Hello All,

Just joined...having a heck of a problem with my thumb drilling. Poured over the web, but have not been able to find much of anything on the subject. My problem is, well...I have hammer thumb, murderer's thumb, clubbed thumb, technically called Brachydactyly Type D (BDD). I've attached two pics, but essentially it's just a fat, stubby thumb with no real tip to speak of. Wondering if anyone on the board has the same beautiful affliction. I have just had my ball plugged a 3rd time, and getting ready to re-drill Wednesday at my local pro shop. My issue is major pain on the inside of thumb above the joint towards palm where the ball hole stops, and inevitable cut/scraping along the backside below the knuckle on the nail side. Tried normal pitch, then 5/8" reverse pitch so far, along with a ton of beveling. This had been a nightmare, and is truly zapping all the fun out of learning the sport. If I can't get it straightened out, I may have to revert to two-handed, but I'm almost 40 years old, and my body/back is just not very excited about the prospect. I'm going to plaster this post across all the sites I'm familiar with in the hopes that someone will hear my plea, but please reach out if you have any experience or information with this issue. I love bowling, love the sounds, love the environment...really want to get better and learn, but this pain is zapping my enthusiasm bit by bit. Thank you in advance for your input!

I've had some thumb issues myself. Keep working with it and trying different things. A few things that might help.

#1. Roby's skin protectant can help prevent and get the problem area on the nail side. Won't solve the problem but make it more comfortable to bowl until you do.

#2. Have them slug the thumb hole instead of plugging it. The slugs can be drilled out and replaced in minutes so you can try different pitches quickly.

#3. Pain in the back of the thumb near the palm may be your span being to long.

None of this will solve the problem but might help you find the problem quicker and survive until you do.

Sounds like you need a different pro shop to refit you.

"5/8" reverse pitch so far, along with a ton of beveling."

"We tried beveling out the front of the thumb hole today (toward the fingers), but it essentially took away my thumb's grip on the ball,"

That right there sounds like too long of a span to begin with.

5/8" reverse is a lot! of reverse

beveling shortens a span, so with all that reverse that's why you lost the grip on the ball and started knuckling the thumb (bending my thumb) to hang on the ball.

I'm guessing you also don't have a lot of flexibility in your thumb, so that ton of reverse isn't helping.

Appreciate the input...from everything I've read, having a properly drilled ball should feel like an extension, not an intrusion. My pro and I talked a little about it tonight before I requested the plug, and reducing the span was one approach he wanted to take. He's been great to work with, been doing it for over five years, but unfortunately has never encountered a thumb like mine. I can't blame him, it's fairly rare. Really praying that this last drill will be the one. I can't focus on much else other than the fact that something doesn't feel right when bowling...very distracting. Going to give it another shot or two with him...he's really doing his best to fit my mutation!

Thanks so much for y'all's input!

Thanks, billdozer...by "straight", do you mean "no pitch" at all?

I'm guessing the Thumb Straight he's referring too is a small plastic thing you insert into your thumb hole. To straighten the thumb.

That thing

Yeah just from looking at your thumb I would almost guarantee your span is too long.  Your thumb looks normal enough for it to function fine . . but seeing as how you lack enough length past the knuckle to "properly grip" it, you're probably having to really clamp down more than most.  That's either caused by too much reverse or too long of a span that forces you to grip so that your thumb will contact on the front side of the hole.  Looking at your thumb, the only reason to have a lot of bevel would be a span that's too long.  Some people with ok spans need bevel just because their thumb is wider at the base than the tip, but you don't have that problem. 

The ideal thumb placement is for your thumb socket to be directly above the thumbhole with a relaxed grip.  This allows you to keep your thumb straight, which allows it to come straight out upon the release.  This requires you to have a fairly "square" edge on the hole.  If you don't, your hand will/could slide up towards the fingers and out of position. 

If you have to crook your thumb to get over the edge and into the hole then your span is almost definitely too long.  If you are having to tweak your thumb to get it into the hole then your lateral pitches in your thumb could be off as well.