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Thread: Thumb Sticking

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by grumpter View Post
    The thumb stick issue continues to plague me and gets worse as the night goes on. I have definitely determined that hitting golf balls before league play is not the lone issue. Before league started I looked t my thumbs and to the naked eye I would say they were exactly the same size. By the third game there was a noticeable difference and had one throw stick all the way through the follow through. I may have to look into an interchangeable thumb system just for league night. It is not nearly as big of an issue when practicing alone or with one other person.

    For league night my first game is by far the best, then second game drops a bit and the 3rd is by far my worst. 4 weeks in a row of the same thing.

    I would definitely find the best pro shop around and go have your fit checked. A little swelling every so often I wouldn't be concerned about but it sounds like your fit is wrong and it's causing your thumb to swell.

  2. #22

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    I prefer to do it myself with a piece of sandpaper. Just sand the sides of your thumb hole for a few seconds, to make it more oval shaped.

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonNJ View Post
    I would definitely find the best pro shop around and go have your fit checked. A little swelling every so often I wouldn't be concerned about but it sounds like your fit is wrong and it's causing your thumb to swell.
    Thing is I did go to the 'best' pro shop which I detailed in post #13. The differences in the ball he drilled and my original ball were significant and the new ball definitely releases better... on most nights.

    Since I have had the new ball:

    1/22 - 2 games early evening and 6 games later that night with no sticking issues
    1/24 (league night) - A few sticking issues in the 3rd game. The other team only had 3 of 4 players so the wait between shots was less than previous weeks.
    1/26 - 4 games no thumb stick issues
    1/27 - 4 games no thumb stick issues
    1/29 - 6 games no thumb stick issues
    1/31 (league night) - A few more thumb stick issues than the previous league night and they started in the second game. This time the other team had 4 players and the wait between shots was longer than the first week with the new ball.

    That's 22 games on non-league night with no issues. In 6 games of league play I have had the issue in the 3rd game of the first week and the last 2 games of the 2nd week. The issue seems isolated to league play only and to the later games. With the old ball the same thing.. the later in the night the more likely to have a stick issue. Maybe it is the wait between shots giving the thumb time to swell IDK.

    I may hit it very slightly with some sandpaper as GrumpyCatFace suggests but I am going to be very conservative about it. What grit can someone suggest for that?

  4. #24
    Bowling Guru Amyers's Avatar
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    IMO dry wall sanding screen works best you can get it from Lowe's. It actually comes out smoother than you can get with sandpaper. its one of those secrets a lot of people don't know. cut the screen into strips a little less than the size of your thumb and always carry a piece.

    With the issues you are having though I believe I would have the proshop sand out the thumb enough so I can get 2-3 pieces of white tape in their comfortably and then remove the tape as needed should solve your problem completely. You may want to hit the hole slightly with the sanding screen even after they do believe me it leads to a better surface.
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  5. #25

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    Grumpter, You continue to have what you call thumb sticking. You've had plenty of suggestions to help including your multiple trips to the pro shop or pro shops.
    What you have said is where on your thumb stick does it stick? Typically when you swing your ball you should not have to hang on to it with a death grip. It's been said in many bowling books that your grip should be like holding a bird in your hand softly. When you get into your swing, the pad of your thumb should be allowing to ball to hold on to you and not you holding on to the ball. Personally I've found that real bowlers tape works very nicely for me on the front side of the thumb hole. I still use the white tape in the hole, too, but the final layer is real bowlers tape (https://www.mongoosebowlingproducts....l-bowlers-tape). I use a piece of black tape on the back of the hole to get the fit just right.
    Since most of your issues are during league, chances are that you're doing things a bit different than when bowling by yourself. Try focusing on relaxing yourself a bit more during league and do the same kinds of things you might do when you're there by yourself.
    Good luck!

  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by Amyers View Post
    IMO dry wall sanding screen works best you can get it from Lowe's. It actually comes out smoother than you can get with sandpaper. its one of those secrets a lot of people don't know. cut the screen into strips a little less than the size of your thumb and always carry a piece.

    With the issues you are having though I believe I would have the proshop sand out the thumb enough so I can get 2-3 pieces of white tape in their comfortably and then remove the tape as needed should solve your problem completely. You may want to hit the hole slightly with the sanding screen even after they do believe me it leads to a better surface.
    I will check that out.

    Quote Originally Posted by djp1080 View Post
    Grumpter, You continue to have what you call thumb sticking. You've had plenty of suggestions to help including your multiple trips to the pro shop or pro shops.
    What you have said is where on your thumb stick does it stick? Typically when you swing your ball you should not have to hang on to it with a death grip. It's been said in many bowling books that your grip should be like holding a bird in your hand softly. When you get into your swing, the pad of your thumb should be allowing to ball to hold on to you and not you holding on to the ball. Personally I've found that real bowlers tape works very nicely for me on the front side of the thumb hole. I still use the white tape in the hole, too, but the final layer is real bowlers tape (https://www.mongoosebowlingproducts....l-bowlers-tape). I use a piece of black tape on the back of the hole to get the fit just right.
    Since most of your issues are during league, chances are that you're doing things a bit different than when bowling by yourself. Try focusing on relaxing yourself a bit more during league and do the same kinds of things you might do when you're there by yourself.
    Good luck!
    I cannot say I know where it is sticking but I will try to remember to check the next time it occurs. The more games I play there is definitely more pressure build up when the thumb is going in. Both PSO's told me fingers in first and then thumb and I have followed that advice since the first night I had my own ball.

    When I went to a bowling ball demo I asked one of the reps about the thumb sticking and he advised it should feel like I am trying to push my thumbnail against the back of the hole. I am sure some of my problems are my technique at times but that I am working on.

    I have three kinds of bowling tape - Black quick release, white slow release and the kind that goes on the back of your thumb rather than inside the thumb hole. Really haven't had a chance to try most of them yet but plan to try during practice before the next league night. The first PSO told me to never put tape on the front of the thumb hole as that increases your span. Not sure if that is good advice or not.

    At first I couldn't think of anything that I am doing differently on league night but now that I think on it one thing I am doing is using more baby powder because it does temporarily help. I wonder, with the heat of so many people in a small space combined with the increased use of baby powder, if it is causing a buildup inside the thumb hole. Last night I did take the ball off the rack and gave the thumbhole a cleaning with a microfiber towel as well as wiping off my thumb a bit. That was right after the ball stuck on my hand all the way through the follow through. Honestly I can't remember how much better the next throw was and I am pretty sure I went right back to the baby powder before bowling that shot and subsequent shots. I don't know if I am brave enough to try a full night with no baby powder but I am getting desperate as my league average is about 25 pins lower than my non-league average.

  7. #27
    Bowling Guru Amyers's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grumpter View Post
    I will check that out.



    I cannot say I know where it is sticking but I will try to remember to check the next time it occurs. The more games I play there is definitely more pressure build up when the thumb is going in. Both PSO's told me fingers in first and then thumb and I have followed that advice since the first night I had my own ball.

    When I went to a bowling ball demo I asked one of the reps about the thumb sticking and he advised it should feel like I am trying to push my thumbnail against the back of the hole. I am sure some of my problems are my technique at times but that I am working on.

    I have three kinds of bowling tape - Black quick release, white slow release and the kind that goes on the back of your thumb rather than inside the thumb hole. Really haven't had a chance to try most of them yet but plan to try during practice before the next league night. The first PSO told me to never put tape on the front of the thumb hole as that increases your span. Not sure if that is good advice or not.

    At first I couldn't think of anything that I am doing differently on league night but now that I think on it one thing I am doing is using more baby powder because it does temporarily help. I wonder, with the heat of so many people in a small space combined with the increased use of baby powder, if it is causing a buildup inside the thumb hole. Last night I did take the ball off the rack and gave the thumbhole a cleaning with a microfiber towel as well as wiping off my thumb a bit. That was right after the ball stuck on my hand all the way through the follow through. Honestly I can't remember how much better the next throw was and I am pretty sure I went right back to the baby powder before bowling that shot and subsequent shots. I don't know if I am brave enough to try a full night with no baby powder but I am getting desperate as my league average is about 25 pins lower than my non-league average.
    This is just me personally but try to get away from powder. It makes the first couple of balls feel good but then males the sticking situation worse in my opinion. I think it builds up on your thumb and the whole myself. I've never had that as a long term solution.
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  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by Amyers View Post
    This is just me personally but try to get away from powder. It makes the first couple of balls feel good but then males the sticking situation worse in my opinion. I think it builds up on your thumb and the whole myself. I've never had that as a long term solution.
    That's what I'm thinking now. It makes sense. I was so worried about solving the problem, which it does temporarily, that I didn't even consider the build up. I think the first thing is to give the hole a good cleaning tonight and then try the dry wall screening. The baby powder is going to stay in the bag for now but I am going to try to use it only as a last resort. I also have the tapes to try which I will do before resorting to powder.

  9. #29

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    I, too, would stop using baby powder. I recall trying it about ten years ago after I came back to bowling as I was sticking in the thumb. It never helped.
    My issue was grabbing at the ball and my knuckle was rubbing on the back side of the hole which made it feel to me that the hole was way too small. Of course, it wasn't too small. It was what I was doing while trying to things that didn't help matters at all.
    I tore up the back of my thumb one morning during league and I was desperate in trying to find a fix. The first thing that allowed me to bowl without tearing up my thumb was HADA protection tape that my PSO gave me. My thumb slid right out of that ball now. I've finally gone to using Storm Thunder Tape cut for my thumb where it wraps around the tip of my thumb to provide a feel that I really like both on the pad side and on the back side.
    Back a couple of years ago Turbo Grips had a video of how various pro bowlers used their tape products. Michael Fagan pretty much wrapped up his entire thumb with black protective tape! Learned something about how to use some of this stuff. Their support line is somewhat helpful.
    Good luck in the learning process...

  10. #30
    High Roller Blacksox1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Amyers View Post
    Having the new ball slugged is a good option to look into. Good catch Jason I didn't even think about that. Another long time trick is get some dry wall sanding screen from Lowes it works fantastic on thumb holes and leaves a slicker finish than the sandpaper most proshops use. it's perfect for on the fly small adjustments
    Gold star tip about the dry wall screen. Well done Amyers !
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