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Author Topic: New guy here, wondering about my grip  (Read 1066 times)

Hex017

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New guy here, wondering about my grip
« on: January 28, 2005, 10:51:31 AM »
Hi everyone, I'm kind of new to the site so I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.

It seems like there is a knowledgable group of guys around here so I was wondering...Could someone tell me a little bit about stretched and relaxed grip (I have no idea which type I have) and tell me a little bit about forward and reverse pitch for a thumb hole. I finished my high school season with a 185 avg for the year and I'm going to be honest I know just about nothing about ball drillings and grips. I've been emailing with bob korth from www.bowl4fun.com and he's been giving me advice. Something I think I need changed is my grip, I keep getting blisters on the left side of thumb (except from the balls I have that use thumb slugs) I also feel that I'm forced to squeeze the thumb hole to hold on to the ball. There's only one problem with all of this. Everyone tells me to go to my pro shop. So I do and terry, my ball driller just keeps telling me the same thing, if your getting blisters, you're not releasing it right it really has nothing to do with the ball drilling, a little pitch really dosen't make much of a difference he tells me. According to what I've read this isn't true but getting him to readjust my grip isn't going to happen, he tells me to learn to "keep my thumb straight". That if I can do this I'll be better. I don't agree with him and just wanted to see what everyone around here thought and what maybe I should do?


Other info: I bowl for granite city high school, have no favorite company and right now no favorite ball either. Just want to learn more about the game so I can compete one day. I know a lot about mechanics and timing, just nothing about ball drillings and such. Willing to talk to anyone about anything!
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charlest

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Re: New guy here, wondering about my grip
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2005, 07:09:04 PM »
If you're getting blisters AND having trouble holding onto the ball, then it would seem unless you're the world's worst coordinated athlete (and I already hold that title, thank you very much), your driller may not be doing the best possible job for you.

1. If he says you are not releasing the ball right AND
2. he does not show how to do it right (there is a large leeway in ways to "release it right", i.e. get your thumb out cleanly ESPECIALLY when the ball is drilled correctly for YOUR hand), AND
3. you are still having all this pain and trouble,
I am inclined to believe it's time to find a new driller. FAST!

Unless you have harassed your driller so many times and in so many ways that they no longer want to see you entering their store, most (successful) drillers have tons of patience and will work with most bowlers until the ball feels right. They want return business; they need return business. For many of them, it's almost a matter of pride rather than of being a successful businessman.

Some people have unusual hands that take time and patience to work through in order to get a good fit. Good fits take a few tries; perfect fits take longer but also take work on both driller's and bowler's part. This is 50% science, 50% art and 50% craft, with a boatload of patience added for good measure.
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Hex017

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Re: New guy here, wondering about my grip
« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2005, 08:08:45 PM »
Thanks for the replies, I don't think he'd be sick of seeing me yet...I gave myself a little profile so hopefully that helps. I'd say I'm a little different from others. My ball speed is rather slow, 12 to 14 but I'm working on improving that, my rev rate is solid so I don't think I need to worry about that. I have good footwork (or so I'm told) it's just that all of my equipment dosen't come off my hand the same. The best fitting ball I have I think is my animal untamed, I do have to squeeze it a bit but not much and it comes of my hand cleanly (cleaner than my other stuff). I have told my driller to drill all my equipment like this, which he tries but sometimes things are a few degrees off, he tells me it's close enough and shouldn't make any big difference, and that is why I am not all trustworthy of him. He tries telling me to keep my thumb straight, but if you have to bend your thumb to get it into the ball....how exactly are you suppose to keep it straight to release it? He tries to show me how to do it but after I just keep failing he tells me to just go work on it. I think I need to add reverse pitch to my thumb hole (I think that's what it is) so it will come off my hand correctly. It's sort of hard to explain since I can't show you and I don't know much about this kind of thing but I'll try to tell you anything I can. I don't do anything abnormal when I release it but after a long period of bowling I get these large blisters on the left side of thumb (never the right side, just the left) and I'm forced to skin patches or to sit out for 2 weeks and let it heal. Is there a like self-test you can do to see if your thumb/ball fits correctly. (My thumb is the problem) Other than that I don't know because my driller says it is right.
--------------------
-If you're not willing to change, you're not willing to improve.

-Life is like a coin, you can spend it any way you want, but you can only spend it once.

-I will forever love this great game, I love the people and the competition, I only wish the best would get the recognition of an ATHLETE that they deserve.
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Hex017

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Re: New guy here, wondering about my grip
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2005, 08:24:45 PM »
If anyone wants me to tell them something so they might be able to help me let me know I will try to tell anyone anything, I am willing to listen to any advice given, any help is appreciated.
--------------------
-If you're not willing to change, you're not willing to improve.

-Life is like a coin, you can spend it any way you want, but you can only spend it once.

-I will forever love this great game, I love the people and the competition, I only wish the best would get the recognition of an ATHLETE that they deserve.
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charlest

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Re: New guy here, wondering about my grip
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2005, 08:34:29 PM »
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JohnP

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Re: New guy here, wondering about my grip
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2005, 10:14:14 AM »
quote:
He tries telling me to keep my thumb straight, but if you have to bend your thumb to get it into the ball....how exactly are you suppose to keep it straight to release it?


Hex017 -- Your thumb HAS to bend at the joint that meets the palm of your hand.  But the knuckle joint between there and the thumb nail does not, and should not be bent.  If you have to bend that joint to get your thumb in the ball, your span is way too long.  Put your thumb completely into its hole and lay your fingers over the top of their holes.  The near edge of the finger holes should fall close to the middle of the area between the first and second finger joint for a relaxed finger tip grip.  If it does, when you grip the ball, keep the thumb nail pulled back toward the back of the thumb hole.  If you need to use any gripping pressure, apply it with the pad of the thumb under the knuckle.  --  JohnP
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charlest

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Re: New guy here, wondering about my grip
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2005, 04:19:39 PM »
If we can doing anything in type, I'd agree with JohnP, a person to trust hereabouts. However, this is the wrong place to do such, except for the largest generalities. You really, REALLY(!) need to see a good, properly trained driler, in person.
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Hex017

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Re: New guy here, wondering about my grip
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2005, 06:36:52 PM »
Thanks for the responses everyone, I'll go have another talk to my driller, and I'll also go up to O' Fallon and chat with Mike Mineman (a few of you might have heard of him) he drilled my power diesel before. Also you say that the joint in the middle of the thumb shouldn't bend? Well mine does, which is why I think I have a large knot on the back of my thumb (but I'm not the only one so I thought it was just normal) I'll go talk to some different people and see what happens, and by the way I have a circular thumb hole if that counts for anything. I think I might need to change my thumb pitch...Heck even some tape might help. I'm not sure but hey that's what professionals are for right?
--------------------
-If you're not willing to change, you're not willing to improve.

-Life is like a coin, you can spend it any way you want, but you can only spend it once.

-I will forever love this great game, I love the people and the competition, I only wish the best would get the recognition of an ATHLETE that they deserve.
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JohnP

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Re: New guy here, wondering about my grip
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2005, 09:22:20 PM »
Hex017 -- There is a product called a Thumb Straight that fits into the bottom of the thumb hole and is secured with a drop of Super Glue or a piece of tape.  It will not allow you to "knuckle" the ball.  You might want to ask your pro shop operator about it.  --  JohnP
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