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Thread: Bowling Ball Release

  1. #1

    Default Bowling Ball Release

    Hey guys, so recently, I got all of my balls redrilled during the highschool bowling season.


    I own four balls:

    Crux, Crux Pearl, Hy-Road Pearl, and a White Dot.


    You know, throughout matchplay and the constant practices I attend for highschool bowling, it builds some pressure on the thumb. Right now, I have a blister that's healing on the left side of my thumb, and a callus on the right side of my thumb, that drags on the thumbhole a bit.


    The holes on the balls are pretty good! They were drilled by an experienced pro shop guy that's great.


    So to help create that smoother release, I would slip on a piece of red tape on the left side of my thumb so the ball wouldn't be so sticky upon releasing it. It seemed to work nicely, and, protected my blister from worsening and reduced the pain to a considerable amount. :P

    However. When I didn't use tape this one time, I lobbed the Hy-Road into the air, probably for about 5 feet or so before hitting the lane, maybe less, it's just a rough estimate.


    This did happen three times in total. The other times, were a different set of circumstances however.. (But I didn't have tape on my thumb during those test runs as well, I believe both times, atleast!)


    So I decided to get a thumb saver. When I tried it on, it felt comfortable. If anybody's wondering, Robby's was the brand. So I put my thumb in the ball, but it felt tighter and more of a job to get my thumb in the hole. It kinda hurt for a few of my balls, ouch! But it came out so smooth on the release, and not much pain to the thumb from releasing the ball as well.


    Just two notes here, it's a little bit hard to grip the balls with the tip of the saver, so the ball literally just slips right out some times before I even finish following through! But I just feel my thumb getting crunched as I slowly put it in the ball's thumb hole...


    This is a quite confusing time right now.. Season's almost over, so my thumb should heal up after that and most likely the balls won't be too sticky. I do have some tape for inside the thumb hole, I've never used it though. I like the effect the thumb saver produces, it just hurts my thumb getting it in some of the holes


    I decided to post this here if anybody had an idea for improvement, or had a similar experience. Thanks a bunch!

  2. #2
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    Do you have a oval thumb hole?

    Rubbing on both sides of the thumb, usually happens when the hole is round and/or too tight.

    You can try openning the hole up on the sides some, to make it a bit more oval ans see how it does.

    Right handed Stroker, high track ,about 13 degree axis tilt. PAP is located 5 9/16” over 1 3/4” up.Speed ave. about 14 mph at the pins. Medium rev’s.High Game 300, High series 798

    "Talent without training is nothing." Luke Skywalker

  3. #3

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    I've no experience with Robby's thumb saver first off, but is that something your pro shop guy recommended?
    One thing you might consider is to use a small piece of Scotch-Brite and smooth out the thumb hole on the back and sides. You can get it pretty darn smooth so that your thumb clears easily.
    I suggest that you explain to your pro shop guy what you're experiencing though.
    The fit should be good enough that the ball will not fall off your hand even without your fingers in the ball. Chances are that the pitch of the thumb hole is reverse (away from the palm) rather than zero or forward (towards the palm of the hand). You shouldn't be gripping the ball with your thumb and certainly not using the tip of your thumb. Attempt to keep it straight in the hole. When you at into your backswing, the pad side of the thumb just above the knuckle will be in firm contact with the front of the thumb hole (not the tip) and this should provide you with a consistent release of the ball once the ball is down at your ankle.
    Personally I tend to use protective tape on my thumb to avoid any blisters or calluses. I even have some on the pad side of my thumb for a good feel.
    Good luck...

  4. #4

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    Thanks for the replies!


    The holes I have now are pretty close to perfect circles, not really that oval-like. It's not fun putting your thumb into a some-what tight thumb hole with a blister that's healing on it.. :/

    I'll probably end up talking to my pro shop guy again.

  5. #5
    Bowling Guru Amyers's Avatar
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    I would suggest talking to your proshop guy some more. It's not that what you have is necessarily incorrect but that it may just not be what works for you. I had to adjust the pitches in my thumb multiple times to fix rubbing issues. Urethane slugs for the thumb have been a big help to me and I always use a piece of drywall finishing screen to smooth the hole out a little after drilling. Just a few things that have worked for me
    I am a proud member of Bowlingboards.com bowling forums and ball contest winner

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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by BowlerGuy1500 View Post
    TThe holes I have now are pretty close to perfect circles, not really that oval-like.
    In that case that's the most likely cause of the problem. Most people have oval shaped thumbs, not round ones.

    Right handed Stroker, high track ,about 13 degree axis tilt. PAP is located 5 9/16” over 1 3/4” up.Speed ave. about 14 mph at the pins. Medium rev’s.High Game 300, High series 798

    "Talent without training is nothing." Luke Skywalker

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