Mike, let me first say that I originally asked you for some help with my grip and you were willing to do so and I appreciated it then, told you I did and I still do appreciate your trying to help me. I thanked you then and still thank you for what you did or tried to do. I just want you to know as of this very moment I appreciate you and what you did.

Now as for my topic and the posts that have been made, I never once mentioned your name, nor intended to, nor brought you into this topic. You brought yourself into it defending what you did when there was no reason for you to do so as no one knew you were involved.. You did the best you could with my grip and again I appreciate it and regret it didn''''''''''''''''t work out, but I am not mad about it and have never spoken against you, but have bragged on you a lot to others.

Now with all of that being said, I want to correct a few things you posted. First on the stiff fingers where you said....

That''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s not a lot of away if you see Brick''''''''''''''''s fingers which are very stiff. He also uses Turbo Power Ovals, which decrease the reverse after inserted. His fingers don''''''''''''''''t bend much at all at this finger tips.

My fingers do bend more at the tips than you have indicated here. According to Mo Pinels chart and using his method to check the flex in finger tips on page 6, my middle finger is a between the 90* "very flex"  1stt picture) and 70* "normal flex" (2nd picture). My ring finger is a wee bit less than the 70* "normal flex" (2nd picture) but not even close to as low as the 45* "slightly stiff" (3rd picture). The Turbo Power Ovals have a 1/8 forward pitch. See link below for these pictures.

http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/attachment.php?s=f0b6933df2915b59794e1b4a74811686&attachmentid=1821&d=1258993963

His span was very short, I made it a little longer and added the reverse to his finger pitches. He was basically holding a 14lb six pack, he had no handle for the ball to hold on to him. He has had this grip for a long time, and has no fluidity to his swing, from death gripping over time.

My span was indeed a bit short, no argument on that. You increased the span 1/4" and increased reverse finger pitch 1/2" which was too much increase in both span and reverse finger pitch vs how much my finger tips would bend. This caused me to grip this ball harder than I was previously gripping it.

He seemed resistant to the changes I was making.

Not true at all and not sure I would call it resistant, but I was a bit leery as the driller at where I bowl has had me there before and I couldn''''''''''''''''t do anything with that much span increase. Ditto for a driller that used to be in Edmond and is now at Yukon.

At first he liked the grip, I was sliced bread.  

For something entirely different, and a decent game once in a while, and knowing I would have to stick with it for awhile to get used to it, I was encouraged it might just work.  I admit it did feel really good when holding the ball at my side and I did compliment you telling you it felt good. I even had you do a second ball so that I would have 2 different balls to try this new grip with. However, other than it feeling good when holding the ball at my side, it wasn''''''''''''''''t good on a consistant basis when trying to make it work for me.

Now two months later I''''''''''''''''m "the driller".

That''''''''''''''''s almost 5 months and not 2 months that I have tried really-really hard to make this grip work Mike.

None of the pitches were the reason for the high 400''''''''''''''''s or the low 600''''''''''''''''s. He was throwing the ball pretty well when I watched him, and he said no pain.

Mike, I said the high 400''''''''''''''''s and low 500''''''''''''''''s and not low 600''''''''''''''''s. As for throwing the ball pretty well when you watched me, you only seen me throw what?....6-8 balls at the most if that many and never saw me throw it again to this day and that was almost 5 months ago.  July 14th is the date you drilled the new grip and this coming Monday Dec. 14th will be 5 months.

After struggling with your grip for almost 5 months and my bowling average at the lowest it has been since back around the late 1970''''''''''''''''s or early 1980''''''''''''''''s and getting worse, even worse than it was with my old grip, I was forced to do something different or else give up bowling all together of which I was on the verge of doing. If it were a case of you living and bowling here, I would have seeked your help/advice before making any changes, but as it is you aren''''''''''''''''t here and there was no one else to turn to and I had to move on. I even asked the driller at the lanes I bowl at if you ever come around any more and he said no. Thus I did what I did and it is working.

As for my current grip, I also used Mo''''''''''''''''s thumb chart...

http://www.bowlingballexchange.com/attachment.php?s=f0b6933df2915b59794e1b4a74811686&attachmentid=1822&d=1258994001

Following Mo''''''''''''''''s chart and instructions on checking the thumb his way, I found my thumb to be in the next to last column which is 90* "average tight"

Using all his charts and instructions, I shortened my grip 3/16", reduced thumb pitch 1/8" and cut reverse finger pitch 1/4". It really needs to be cut another 1/8" both per how it feels and his instructions and I may do so later, but what I did is working at the moment and I didn''''''''''''''''t want to make a big jump at one time in reducing my grip like we did when we increased it.

I apologize that I didn''''''''''''''''t contact you and tell you that your grip wasn''''''''''''''''t working after almost 5 months of trying it and that I was going to have to make some changes. I guess maybe I should have but didn''''''''''''''''t and am really sorry you were hurt by it. Again, I never brought you into this topic and have never mentioned your name in it. No one other than myself even knew who drilled the grip.

The results of what have taken place seem to support where Mr. Bowling said in a post above....

"You can very easily change your grip and have negative effects on your release, because your release and game has been trained over the years to do what it does.

Some of these grip changes, never work out as planned."

 

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"Whenever I feel the urge to exercise I lie down until the feeling passes away."

Brick



Edited on 12/11/2009 11:00 AM