Layout experts, I need your input please...

Left handed...

I think/hope I'm nearing the finish line on getting my grip to where it actually should be after multiple years of having what I now believe was a seriously incorrect layout. I've gone from a span of 4 1/2 and 4 3/8 to 4 3/8 4 1/4. My finger reverse has gone from 5/8 and 3/8 to 3/8 and 1/4. The most important change is in my thumb.. I have gone from 1/4 quarter away and one eighth left to 1/16 forward and zero.

Although I think I'm doing everything correctly based on observations, I have a final problem to resolve. When I place my hand in the ball I can feel it rubbing on the outside of my thumb and the thumb hole seems too big for the ball now. However, I've developed a constant patch of split skin on the inside of my thumb, significant enough that I cannot bowl unless I use nu-skin and a patch over the thumb. So, something's still wrong.

Observations and questions:

With all of my old equipment, my hand does not feel comfortable in the ball. Now that I know what correct feels like, it was clearly screwed into the ball before. I have to squeeze the ball to keep it from falling off my hand. Under old thinking, that meant that it would come off easier in the release. I now realize that it only means I am squeezing the ball in order to hold on to it as I go through the steps. With my new equipment, the ball rests comfortably hanging from my hand with no effort. I could walk with it all day and it would never fall off. I believe that's a good thing.

The question of course is how to relieve the thumb problem. Again, I'm left-handed, and looking as I hold the ball down, it makes sense to move the pitch to relieve the pressure on the outside of my thumb. But will that increase or decrease the problem of split skin on the inside? Perhaps I should change the forward/reverse as well, or I've gone too far forward and am gripping on the inside?

What changes would you suggest?

Thanks in advance.

As a rule of thumb, you should also pitch the thumb in the direction of the rubbing.  A 1/8 to 1/4 pitch toward the sore side should correct your thumb problem.

To clarify this for the experts, are you saying that you are getting rubbing on one side of the thumb and on the opposite side you are experiencing split skin?

Left and right pitches are based on your hand shape. Comfortably hold a can or bottle, anything that allows your entire hand to be flat and not over lap your fingers with your thumb, but yet small enough to see the direction your thumb is pointing in relation to your fingers. If your thumb is pointing toward your ring finger, then you should have left pitch (the amount is determined by the degree of the angle); thumb pointing in between ring and middle finger, no lateral pitch needed; thumb pointing toward middle finger, then right pitch is needed, for a left handed bowler. Opposite for a right handed bowler.

Forward and reverse pitch is determined by the amount of stretch you have in your span, and the flexibility of your thumb, as well as the pitches you have in your fingers, and the amount of bevel used. Example, a short span can "feel" longer if pitches are forward with very little thumb bevel, compared to a longer span with reverse pitches and a lot of bevel. It all has to work together, and has to be consistent with your point of release.


A properly trained pro shop operator needs to see your hand, and asses what your needs are.

In this case, "hanging" infers that the ball doesn;'t drop off my hand when held upside down. This is a good thing. It used to take pressure, now it stay there. That's an improvement.
Now, interesting that you mention the top of the hole because that's exactly what I noticed this morning. Iseem to feel the problem at the top. So, are you thinking more bevel instead of a pitch change? And respectfully, my hand feels so much better in the ball and thru the release that I think the pitch changes were LONG overdue. Tweaking or not, it's been an amazing difference in feel.