I bowled great with a stretched fingertip.
Now that I've switched I've bowled Less great and sometimes mediocre.
I now have less damage and compared to the accuracy I had when stretched well I'm just not as good on my good days.
I do have more revs and more backend. I don't think I needed it!
Some changes I've made lately in shortening which I think are important!
1.I've gone to less reverse than the Bill Taylor tables with Bill Taylor's actual oversight. As he said, "the tables are a starting point then we adjust from there for the good bowler often forward".
2. I have carefully adjusted my ring finger middle finger span difference.
Again with Bill Taylors oversight. Where I had been longer with the ring finger than middle thru the Bill Taylor 5/16 rule(middle finger = 5/16 longer than ring when laid on ball then spans are a tie), I've ended up with a slightly shorter ring. VERY IMPORTANT for me.
King of the Mill has tweaked this with me and I"m dialing in perfection of a feel.
3. Pitches of the middle and ring finger laterally have been adjusted from neutral left and right, ie 3/8 ...3/8 to 1/2 left and 1/4 right to help me stay more behind the ball with a shorter span. Again with King of the mill help.
4. Look at your fingers, if one has significantly more bend in it once in your new fit than the other you probably have one span off, ie middle or ring.
5. The pencil test is a good guide. I am now seeing how a pencil fits in between my palm and ball. Really snug = too long, just touches both = just right and can raise hand up higher than a pencil while hand in ball = too short.
I have used spans between my very successful but thumb damaging 4 15/16 with my last joint barely able to stretch to middle of finger hole, to 4 5/8 which allows my last joint to touch the back of the finger hole, to where I am now with King of mill Help 4 11/16 middle which puts my joint 1/8 of an inch from back of hole. Ahhhhhh.
I am now getting about the same great roll as I did with my stetched span, more revs, able to stay behind the ball about as well as stretched(span difference change and lateral finger change).
King and I discussed where I was when long, then short and how I wanted to create that previous feel without hand damage.
Where we are now with a slight tweak maybe coming.
Stretched
ring 4 15/16 left 3/8
middle 4 13/16 right 3/8
Thumb 5/16 revers and 1/8 left.
Fully relaxed
ring 4 1/2 left 3/8
middle 4 5/8 right 3/8
Thumb 3/16 forward and 5/16 left.
King middle of the road solution
ring 4 43/64 left 1/2 forward 1/16
middle 4 23/32 right 1/4 forward 1/16 Powerlifts both and all above
Thumb 0 forward reverse and 5/16 left.
I believe the king is going to slightly tweak but we will see.
Summary, thumb will have to go forward with shortening, fingers may too from your starting point. Watch and note release, thumb too late, early. Is thumb coming out of front of hole(my stetched span, back of hole(too short) or right out of the middle like my latest addition.
REgards,
Luckylefty
PS so if your thumb is too early more forward, if too late add bevel firstthen reverse if that doesn't work.
If fingers too early move forward, too late reverse. Really easy if you analyze the problem. Hell I've figured this out in almost two years!
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