Thumbless or not?

[sprocket]

Well, since a was facing turning 50 and figured I couldn't do it forever I decided to quit bowling thumbless. I have been practicing a couple of times a week, about 15 games total per week, for the last three weeks.

Sometimes it goes well and sometimes I can't break 150. I have been fighting to "free" my armswing and bowl relaxed. It has been a battle to get this right at the bottom and release the ball with any kind of consistency. I have managed to get my backswing higher and straighter. I used to have trouble with it getting behind my back. Last night I really struggled. I kept adjusting tape in the thumb hole and was starting to develop a blister, I think just from overuse. I also thought the lanes were fried and very difficult to score on.

Finally in the 12th game which was going to be my last, I threw the ball without my thumb just for the heck of it. It was NIGHT AND DAY better than when I was throwing thumbless a few weeks ago. Somehow my practice with my thumb in greatly improved my armswing and position at the bottom with my thumb OUT. My ball speed was at least 1mph faster and the rev rate might have been up 100RPM. The ball was a blur. I was releasing the ball from the inside out and I felt great projection to the right.

Also, the lanes suddenly got a lot easier. I felt more relaxed and it was physically much easier.

So NOW WHAT????

[vdubtx]

Hey, it's whatever works and is comfortable for you. If thumbless is good for you, so be it.

[Perrin]

agreed. Bowling is thankfully one of those sports that allows for multiple styles to all get the same results.

as far as I am concerned as long as the shot is comfortable for you, doesn't break any rule, and doesn't damage the alley/lane then go for it

On the other hand if you are leaving dents in the lane or putting three layers of easy slide on your shoe before each shot..... that's a different story

[Mudpuppy]

I have never tried to bowl thumbless - is it harder? Take more strength? Is that why you are switching?

[Aslan]

I vote "not".

[Terrier]

I really think you've got to put more time into the thumb-in practice before giving up on it. I threw house balls thumbless but stopped when I started buying my own gear, so I have been through that change before. When something like your grip is modified in a big way, it takes time to readjust your technique. Three weeks (or 50 games) seems pretty early to make that judgment call now.

That said, how much time it takes would really depend on how much difference your form changed from thumb-in to thumbless. There are different ways of bowling thumbless, and some are more similar to a thumb-in method than others. Were you bending the elbow and cradling the ball on your backswing a lot? Did you pin the ball against your forearm like Tom Daugherty? Were you basically throwing it two-handed? If your technique changes a lot from thumbless to thumb-in, three months might not be enough let alone three weeks.

[Hampe]

Yea....pretty much what Terrier says. If that's the way you've been playing your whole life, of course it's going to feel way better if you switch back after just a few weeks. Making a big change in your approach or release will take months to get comfortable with (depending on how often you practice it could even take a year). Excluding beginners, making huge changes to your game will always feel like a step back at first....even if it will improve your game in the long run.

[sprocket]

Thanks for all the replies and advice!
When I was young and bowled thumb in quite often people thought I wasn't using my thumb. I didn't half thumb it or anything, I just had a very short backswing and cupped the ball a lot and used my legs to generate speed. Over the years my wrist and forearm started feeling the wear and tear. To compensate I started developing the bad habit of my swing going behind my back. I didn't know I was doing it and I think it happened because that puts the ball closer to body center so it feels lighter.

Correcting this flaw was not going to be easy. I couldn't just go back to my old swing, I needed to completely overhaul my game. I tried and took a few lessons but probably didn't give it long enough. When I tried thumbless I found it to be physically easier than my old swing. I mean A LOT easier. There wasn't really anything to learn because it matched my old style anyway. I ended up bowling that way for about ten years. Now some bad habits have started to creep in bowling thumbless. My backswing has become pretty much non-existent and I was muscling the ball at the bottom way too much.

But here's the thing: Like I said before, somehow by bowling thumb in my swing has improved with my thumb out. I'm not just imagining it. It's not the same as before, it's BETTER.

I'll tell you what, thumb in or out my swing is not all that impressive to watch but I will post videos of both after I practice on Sunday morning.

[Aslan]

I don't know....on nights when I'm struggling I consider switching to thumbless or even 2-handed....figuring, "well...I can't do any WORSE!!"

But cooler heads prevail and I realize that you don't become a better bowler by switching to some "gimicky" style. You become a better bowler by simply improving on your mechanics and fixing your flaws/deficiencies. Same thing with "ARSEnals"...sure, lane conditions and equipment play a significant part in bowling. But if you're throwing the ball all over the lane and missing your targets...switching to ball #4 or ball #6 or buying a new ball isn't really gonna solve the problem. My opinion(s).

[e-tank]

I don't know....on nights when I'm struggling I consider switching to thumbless or even 2-handed....figuring, "well...I can't do any WORSE!!"

But cooler heads prevail and I realize that you don't become a better bowler by switching to some "gimicky" style. You become a better bowler by simply improving on your mechanics and fixing your flaws/deficiencies. Same thing with "ARSEnals"...sure, lane conditions and equipment play a significant part in bowling. But if you're throwing the ball all over the lane and missing your targets...switching to ball #4 or ball #6 or buying a new ball isn't really gonna solve the problem. My opinion(s).

jw how is thumbless or two handed gimicky?