Sore Thumb

[Cultcab]

I am a recreational bowler (~4 times per year), but everytime I bowl I have a bad experience because I get a blister on my thumb. I have my own bowl and it was drilled by a local pro shop. The blister occurs on the inside part of my thumb where the nail comes into contact with the skin. I feel the blister developing after the first couple of throws, and by the end of the first game it's painful enough that I have to either switch hands or throw it without my thumb in the hole.

Does this sound like poor form, or could it be that the holes were not drilled correctly>

[Mellen]

Could be the way you are gripping the ball, or the thumb hole pitch may be wrong.
But you may also be coming out of the ball wrong causing the thumb hole to rub on the spot where the blister is forming. Does your ball look like a top spinning down the lane? If so, you are not staying behind the ball. You are coming over the top too much causing the spinning motion.

[Cultcab]

I'm going bowling in a couple of days and I'd like to prevent the blister and also figure out what I'm doing wrong. Would a pro shop be able to figure this out with me just taking the ball in and talking to them, or would he/she need to see me throw the ball?

For now, I guess I'm just going to put some tape on to prevent the blister.

You mentioned that my thumb may be coming out of the ball wrong causing the rubbing - when I simulate the release, I can see that the ball would be rolling off the side of my thumb where the nail meets the skin (and where the blister forms). Should it be coming off the "fat" part of my thumb?

[DanielMareina]

More often than not, a blister forming there is caused by the pitch in your thumb hole being aimed too far toward the palm. Take your thumb, using your fingers on your opposite hand, try to bend it to the first line on your palm below the pinky finger. If it offers resistance, then you would need more away pitch than the average person. As a temporary solution, you can use back of the thumb tape. I use turbo pre cut tape, but Vise makes a good one too.