Span & Fit

[AlexNC]

I debated adding this to my last post but I'll just start a new thread. I am getting a new ball shortly and intend to have my fit and span checked, but after all junk I went through with my last PSO, I thought I would share. I have had various issues with my grip, and I have had a tendency to blame it on myself of something I was doing - which still could be the case. I am inclined to believe though that my span is a little short, at the very least on my ring finger. I have in the past had problems hanging up on my release, and I have messed around with tiered taping and protecting tape. Even keeping my thumb relaxed as possible, I still feel a lot of stress on the muscles and tendons in the lower part of my hand. I have also had problems with the thumbhole being to tight side to side (but fine top to bottom), which has compounded the issue. Hoping when I get things checked out, I can get some solutions - even if it is all me.

[AlexNC]

[IMG][/IMG]

[AlexNC]

FWIW my hands are relaxed and not stretched. My thumbhole has a ton of bevel & I do realize the extreme bevel could also present issues. Also, i the above image i don't mean literally where i feel the weight, more of where i feel a strain/pull. I don't however, get the sensation of the weight on the pads of my palm below the fingers.

[RobLV1]

When you have your hand measured in relation to your ball, don't forget to inquire about the lateral pitch on the thumb hole. The wrong lateral pitch could be causing your problem.

[bowl1820]

Ring finger span does look a little short.

The irritation on that side of the side thumb, indicates a possible problem with left and/or reverse pitch.



A - Span Too Short
A - Excessive Reverse Pitch
B - Excessive Left Pitch
B - Hole Too Small

[fokai73]

Just curious, what are your finger/thumb pitches?

IMHO, Some PSO don't watch a bowler roll a ball down lane before drilling a ball. the release of the bowler can also help a PSO determine which direction he/she should go when drilling a ball for a bowler. Some just measure your hand and because the books say so, they go for it. THey have all the fancy equipment and rely on it too much.

There's what the books says, and there's the real world...

[AlexNC]

Just curious, what are your finger/thumb pitches?

IMHO, Some PSO don't watch a bowler roll a ball down lane before drilling a ball. the release of the bowler can also help a PSO determine which direction he/she should go when drilling a ball for a bowler. Some just measure your hand and because the books say so, they go for it. THey have all the fancy equipment and rely on it too much.

There's what the books says, and there's the real world...

I don't know the exact numbers, but I can tell you that I do have both reverse pitch and left pitch. It doesn't seem like a huge amount and I had to insert a tube extending out of the thumb hole to be able to see it. My last PSO did not watch me roll the ball before drilling, though I did not own a ball at that point either. Even though I was new, I do wish in hindsight that I knew more about what was going on and why the PSO decided on certain things. My new PSO seems okay and I will also be more proactive about the whole process.

[Jessiewoodard57]

My first PSO would just look at your hand then drill the ball. Consequently at the end of the night my thumb joint would hurt a lot. Along with that I had to use a death grip to hold it so as not to drop it upon release. I attributed that to ball weight and dropped from a 16# to 13# MISTAKE . after a few months a friend on staff at the bowling alley suggested I see a certain league bowler that was said to be the best ball driller around. I went and talked to him and the moment he saw me grip the ball he told me the grip pitches were all wrong. I stopped in his shop that weekend and he measured me and wow was that ball drilled all wrong. so I had him check my other balls and all 5 where different even though the same guy had drilled them all! Once my grip was fixed the pain stopped along with having to use a death grip to hold the ball. I learned that day that not all PSO shops are the same and choosing the cheapest one could be a big mistake! Went from 20 per ball drilling to 50 ....you get what you pay for.

[vdubtx]

My first PSO would just look at your hand then drill the ball. Consequently at the end of the night my thumb joint would hurt a lot. Along with that I had to use a death grip to hold it so as not to drop it upon release. I attributed that to ball weight and dropped from a 16# to 13# MISTAKE . after a few months a friend on staff at the bowling alley suggested I see a certain league bowler that was said to be the best ball driller around. I went and talked to him and the moment he saw me grip the ball he told me the grip pitches were all wrong. I stopped in his shop that weekend and he measured me and wow was that ball drilled all wrong. so I had him check my other balls and all 5 where different even though the same guy had drilled them all! Once my grip was fixed the pain stopped along with having to use a death grip to hold the ball. I learned that day that not all PSO shops are the same and choosing the cheapest one could be a big mistake! Went from 20 per ball drilling to 50 ....you get what you pay for.

Yeah, that's key to fine tuning your arsenal. A ball can be changed in a ton of ways to have it react and fit to your game. For me, when I get a Haywire(forgone conclusion whether i win one or buy one) I will likely just leave it a 2000 sanded as I have had great success with both Disturbed and Hyper Cell which are both 2000 sanded out of the box.

[JasonNJ]

I would definitely have a PSO examine your span and pitches. My bro-in-law had a similar problem very recently. His thumb would balloon after 2 games and he just struggled with it for like a year. He finally went back to the PSO and his pitch was off. So the PSO put in a new thumb slug drilled out a proper pitch and voila no more thumb pain and no more swelling.