Bigjfk -- some skin thickening on the pad side of the finger tips is normal -- this IS the part of the finger you lift and rotate the ball with. If it is hurting or peeling, check your finger flexibility. How much will the last finger joint bend without forcing it? A flexible joint will easily bend about 90 degrees. If yours bends less than that (compare it with fingers on your non-gripping hand, unless you have arthritis that affects them), you need some amount of reverse pitch in the finger holes to relieve the tension. If the joint will bend about 45 degrees, I recommend 1/2 inch of reverse pitch, if about 30 degrees, 3/4 inch. You can use those numbers to estimate what your pitch should be. Don't worry about losing lift or rotation with the reverse pitch, if you need it because of flexibility it won't affect your release except to make it pain free. -- JohnP