I've been bowling a few years thumbless, and am about to transition to using my thumb.  This means, of course, that I'm about to be introduced to the Wonderful World of Bowling Tape (tm)...and I have some pretty basic questions about it.

The difference between wearing tape on your thumb vs. putting tape in the ball?  (Bonus question: is this a different kind of tape?)

The difference between tape in the front vs. the back?

Does anyone put tape on the side of their thumb?  My thumb gets sore near the base on the right side (RH).

Thanks in advance for any and all help.  I do appreciate it.

The use of thumb tape, either in the ball or on the thumb, is all about the matter of feel. There are no written rules as to where it goes in the ball. Front, back, sides, top or bottom. It comes down to feel. What feels best for one bowler may not feel best for another. The tape that you put on your thumb comes in various textures and thickness, and yes it is different than the tape that goes in the thumbhole. Basically, you have to put the tape in different places to see what feels best to you. Different spots in the thumbhole, different sizes, etc to get your optimal feel. When using your thumb, you get soreness in a particular spot, I would recommend having your pro shop operator take a look and adjust the size or pitch of the hole so the the soreness goes away.

+1 on the issue of "feel" and a nice post. For what it is worth, I like Storm's white tape (3/4"). You generally place the tape in the "front" of the hole where your thumb pad contacts the ball. I have used 3 or 4 pieces of tape depending on a large number of variables. The Storm white tape is a bit thicker than some of the other tapes and has a nice texture.

Turbo makes a set of fitting tapes that you apply to the back of your thumb. The Turbo tapes come in 3 different colors: green (thickest and most coarse), purple (medium thickness and medium texture), and beige (thinnest and smoothest). I recently purchased a roll of each color, but I have not yet used the Turbo tapes. There are lots of other tapes on the market as well.

As Mattski accurately states, there are no rules regarding the use of tape. I would use fitting tape on the back of the thumb in addition to the Storm white tape. We all tinker and experiment with tape looking for that "perfect" grip. Maybe the only "rule" is: Do not be afraid to experiment.

Here are some links to articles about taping the thumbhole and tape:

http://bowl4fun.com/ron/btm04_files/btm4.htm

http://www.itbca.bowlingknowledge.info/index.php/2013-fall/95-tiered-taping-a-process-to--grip-pressure-and-improve-swing-release

http://www.bowlersreference.com/Bowler/InsertTape/

http://www.bowlingthismonth.com/article/tiered-taping/

Good links, especially the bowl4fun information from Ron Clifton. He's published some of the best bowling articles available.
 
As an aside, I tried the tiered techniques outlined above. For me, all the edges from the cut pieces caused irritation more than anything else. But it just proves that taping is individual and experimentation is the only way to figure out what works for you. 

Quote from: MI 2 AZ on August 18, 2014, 04:04:35 PM

Here are some links to articles about taping the thumbhole and tape:

http://bowl4fun.com/ron/btm04_files/btm4.htm

http://www.itbca.bowlingknowledge.info/index.php/2013-fall/95-tiered-taping-a-process-to--grip-pressure-and-improve-swing-release

http://www.bowlersreference.com/Bowler/InsertTape/

http://www.bowlingthismonth.com/article/tiered-taping/

Good links, especially the bowl4fun information from Ron Clifton. He's published some of the best bowling articles available.
 
As an aside, I tried the tiered techniques outlined above. For me, all the edges from the cut pieces caused irritation more than anything else. But it just proves that taping is individual and experimentation is the only way to figure out what works for you. 

I've tried the tiered technique too on my spare ball recently. It's a lot of work just cutting tape, but it works. Though, the feel with that much tape up front isn't for me - without magic carpet of course. I've been using Magic Carpet (back of thumb) for several years now with 0 to 3 white taps on the front.

Before going with magic carpet, I tried a lot of different thumb tapes and couldn't get the feel or the proper timing. but when the late "sawbones" mentioned magic carpet on here, I tried a sample and since then, I never went without MC.

i started using tape a few years ago
my thumb never changed and i just dealt with it
i learned that i was squeezing the ball to much and didnt come out of it properly
after finding someone who knew what was going on and changing span and pitches.
i learned to use tape to get my thumb to relax, basically using the tiered or layered set-up, to get my thumb-nail against the back of the hole.
the "feel" thing is so important, i cant recall throwing a big set or game and having the ball not fit right
thumb slugs were also very helpful, have 3 total now, taped differently

     I agree with previous comments as to what feels good to you. Tape is not necessarily bad. And there are better ways than others to using. Is a bowler using tape because pitch is wrong? is hole size too big? Span incorrect? All factor to consider. Some of my customers refuse to use tape and that is fine, they prefer a looser hole and squeeze if loose that night.
     I usually tell my customers tape is good if used right and recommend 1 piece when thumb is at largest, 3 when at its smallest.
     I also put mine in the backside of my thumb so I have same feel on my thumb upon exit all the time. If I have 1 piece in the front and start the night and have to remove, I have a quicker release after remove from no texture on the pad.
     Like previous comments, it's is what feels good to you. I use turbo blue skin tape and put it on my pad side as to back side. Little out of norm, but working in water and ball dust plus almost no humidity where I live, my thumb get dry and cracks. I was finding I had different releases week to week depending on how dry and cracked my skin was on the pad of my thumb. I started putting the protect tape on my pad side about 4 years ago and I now get same release regardless of my thumb dryness. I did have to snug my thumb a bit with the tape on my thumb as it is slicker.
     Best of luck.