I have an EXTREMELY long span.  If i put my thumb in the ball first, the last joint in my fingers is BARELY to the edge of the grip.  This span actually feels right to me, & is actually causing me a little LESS wrist pain than my relaxed span did.  

Are there people whose hands r actually flexible enough to have a really long span that is actually not a problem?

Shawn

I am now going from a stretched span, and taking it 3/8 inch shorter.. I have thrown 3 games and working with the pitch in the thumb... This seem to take care of my hand issues... Strange at first..but much easier to throw.. the release point is a little different.. but ended up throwing a 630 series.

I feel that longer spans shorten the amount of time between the thumb clearing thumb hole and the fingers exiting the ball (the hand is already stretched, so all the pressure is on the fingers, so as soon as the thumb exits, the fingers are going to want to exit as well).  With a relaxed span, there is little to no pressure on the fingers.  Once the thumb clears, there is more time to build up pressure on the fingers, prior the fingers exiting the ball.  As a result, its easier (I feel much easier) to get effort-less revs on a ball with a shorter span.  Longer spans tend to make you lift or hit the ball to get revs on it, while shorter spans don't.  Click HERE for an article on the "modern" method of fitting a span.  If you have had a stretched span for quite some time, a relaxed span is definitely going to feel different (maybe even hard to get out of the ball).  But after bowling it a relaxed span for a while, people tend to start to allow their hand/arm relax and come out of the ball just fine.  Of course, this is only a suggestion.. everyone is different and comfort IS the biggest factor (however if your hand is stretched and tight, I'm not sure it can be truly comfortable).

S^2
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I use a longer span but have went to more reverse pitch in the fingers.  John P gave me the finger pitch advice and it's been a great move.  I was having some pain in my middle finger and when I changed the pitches to more reverse the PAIN went away.

If you don't have any PAIN while bowling with the longer span then I don't see anything wrong with using it.

I started with a relaxed span.  Then I kept going up 1/16th in each finger until it fit right.  When my span was more relaxed I was having a hard time holding the ball and it just didn't feel comfortable.  Now it's money!





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