What a difference a fit makes

[Briantime]

The fit of my ball has been bothering me since I got back into bowling a few months ago. The span seemed a bit too short and I found myself squeezing a bit too much.

My brother-in-law took me to see his guy. A pro shop owner he has been working with for years. It wasn't off by much as far as span, but when he added finger inserts and stretched it out a bit, it was a huge difference to me. In the Norm Duke instructional series, he talks about ball fit and how you should be able to pretty much hang your ball down without applying any significant pressure to it and still hold it. Seemed impossible to me when I watched it, but I'll be darned if he wasn't right.

Gone is the blood blister on the end of my thumb and my release has improved dramatically. I have been tracking my scores for months now and had a cumulative average of 142. I have bowled 7 games since the revised ball fit averaging 160! Nothing for more experienced bowlers to get excited about, but to me it feels great.

To any bowler like me who is not 100% happy with the way their ball fits and feels: Get it done right! Your scores and thumb will thank you.

One thing has become clear since this. I need a spare ball, and a new bag to carry my growing arsenal :-)

One spare ball question of you have stuck with my thread this far: Do you throw a plastic spare ball the same way you throw your regular ball? And by being plastic, it simply does not hook? Or do you throw it differently to maximize the benefit of less hook from the plastic surface?

[Tony]

Nice work, that's a great improvement, and it's nice to have a properly fitting ball!

Most guys will suggest you throw the plastic ball with the same release and motion as your strike ball, if that works for you then you're all set. If you end up with the problem I and some other guys have where the plastic ball will hook, (for me it only happens if the lanes are too dry) you'll have to alter your release to keep it going straight.

[JasonNJ]

Nice, I think you'll see steady improvement now with the proper fitting ball. You'll see that your release will be more consistent.

As for the spare ball I throw with mostly the same motion but my release with my spare ball is more of a suitcase release so I don't turn my wrist because I want to throw it as straight as possible. But when you get your spare ball it takes a little while to get used to throwing one, so you'll figure out what works best for you.

[dougb]

A good fit is paramount. Without that, everything else falls out of place. Congratulations on getting yours fixed.

[J Anderson]

The fit of my ball has been bothering me since I got back into bowling a few months ago. The span seemed a bit too short and I found myself squeezing a bit too much.

My brother-in-law took me to see his guy. A pro shop owner he has been working with for years. It wasn't off by much as far as span, but when he added finger inserts and stretched it out a bit, it was a huge difference to me. In the Norm Duke instructional series, he talks about ball fit and how you should be able to pretty much hang your ball down without applying any significant pressure to it and still hold it. Seemed impossible to me when I watched it, but I'll be darned if he wasn't right.

Gone is the blood blister on the end of my thumb and my release has improved dramatically. I have been tracking my scores for months now and had a cumulative average of 142. I have bowled 7 games since the revised ball fit averaging 160! Nothing for more experienced bowlers to get excited about, but to me it feels great.

To any bowler like me who is not 100% happy with the way their ball fits and feels: Get it done right! Your scores and thumb will thank you.

One thing has become clear since this. I need a spare ball, and a new bag to carry my growing arsenal :-)

One spare ball question of you have stuck with my thread this far: Do you throw a plastic spare ball the same way you throw your regular ball? And by being plastic, it simply does not hook? Or do you throw it differently to maximize the benefit of less hook from the plastic surface?

I throw my urethane spare ball, a Storm Mix, with little to no axis rotation. Did the same when I had a White Dot. And yes, I have been seen wearing a belt and suspenders;)