I can't win

[Chuck44]

Like GeorgiaStroker said, your looking pretty good, but I just don't know what it could be. Maybe it is that you're not cleaning your ball in between.

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http://www.squidoo.com/mens-bowling-balls

[RoccoRock]

Knee feels good, back feels good, ready to go tomorrow night. The 607A is at my driller now, picking it up tomorrow. The Fire Road is also there, and will be sold when he plugs it, and puts it on the used shelf. No more fruity smelling balls for me. The driller looked at me and says "why do you want to sell it, it's one of the most polpular sellers I have." I said "good, then you won't have a problem selling it for me." I told him I don't know why, I'm sure it's a great ball, but I couldn't stand it. It had the most inconsistant reactions I've even seen. Everyone talk about how consistant Storm balls are, and Track balls aren't as consistant. I can't explain it, but it's the exact opposite for me. My Storm stuff just seems to come and go. My Track stuff, just seems to work a little better overall.

[billf]

Congrats on getting rid of the air freshener and getting a bowling ball

[RoccoRock]

My bag still smells like fruit from that stupid ball, and it hasn't been in there for weeks. I had it in my bedroom for a while and my wife though I bought a new air freshner for the room. The only reason I hesitated to get rid of it is because my friend thought it would work really well in my league with the way they oil the lanes. I thought about it, but I did use it in my league, when I was bowling thumbless, and I hated the ball. Worst over/under reaction I've ever seen or heard about from a ball.

[RoccoRock]

So the struggles continue. I've had good games here or there, good nights even, but with my thumb in it just seems like something is missing. I bowled a few weeks ago my old way, without my thumb. The next night, I almost couldn't bowl my league my knee hurt so bad (doesn't help that I've gained 30 pounds.) So I went back, put my thumb in for the next few league nights, and practices, with horrifying results. Two weeks ago I bowled the worst game of my life. 106, and I felt like I was throwing the ball well, and my mechanics were very good.

I started thinking, my average without my thumb is 10-20 pins higher without my thumb, so what is the difference. It's simple, I throw more strikes without my thumb. I can string them better, I can read the lanes better cause I can throw the ball the same way, on the same line every time without my thumb. I make the same amount of spares either way, the difference is the degree of difficulty in the spares. I leave more splits without my thumb, but make the easier spares pretty well. With my thumb, I leave more easy spares, but miss more single pins spares, and chop more spares. The 2-8 is a friggin nightmare with my thumb in, I think I've made it 1 out of 15 times. I've never had a 600 series with my thumb in. Last 10 weeks of last season I had 4 600 series without my thumb.

So the new project, how can I throw thumbless, without hurting my knee or wrist. I think I figured it out. I studied Tom Daughrety's delivery, and I saw how smooth he was. I worked on extending the ball more, and using gravity, and momentum to keep the ball in my hand. After game one, I figured it out a little, and I was happy with my results. No wrist pain at all, and no knee pain at all. In fact, I have less knee pain then when I was using my thumb. There are 2 other things I want to try, but one isn't realistic right now. I want to use semi fingertip grips, and start using 14# balls. I just can't afford to buy new balls right now, I can't even afford to buy one new ball. As of now, I think I'm ok with 15, but when I am looking for a dry lane ball (soon) I will probably buy 14.

So, for now, I am going back to thumbless. I am willing to bet within 3 weeks I bowl at least one 600 series. My league is two 16 weeks season, and my goal is to dominate the second half, which starts in 3 weeks.

[RoccoRock]

So I managed to squeeze out the money to buy a ball. I have a Rising Star on the way. It is 14#s, and even though it's a used ball, bought off of ebay, it should serve it's purpose until I can buy a new ball. Last week I bowled a tournament Tuesday, and did well. For the first time since July (the last time I bowled 2 fingers) I strung together 3 consecutive 200+ games. My spare shooting was very good, only missing splits, even making one or two. My league Thursday was a similar story, except I couldn't throw strikes. The numbers were unimpressive, but again I was very good shooting spares. I love the feeling of that 14# spare ball, the backswing, the release, the ability to throw it anywhere, any speed, and even able to adjust the amount of side roll. I struggled with the feel of my 15# strike ball. I bowled back to back 171's. My team got buried, with only 1 week left until the season ends. So the last game, I just threw my spare ball the whole time. Even though I knew it wasn't going to hook much, and I would have to fire straight down the 10, I used it as an experiment. I put it in the pocket almost every time, but go NO carry, as I expected. Only threw 2 strikes. That's when I knew I had to buy a 14# strike ball and find out.

My dilemma is that the ball will most likely not be here until Saturday. I am practicing with friends Tuesday, then league Thursday, and I don't know what to do. I though about bowling with my thumb in for strikes, and shooting spares without my thumb. I thought about bowling my strikes two handed, spares one hand no thumb. I also thought just putting my thumb in for these two nights, and seeing if I can translate a thing or two I've been doing thumbless. Of course, the option I will probably go with is throwing thumbless with my 15's for one more week. I'll decide later this week. The good thing is I can't "ruin" my game by going back and forth between deliveries anymore. I have enough of a base to be able to go back to whatever I want at any time.

[MisterSinister]

Hey Rock, my buddy has like 20 balls, I will ask if he has any 14. He likes to experament, som I would bet he has one or two you could borrow. I'll call you if he does, and maybe I'll bowl with you Tuesday brother. If he doesn't, just use your thumb for a few days.

[RoccoRock]

The shame of it all is this, my delivery with my thumb in looks great. It is smooth, I've worked out most of the kinks, and feels solid. I used to bend my arm at the elbow, got rid of that. I used to tilt my head sideways, got rid of that. I used to get the ball behind my back, not my head, on my backswing, got rid of that. I used to have an unintentional loft, got rid of that. Visually, I love my delivery with my thumb in, I just can't score as high as without my thumb in. In the league I'm in, if you lined up all the bowlers and asked the question "who had the best form" I would be at the very top of that list. I'm so tired of losing to guys who look like goons throwing the ball. I'm tired of seeing guys I KNOW I am better than all over the leader boards, and I'm not on a single one.

I fight myself every day, I don't really want to go back to thumbless. It's almost like if I go back to thumbless, I've waste the last 6 months, and hundreds of dollars. At the same time, I know I am better without my thumb. I think the game plan from now on is my Tuesday practices I will use my thumb. Work on spares, accuracy, and a consistently throw the ball the same way, with the same revs and axis. League nights, I will bowl thumbless, unless I get reallt good with my thumb. Maybe when I bowl back to back 200 games with my thumb in (which I don't think I ever have) I'll try it in the league again.

[billf]

I think the game plan from now on is my Tuesday practices I will use my thumb. Work on spares, accuracy, and a consistently throw the ball the same way, with the same revs and axis. League nights, I will bowl thumbless.

Now that's a good plan. I still think part of your problem was/is you know what you can do thumbless, enjoy thumbless more (at this point) and liked being different. You have a rare talent. Embrace it and use it to your advantage.

[RoccoRock]

Now that's a good plan. I still think part of your problem was/is you know what you can do thumbless, enjoy thumbless more (at this point) and liked being different. You have a rare talent. Embrace it and use it to your advantage.

I wouldn't say I like being different. In fact, that's one of the reasons I wanted to use a traditional three finger delivery. I didn't want to be looked at like a freak, or a hack. I love bowling, more than anything other than my family. I love watching great bowlers. I love the form or Pete Weber, Mike Fagan, Chris Barnes, anyone will great style. That even extends to local bowlers. I always loved the locals who had great form. Smooth delivery, loose arm swing, great follow through. The more my love for the sports grows, the more I look at the way I chucked the ball without my thumb in and wanted to throw up. Now I have gotten smoother without my thumb, but still I just think I look like some teenager who grabs a house ball, takes his thumb out, and turns to his pimple face girlfriend and says "look how much I can spin it." It's part of the torture that is being me. The other parts are true, I know what I can do without my thumb. In fact, I think I can still get even better without my thumb than I am now. I enjoy it more only because I know I can score better with it. Still, even though I know I'm not as good, I watch video of me bowling with my thumb in the ball, and just love the look. I have developed a style. I have crafted my style, from a clumsy, herky jerky, terrible delivery with a clunking loft, to a smooth, loose free delivery where the ball glides onto the lanes. I saw all the people looking at me at the tournament on New Years day. I saw the looks of the guys I shared the lanes with. I didn't like it. If I was using my thumb, I wouldn't have gotten those looks. I have friend who bowled under Parker Bohn, and I feel ashamed talking bowling with him because I don't use my thumb. My wife's cousin is good friends PBA title winner Brian Ziesig. He was at the same party as my wife and myself not long ago, and I couldn't go up to him and tell him I was a bowler. Again, it's just tough being me sometimes.

Even though I said I will bowl leagues without my thumb, as of now it does not look like it will have my 14# Rising Star in time for tomorrow nights league, so I will be using my thumb. Watch, I'll bowl a 675 series tomorrow night.