Expert: - 7/8/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hey;
I am on the newer side of bowling and am having some serious issues with beating up my thumb. I have been bowling for about 3 months and just recently switched to a 3 bowling style with a finger tip grip. I am averaging right around a 170 on house lanes which i consider to be decent considering my short term bowling. I am throwing a 16 lb black widow bite that is "supposedly" drilled to my hand. I am not weak, but a smaller guy at 140 lbs. I continually have been tearing large amounts of skin off of my thumb. At first it was on the inner side of my thumb right past the large knuckle (where the thumb is all the way in the ball). Then last night i tore a big piece off on the left side of my thumb (looking at the nail side). I don't know much about pitch or span as I am very new to bowling, but I love the sport. Could it be that my drill is wrong? Or I have been told to maybe try a lighter ball. 16 may be causing me to grip too hard and not release? On a side note, I have had trouble pulling my thumb out of the ball before I rotate the hand to place revs on the ball. Is there some type of exercise to help with thumb release allowing me to get more revs on the ball, because with my current release I struggle to place even a medium amount of revs on the ball. THANKS!

ANSWER: Jake,
It is likely that using a ball that doesn't fit has created a muscle memory of needing to grip the ball (squeeze with the thumb). When you hold on to the ball with the thumb, it's easiest to just bend it a little. The damage to your thumb sounds like it's right on the sides of the knuckle, where your thumb would be broader when you squeeze (bend it). Concentrate on keeping your thumb very straight in the ball, that will help it exit the ball properly.

Your previous experience (with house balls) caused the desire (need) to grip the ball, as I suspect you didn't use your Black Widow from day one. House balls aren't meant to fit, just to come off, and a certain amount of gripping is necessary so they don't fall off at the wrong time. Unfortunately, when you start out with a house ball, you're starting out creating bad BAD habits.

If you've had your ball for three months, you should have started to get used to the fit (if it is a good one) and should be squeezing less. If the BW is still requiring you squeeze, talk to the driller and suggest that the thumb damage shouldn't be happening, what can he do to help.

Lots of little things can influence how a ball fits and when it comes off your hand, I'd surmise that your size might mean shorter fingers and a smaller hand, and too much pitch could cause the ball to feel like it's falling off too soon and cause you to grab it. Is the thumb hole tight or loose? What are your spans? If you can get a copy of your fit information, I can evaluate if the grip might be off a little.  The ball weight might be part of the issue (I encourage new bowlers to get a ball about 10% of their body weight then adjust for athleticism).

The revs issue leads me to believe that your fit is impeding you from releasing at the right point. When a ball fits, it almost floats off the hand allowing for the side turn and rotation you want to impart. When it is late coming off the hand, much of the energy is lost as it jerks off the hand. Thanks for the questions. Please fill me in some more and we can address the fit issue specifically.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey;
Thanks for the quick response and I think it is going to help. I guess a few more follow up things. I should clarify that I have been throwing the widow for about a month or so, with bowling once or twice a week. My thumb hole is kind of loose. After the initial drill it was too tight and my thumb would get stuck in the ball because I have kind of thick knuckles. So I asked him to drill out the sides a little, now it seems far too loose.

I have also noticed that on a lot of releases my ball tends to take a couple bounces on the lane before it smooths out. This leads me to believe that it is either too heavy or too loose because it comes out a little early. This leads me to conclude that I am gripping the ball too tight because it is coming out too early. Then when it comes out on time I am still gripping the ball causing a tear on my thumb. My span (I think I am correct in speaking here), being the distance from my thumb hole to my finger tip holes, is long too I think. When I place my thumb all the way into the ball it takes some stretching to get my finger tips in. I was told on a good drill you can place a pen between your hand and the ball, which I cannot. Could this lead me to these issues as well?

I think in the end I might end up getting a new ball that is a little less advanced and a little lighter. A 15 or maybe even a 14 might help. This time I am going to make sure I get a good solid drill as well. Thank you for the information!

Answer
Hey,
You probably bent the thumb that's why it felt so tight before, but are more relaxed now, so have the driller help with a couple pieces (as needed) of tape to help snug the thumb a little.

What you are experiencing when it bounces a couple times is not an early release (something you want) but a way too late release where you're launching the ball up and out (like a softball pitch) onto the lane. Ideally the path should be out and down, like a plane landing.

Gripping the ball will lead to a late delivery. Your span sounds close but maybe a touch long, but being able to release the ball with a thumb adjustment (the bigger hole) suggests that it's close. If your previous bowling was done with a way to short house ball almost anything will feel (too) long. When you put your fingers into the first crease if the thumb slides in with out any help you should be ok. If you must work to get it in, it MUST be released perfectly, and as a newer bowler, I'm not sure if you're anywhere near there yet. Getting any hand action when the release must be executed perfectly is near impossible unless you are very, VERY practiced.

If the hole is loose and you're still tearing your thumb, you are still bending (the thumb) to hold onto the ball. Possibly, length and pitch and hole size can be slightly adjusted. Use the old ball as a template for your driller of what NOT to do. Explain what's happening and they should be able to suggest the adjustments needed. Thanks for the follow up. Good luck and good bowling.