Broncofan - great to hear. Squeezing is bad on so many levels. It's especially a rev killer because it prevents free and quick wrist motion. I believe most bowlers' thumb holes are too large. However, better to be too large and add some tape than risk injury. In fact, if your thumb swells, you can take tape out while you're bowling to accommodate. Buy bowling tape specifically engineered for this. It doesn't leave a sticky residue behind when it is removed - as long as you change tape once a month or so.
However, 16 pieces of tape (I've seen this) is too much. Even 6 pieces is pushing it. At the point, it's time to have the ball refitted, which is a good idea once per year anyway.
JJ "Better than Jello" Anderson - Kill the Back Row
Yea right now at most I use two pieces and by the third game I usually pull one piece out because my thumb does swell a bit. I bought myself a roll of 100 pieces so I should be set for a good long while. I actually like the feel of it better too. Just something about the grip of the tape that eases my mind off of my thumb and more to a good solid release.Originally Posted by JAnderson
I have been bowling on and off for about 8 years and my game (not in the bedroom hehe) has suffered due to severe injuries, school, and working a lot. I am not by any means a great bowler. During the past two months, I have had an average of about 140-150 (Kinda blaming my ball and the fact that I was changing my form). 2 weeks ago, I got a new ball, Motiv Cruel C51 LE, and have been working on my technique. 26 games later, my average has went up to around 200. I give all the credit to the revs I am able to throw now. From my experience, these are my tips on throwing a good ball and increasing your revs...
1.) Get into a routine before you throw the ball, EACH AND EVERY time! Mine is short but I noticed it has helped me to become a more consistent bowler and help to get in a "groove.". This is it;
a.) Wipe off my ball every time, to clean the cover of extra oil/conditioner and aide me to throw a more consistent ball.
b.) Put my hand by the air, to dry off my my hand. Thanks to my genes, I get sweaty easily.
c.) Ensure that I insert my fingers into the ball the same way every time. This helps your release from going to the right or left of your target thus increasing your accuracy.
2.) Master your approach. Keep it the same every time. This is often over looked but I can tell you for a fact that this is a very important part. When I screw up my approach, many bad things can happen. I;
a.) Throw the ball to the left or right of my target.
b.) The ball slips out of my hand and misses my mark, loses speed, and revs are decreased.
c.) Sometimes I even hit my leg and most of the time that happens it means it's an automatic gutter ball.
3.) On the backswing, make sure your elbow is in, comfortably, and keep your hand behind the ball until it gets to your foot. Once it gets to that point, you can begin to turn your wrist. This is, in my opinion, the most crucial step. A lot of bowlers (Including me 2 weeks ago) have low to medium rev rates because they keep their hand on the side of the ball instead of directly behind it. Last part of this process is to ensure that your thumb comes out of the ball before the fingers. If you master this step, your revs are going to increase dramatically.
Let me know how that works out and feel free to contact me with any questions you have. I'm not bragging or anything but increasing your average by 50 pins is a great improvement and I just want to try to pass on my knowledge.
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