THUMB IN FULLY, BUT HOW MUCH?

[bowlersam]

Attached is a picture of my thumb with 2 white lines, marked as A and B.

Upto which line should the thumb be inserted?

[rico4life]

this is personal choice i prefer line b it makes easier to get thumb out consistently, and harder to squeeze ball.

[xrayjay]

A qualified PSO will tell you. The thumb fit is real important for timing, fit, and producing a clean release to name a few .  I'm not a driller, but there are other things to determine a proper thumb fit.

I have my thumb fully inserted, very snug, and I adjusting/fix timing/feel with tape.

[bowlersam]

this is personal choice i prefer line b it makes easier to get thumb out consistently, and harder to squeeze ball.

Thanks. I thought so too. It's been few years that I have a sticking problem in the thumb on exit plus I used to grab a lot making a hard callous on the side which you can see in the picture.

I saw a video recently on YouTube. The guy's thumb was not as much in as I thought it should be or as much as I bury it in. So I tried less Bevel on the top of the hole and went in up to line B. It felt a bit better and I came out a little cleaner. The callous which used to rub, rubbed less, hence less pain.

So I thought I get some comments on this to see how people like to do it.

[St. Croix]

A qualified PSO will tell you. The thumb fit is real important for timing, fit, and producing a clean release to name a few .  I'm not a driller, but there are other things to determine a proper thumb fit.

I have my thumb fully inserted, very snug, and I adjusting/fix timing/feel with tape.

Agree with xrayjay; I insert my thumb all the way to the base. Your fit should be snug, but you should not have to force your thumb all the way in.

[cory867]

I am a PSO and your thumb should be inserted all the way to the base.  If the fit and pitches are correct there will be no issues with release or pain.  If you are having pain in your hand and your current PSO can not fix it then find a new PSO.  The one you have is not very good!

[xrayjay]

this is personal choice i prefer line b it makes easier to get thumb out consistently, and harder to squeeze ball.

Thanks. I thought so too. It's been few years that I have a sticking problem in the thumb on exit plus I used to grab a lot making a hard callous on the side which you can see in the picture.

I saw a video recently on YouTube. The guy's thumb was not as much in as I thought it should be or as much as I bury it in. So I tried less Bevel on the top of the hole and went in up to line B. It felt a bit better and I came out a little cleaner. The callous which used to rub, rubbed less, hence less pain.

So I thought I get some comments on this to see how people like to do it.

sometimes what we think looks or feels right, isn't always right. Just because one person does it, doesn't mean it'll work for you even if you think it does. The thumb is an important piece in you grip. You get that wrong, your release will suffer. Worse, your thumb (anatomy) will suffer.

Like I said before, there's more to it than showing a picture of your thumb and watching youtube. go see a qualified PSO.

[MI 2 AZ]

I just want to mention to the posters who keep telling bowlersam to see a qualified PSO, that he has posted in this topic:
http://www.ballreviews.com/beginners-board/ball-fit-t310012.0.html

that that is not possible as there is no qualified PSO in his entire country of Pakistan.  He is attempting to learn from scratch how to drill his own balls.  I am sure he would appreciate any help with that in mind.

[bowlersam]

I just want to mention to the posters who keep telling bowlersam to see a qualified PSO, that he has posted in this topic:
http://www.ballreviews.com/beginners-board/ball-fit-t310012.0.html

that that is not possible as there is no qualified PSO in his entire country of Pakistan.  He is attempting to learn from scratch how to drill his own balls.  I am sure he would appreciate any help with that in mind.

Thanks for support my friend

[xrayjay]

I just want to mention to the posters who keep telling bowlersam to see a qualified PSO, that he has posted in this topic:
http://www.ballreviews.com/beginners-board/ball-fit-t310012.0.html




that that is not possible as there is no qualified PSO in his entire country of Pakistan.  He is attempting to learn from scratch how to drill his own balls.  I am sure he would appreciate any help with that in mind.

whoa..that makes a difference...

[Speeddemon]

If you have trouble with getting a clean release you can try a bowling thumb sock.
I got one of each type today and I am very impressed , a great product.

There is one for when your thumb is small( thumbhole loose) and one for when the thumb is big (thumbhole tight) and one with a opening in the center to allow a bit of "feel" in the ball.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321946411976  ( just scroll down on the page )

[bowlersam]

If you have trouble with getting a clean release you can try a bowling thumb sock.
I got one of each type today and I am very impressed , a great product.

There is one for when your thumb is small( thumbhole loose) and one for when the thumb is big (thumbhole tight) and one with a opening in the center to allow a bit of "feel" in the ball.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321946411976  ( just scroll down on the page )

You are absolutely right about Thumb Sock. I don't have that but I used Hadh Patch and Turbo Skin Protection tape. I do get somewhat smoother release with those, but my questions is regarding the way thumb is inserted.

Does it have to go all the way In like in A in the picture or all the way in means upto line B.

Let's get some answers regarding that. It's very important, at least for me to know what is the correct way of inserting thumb all the way in.

My feeling as follows.

I don't have access to Tri Oval system from Jay Hawk or a mill to drill Oval Thumb hole. Hence I have always had round hole for my Oval Thumb. That makes the release very difficult. So used a lot of bevelling and as a result the thumb was being inserted way down below. There was a lot of rubbing causing a hump where it shows the callous and rough skin.

Lately, on someone's advice, I Ovalled my thumb with a Bevel Knife and filer. It felt a lot better but gripping never really stopped.

I thought the part of the problem may be too much bevelled and improper thumb hole shape

[Speeddemon]

I have the thumb at point a, and I belive most bowlers use that. 

The thing that is important is to put fingers in ball first and then the thumb.

Make sure that the fingers are not inserted to deep in the ball, this will cause problems getting out of the ball. 

A way of finding out if your span is to short or long, just play with your fingers, try different depths and feel the difference when you let it go off your hand.

It is possible it will be better when you get your middle finger insert.

You can  release the ball with your wrist either cupped, straight or broken down and try to feel if the balls come of better one way or another.
This is a way to check if your pitches fits your type of release. 

Hope this can be of some use.
Ps!
You should order some oval Thumb inserts or round for that matter.  Its a must have for your thumb, it can also be the reason you struggle to get a clean release.