so picture this as the THumb base==knuckle--Pad/thumbnail grip the ball with the == portion of the thumb rather than the -- or pad/tip of the thumb
Cool! I'm gonna try that! Thanks, guys!

[Blacksox1]

A bowler I know has a piece glued into the bottom of his thumb hole. It is shaped like a door stop. The thicker end is at the bottom of the hole. I tried his ball and it does keep your thumb straight and relaxed. You cannot kink or over grip your thumb. I will ask him more about it, next Thursday, if anyone is interested.

[Aslan]

A bowler I know has a piece glued into the bottom of his thumb hole. It is shaped like a door stop. The thicker end is at the bottom of the hole. I tried his ball and it does keep your thumb straight and relaxed. You cannot kink or over grip your thumb. I will ask him more about it, next Thursday, if anyone is interested.

I've never heard of that. I'd be interested.

[Mike White]

I've never heard of that. I'd be interested.

The Thumbs Up product used to be from a family owned business fairly close to where you live.

Somewhere along the way, it appears they sold the product to Ebonite.

[bowl1820]

A bowler I know has a piece glued into the bottom of his thumb hole. It is shaped like a door stop. The thicker end is at the bottom of the hole. I tried his ball and it does keep your thumb straight and relaxed. You cannot kink or over grip your thumb. I will ask him more about it, next Thursday, if anyone is interested.

The "Thumbs Up" has been around for years, I tried one along time ago. The only real problem with it was that it was made for round holes. It didn't fit properly in a oval hole and would be loose and shift around.

It's basically doing the same thing as you can do with Tiered Taping.

http://www.bowlingindex.com/store/graphics/00000001/ac-tstr.jpg

[zdawg]

I totally forgot until I saw that thumbs up product, but last year I came across a tiered taping article by Joe Slowinski:

http://www.itbca.bowlingknowledge.info/index.php/2013-fall/95-tiered-taping-a-process-to-reduce-grip-pressure-and-improve-swing-release

I highly recommend this if you want something to try and you use tape anyway, I use this taping method in all my balls and I think it has probably contributed a lot to me getting out of the bad gripping habit.

[zdawg]

I totally forgot until I saw that thumbs up product, but last year I came across a tiered taping article by Joe Slowinski:

http://www.itbca.bowlingknowledge.info/index.php/2013-fall/95-tiered-taping-a-process-to-reduce-grip-pressure-and-improve-swing-release

I highly recommend this if you want something to try and you use tape anyway, I use this taping method in all my balls and I think it has probably contributed a lot to me getting out of the bad gripping habit.

EDIT: I just noticed the last line of Bowl's post where he mentioned its the same thing as tiered taping :p But I still recommend giving it a try if you're struggling with gripping the ball

[rv driver]

I like that Thumbs Up appliance -- "Prosthetics for the digitally-challenged."

[rv driver]

EDIT: I just noticed the last line of Bowl's post where he mentioned its the same thing as tiered taping :p But I still recommend giving it a try if you're struggling with gripping the ballI'm assuming it's glued in like a finger grip?

[zdawg]

I'm assuming it's glued in like a finger grip?

The taping method I'm talking about just uses regular tape, but you cut it into pieces and layer it differently to make it kind of a wedge like shape.

The product Bowl1820 is talking about, I'm assuming would have to be glued in, however I have no experience with it personally.

[bowl1820]

I'm assuming it's glued in like a finger grip?

While there are users that do glue them in, you don't have to (assuming it's the right size).
http://lgcdn.bowlingshoes.com/media/catalog/product/cache/5/small_image/150x150/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/t/h/thumb_straight_4.jpg

When you get the proper size, it's slightly bigger than the hole. You just shove it in place and it will stay in place. (Now of course with use it could loosen over time.)

That was the problem with using it in a oval hole, it didn't fill the hole fully and had room to wiggle around.

Another thing was depending on how long your thumb was and how deep the hole was, it could slide deeper in the hole and not support the thumb right. (Another reason some glue in place)

[rv driver]

While there are users that do glue them in, you don't have to (assuming it's the right size).
http://lgcdn.bowlingshoes.com/media/catalog/product/cache/5/small_image/150x150/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/t/h/thumb_straight_4.jpg

When you get the proper size, it's slightly bigger than the hole. You just shove it in place and it will stay in place. (Now of course with use it could loosen over time.)

That was the problem with using it in a oval hole, it didn't fill the hole fully and had room to wiggle around.

Another thing was depending on how long your thumb was and how deep the hole was, it could slide deeper in the hole and not support the thumb right. (Another reason some glue in place)
Is it a rigid plastic thing, or is it pliable -- more like rubber? Can't tell from the pic. I'm also assuming it'd work with a slug?

[bowl1820]

Is it a rigid plastic thing, or is it pliable -- more like rubber? Can't tell from the pic. I'm also assuming it'd work with a slug?

It's not rigid, it be kind of like a firm/hard finger insert.

I didn't really like it, it felt slick on my thumb , plus would slide down in the hole and I didn't want to glue it in place (I figured you'd destroy it trying get it back out if you glued it)

Here's mine, I still have it after all these years (Proshop gave it to me to test).
http://s5.postimg.org/6dl6jqv0n/thumbup01.jpg

Here it is started into the hole of my thumb insert. (It fits better in it than in a milled oval hole)
you can see how the V notch is squeezed together, that's what hold's it in.
http://s5.postimg.org/9usaju0ef/thumbup02.jpg

[rv driver]

It's not rigid, it be kind of like a firm/hard finger insert.

I didn't really like it, it felt slick on my thumb , plus would slide down in the hole and I didn't want to glue it in place (I figured you'd destroy it trying get it back out if you glued it)

Here's mine, I still have it after all these years (Proshop gave it to me to test).
http://s5.postimg.org/6dl6jqv0n/thumbup01.jpg

Here it is started into the hole of my thumb insert. (It fits better in it than in a milled oval hole)
you can see how the V notch is squeezed together, that's what hold's it in.
http://s5.postimg.org/9usaju0ef/thumbup02.jpg
Other than the fact that it kind of looks like a sexual aid, it might be worth a try...

[dnhoffman]

When I worked with Mo at one of his clinics last month, one of the things he was adamant about was that I didn't put my thumb into the ball until the last second in order to avoid gripping, swelling, and a whole other assortment of things that seem to be similar to this. It's made a good difference.

[rv driver]

When I worked with Mo at one of his clinics last month, one of the things he was adamant about was that I didn't put my thumb into the ball until the last second in order to avoid gripping, swelling, and a whole other assortment of things that seem to be similar to this. It's made a good difference.
That seems like good advice. I bet I'd still have a death-grip, though...

[Aslan]

It's basically doing the same thing as you can do with Tiered Taping.


I have tried tiered taping. It was "okay".