I dont use my thumb but i can play more than one line i am very versitle i can play the 5 board or i can play the gutter cap.  Some people think this is a way not to bowl but i say other wise i used to use my thumb i was ok 175-180 average bowler but now im more in the 185-195 in league but i do worse in league bcuz my mental game so i was wondering wut people think of this style and if it helps i bowl like osku palerma but a little bit slower
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Good bowler use the big B and when they do they create a Storm
Kiall Hill
A.K.A.
The Chipmunk

I throw NOTHUMB. I can play anywhere from 5 board to 6th arrow. I am averaging over 220 in all of my leagues (on THS). My nationals average is around 193. I have 21 300 games and 4 800 series.

All that being said. Throwing without your thumb is very hard to perfect and the ribbing you get for throwing the ball that way will never ever stop, as long as you throw that way. There is no way to make it go away. I have earned the respect of alot of people that I didnt have, say five years ago. However new people still look at me the same way---kind of an oddity, who in their mind, isnt throwing the ball the way you are supposed to.
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Only Losers Feel Pressure
www.thetimekillers.com

Edited on 3/25/2005 2:47 PM

There is no right or wrong way to bowl.  There are some methods that make it easier to reproduce shots for most people.  Just because it is right for most people doesn't mean that it is right for everyone.  Consider the success of bowlers like Mark Roth, Carmen Salvino, Marshall Holman, and even Rick Lawrence.  

The "right" method of bowling for you is the method that allows you to repeat shots with the highest degree of consistency.  Maybe it is no-thumb, maybe not. The proof is in the pudding.


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Kill the back row (or maybe this should read "make your spares, dummy")