Rosin Bags; how do they help?

[SmilingBowler]

When I bowled in high school I used a rosin bag in a pouch but it created such a mess I stopped using one. Ever since, I wonder why I ever started using one to begin with. There are times, however that for one reason or another, my grips feel slick and I wish I had a little rosin to sort it out. So I understand how those rosin bags work.

My question is what about the ones that aren't in the pouch. The rosin bags that somewhat resemble the one a pitcher would use on the mound. How do they work, and are they any better or just different (less messy) than the rosin in a pouch?

[ecub]

I don't play baseball enough to use a rosin bag, so I can't compare between that and the bowling rosin bags. I've only seen the bowling rosin bags that are little puff balls or actual bags in pouches. The puff ball type rosin bag does get messy, but most people put them in zip lock bags so as not to make a mess. As I mentioned, the other rosin bag is already contained in it's own pouch, so it shouldn't make a mess.

[ecub]

As far as how they work, well, they are supposed to help the bowler with sweaty or moist hands. They normally just grasp the rosin bag with their hand, to help dry it off or for better secure grip. I've also seen people pat them over their thumb and/or finger holes, so some goes inside.

I've never like it when people put the bare rosin bag on the table, grasp in, leaving some rosin on the table and some on the floor. I figure if it got on the bottom of someone's bowling slide shoe, it would effect their slide.

[bowl1820]

There are two different type "Rosin Bags" and are for two different things.

1-Is the Dry/puffball Type bag, those are the big ones you see bowler's using most of the time to dry a sweaty hand or patting on the finger holes. These are a cloth bag and mostly contain a clay like adsorbent silica material (like cat litter) that makes a fine dust that drys your hand out.

Too much use of these can overly dry your hand out from the powder it produces and clogs the pores in your skin. Plus they can leave powder all over where you set it.

There is a new product that I use that works good,

The Grip-eze bag sold at http://www.bowlingbutler.com/ This dry bag uses a absorbent material made from a recycled paper material (Eco-friendly). It leaves no residue and is non-abrasive, it will even remove the oil off your ball (Though it's not approved by the USBC yet for that use)


2-Is the Grip type which is more of a true "rosin bag", they are meant to give you more grip. They have a white sticky powder substance in them ( I believe a plant extract or similar type material) that gives you a surer grip on the ball.

Warning these two bags are not interchangeable! Over use the grip type and you can hang up in a ball, also the sticky white powder can build up in the holes and cause you to stick.

[I suck at bowling]

It removes moisture, and for people who get sweaty thumbs (a.k.a me) it really helps. I rosin both my hands before throwing as well, because my left hand gets sweaty and will slip off sometimes leaded to a gutterball.

[Greenday]

I use a rosin bag that doesn't have power. It's just to keep my hand dry.

[ShortChanged]

I hate using Rosin bags, it makes my hands feel clammy. I usually put a little powder on my hands when my hands starts to get sticky.

[SmilingBowler]

For now, if my hands feel damp or sweaty (rare) I clench the other side of my towel - opposite the side I use to wipe down my ball before each throw.

If my thumb doesn't have an easy release (not necessarily sticking, but not a clean release either) I head to the bathroom to wash my hands and then dab a tiny bit of ChapStick on either side of thumb knuckle. I then slide my thumb in and out of the thumb hole a few times to kind of spread it out. I use the Medicated ChapStick because I find its less greasy and naturally is designed to prevent chapping and dried skin, which my thumb will do from time to time.

Because the latter tends to happen more frequently than the former, I don't really need a rosin bag at the moment. But, in the very rare case that my grips get oily (typically after throwing straight at a 10-pin) then I may ask a fellow bowler for some rosin, which I apply with one pat to my fingertips - not the ball. But that's the only scenario that really warrants the need for a rosin powder bag. I guess when it comes to those non-powder bags, my towel can do the job for now.