Grip Pressure

[Strike Domination]

I've heard a few different things about this subject and apparently there's more than one way to go about it. I've heard that you should not have to grip the ball, and that it should hang on to you. I've also heard that you need to apply some pressure, but the constant is that you should never bend your thumb. So with the latter method, which I've been taught personally, you just apply pressure more with the base and skinny part of your thumb.

While I think it would be nice not to have to grip the ball(and sort of scary at the same time), since I tend to have a lot of problems with my thumb rubbing in the hole and causing irritation/tenderness, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that someone could do that. I know basically nothing about physics, but the weight of the ball when you drop it in the swing seems like more than enough for it to fall off your hand. That is, unless maybe if you make the thumb hole tight, then I'd be worried about having a clean release.

If also been told a few times to relax my grip after the ball reaches the top of the swing. I was pretty sketchy about that at first but I tried it and had a clean release sometimes. Other times, I dropped the ball and got gutters. Either way, I'm wondering if this is something anyone else does. It seems logical in the sense that a relaxed hand will allow your to release the ball properly, given good ball fit, but it also seems like the ball should fall to the ground.

Please share YOUR thoughts.

[Graaille]

From what I've been told/read/discussed/whatever.

The more pressure you have to apply with the tip/pad of the thumb, the less likely you are to have a clean release - and at least in my case - the more you tear up the back/sides of your thumb. The more snug you have the thumbhole, the more you can relax the thumb to have a cleaner release.

If I remember, I think it was Ron C who said that you want the thumbhole so tight that the ball won't come off if you grip it, but it will come off if you're thumb is completely relaxed. Counterintuative I know, but hear me out on this.

If you grip with your thumb, you're flexing the muscles inside it - making it bigger. If you're thumb is relaxed, it's as small as it can get. So when you're at the release point in your swing, intertia will pull the ball off of your thumb more consistantly than if you have to consciously/subconsciously release your thumb pressure due to gripping.

The caveat to this is that if you have it too tight, the thumbhole could seal/create a vacuum which goes back to having either a not clean release, or a potential Machuga moment. Ergo the use of tape/magic carpet/ventholes to releave the vacuum potential.

It's a balance that is constantly needing to be tweaked, because humidity, season of the year, whether your thumb swells or shrinks when you bowl, etc..... I've personally not found my best fit yet, but it's getting there.

[bowl1820]

I've heard a few different things about this subject and apparently there's more than one way to go about it. I've heard that you should not have to grip the ball, and that it should hang on to you. I've also heard that you need to apply some pressure, but the constant is that you should never bend your thumb. So with the latter method, which I've been taught personally, you just apply pressure more with the base and skinny part of your thumb.

It's not that you don't grip a ball (meaning applying some pressure to hold it), it's that you don't squeeze it while gripping it. It's like when picking a egg up, you grip it with a nice even pressure. But if your squeezing it, the egg busts.

Yes you shouldn't bend your thumb (it's called knuckling), the thumb should be straight and lay flat in the hole. If you bend your thumb in the hole, your basically locking it on your thumb and it's not going to release clean.

Also if your " knuckling" you may need to check your pitches, there maybe to much reverse pitch or the thumb hole is too big.

I tend to have a lot of problems with my thumb rubbing in the hole and causing irritation/tenderness, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that someone could do that.

This sounds like a span and/or pitch problem, you may need to have your grip checked. A lot of bowlers have too much reverse pitch, which can make it hard to hang on to the ball and they wind up squeezing and knuckling the ball.

I know basically nothing about physics, but the weight of the ball when you drop it in the swing seems like more than enough for it to fall off your hand. That is, unless maybe if you make the thumb hole tight, then I'd be worried about having a clean release.

The thumb should be tight (Meaning snug) and if your keeping the thumb straight it will come out cleanly. I like it just big enough to put a piece of tape in.

If also been told a few times to relax my grip after the ball reaches the top of the swing. I was pretty sketchy about that at first but I tried it and had a clean release sometimes. Other times, I dropped the ball and got gutters. Either way, I'm wondering if this is something anyone else does. It seems logical in the sense that a relaxed hand will allow your to release the ball properly, given good ball fit, but it also seems like the ball should fall to the ground.

Please share YOUR thoughts.

Yes your grip should be relaxed, but not so relaxed you drop or can't control the ball. It's hard to describe a feel.

Take a look at this Ron Clifton article it might explain a lot better.

Eliminate the Kung Fu Death Grip

[jaws1945]

I agree with the magic carpet. It has helped me avoid squeezing the ball, which has always been a bad habit of mine.

[tbrownie]

Well, this is just my experience here, but i used to have my thumb rub blisters and tear up all the time, but it finally built up a calus ...i butchered that spelling.... and now i dont have that problem at all.. I just recently tried Ron Cliftons Magic Carpet, and after three games it cut open my thumb from the friction, and the hole wasnt too tight, just the edge of the peice of tape was too sharp... If you email Ron he will send you two sample pieces for free.

You can find his email and info about the Magic Carpet here:

http://www.bowl4fun.com/magiccarpet/magiccarpet.htm

His email is at the very bottom of the page.

[bowl1820]

Well, this is just my experience here, but i used to have my thumb rub blisters and tear up all the time, but it finally built up a calus ...i butchered that spelling.... and now i dont have that problem at all..

If that is happening to your thumb without the magic carpet. You need to get your grip checked.

Take a look at this web page at jayhawk-


Fit Problems with a list of possible explanations

Here you can diagnose why you have a blisters/callus, they have pictures so easy to figure out.
Things like-
* Excessive Reverse Pitch
* Span Too Short or Too Long
* Hole Too Big

* Span Too Short or Too Long
* Hole Needs More Bevel
* Hole Too Big

[bigern523]

If you have your pro shop guy put a big slug in an old ball . You can try different pitches in your thumb fairly cheaply . It can be changed by drilling it out and put a new solid slug in and drilling the new pitch . There are limits to the pitches you can try with this method , but it is the cheapest way to experiment . I did this a few years back . I actually tried 3 pitches in 1 afternoon .
If you are having your thumb Tearing open I suggest you find a new pitch .

[playbowl]

SD

Believe it or not it is possible to have a ball "stick" to your hand while forcing your hand "open" without it not dropping off anywhere in your swing except at your ankle. (Revs go up). That is when you know it is drilled for your hand and you are throwing it correctly. In addition the calluses go away and it is nothing to roll 15 to 20 games.

A lot of research has gone into grip dynamics in the last 10 years with IBPSIA trying to standardize grip drilling. It does take some trial and error to get it right. When you talk to your driller again remember: Move pitch in the direction of the injury.
(eg. if the soreness is on the right side of your thumb - you need more right lateral pitch)

[kev3inp]

I'm a firm believer in magic carpet. It can take a little getting used to, but irritation comes mostly from knuckling the ball. You may swear you're not doing it, but after a while it's so ingrained you almost can't not do it. Like trying to unlearn to ride a bike. I have it in all my equipment and it cuts way down on my tape usage.

[Strike Domination]

I have indeed read all of Ron C's articles as well as the Jayhawk fitting tips. The thing about my rub/hang spot is I think it's not so much at the bottom of the hole, but more near the top. I've gone back on forth on span and pitch changes for a while now. I'm pretty sure my span is right now, I figured that out some time ago, it's pitches I've mainly been playing with for the better part of the past year. I'm trying to figure out the lateral pitch I should have in order to avoid both rubbing and hanging. It's like a catch 22, if I pitch more right I rub on the right side of my thumb(with it pointing up), if I pitch left the right side of my thumb hangs at the top of the hole. This is from 1/8 right to 1/8 left respectively. Lateral pitch of 0 might be best but there's still some hang there.

Hole shape could have something to do with it. My driller uses the bevel sander quite a bit after drilling. On a test ball I had him drill a more oval hole with limited use of the bevel sander. I tried 3/8 left first, which is when I first felt what it was like to hang at the top of the hole on the right side of my thumb. At 1/8 left it's not as bad but still there, also with a more oval hole. Now on the holes that are a little more round because he used the bevel sander quite a bit, there's 0 and 1/8 right. I still notice some hang in the same area, but at 1/8 right I'm rubbing really bad probably at the bottom of the hole. I hope this is not too confusing to understand what's been going on.

Now on the 1/8 left hole, I like that the best as far as feel goes. It's just the hanging I'm afraid of. Sometimes it'll hang, sometimes it won't. And it's not directly on the side of my thumb, it's a little bit toward the pad side. I even made a video of me putting my thumb in and out to illustrate it if you'd be interested in seeing that. I'm at 1/4 forward in my thumb right now, just recently went to it. I was at 1/8 forward for a while before that. My span is 4 1/4 and 4 1/8. I'm thinking if I snug the hole enough I may not need that much forward but I'm not sure. I'm not even sure how snug is too snug and all that, is there any test for that? Also could that much forward have anything to do with the hanging even though it's at the side/front of my thumb(I thought forward pitch would only hang on the back of the thumb)?

Sorry about going a little off-topic but it seems the root of my problem is partially bad ball fit so I'd like a little advice on that. Thanks to those who answered my question about how and when to apply grip pressure. It seems to agreement is that the ball should be fitted to stay on your hand with minimal grip pressure(like the egg anology) but it's best to completely relieve the pressure at least for the downswing?