BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: thewhiz on December 29, 2015, 08:53:25 AM
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Does anyone use tape in their thumb hole and tape on their thumb? When I do that it seems like my thumb gets sore.
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I layer a few pieces of white tape on the front of the hole. Sometimes I'll also put Hada tape on the back of my thumb to snug things up if my thumb has seriously shrunk. I don't need the Hada for any thumb irritation problems.
There is nothing unusual about this. I know a lot of bowlers who use some combination of white/black tape in the hole, and Hada (sometimes multiple pieces) around the thumb.
If your thumb is sore, I doubt it has anything to do with the tape. You're dealing with some kind of fitting problem.
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I put a couple of pieces of Storm white tape (1/2") in the front of the hole. The tape is textured and can be sticky at times. So I cap the white tape with 1 piece of smooth black tape. I usually do not have blister or irritation issues, but my thumb tends to compress during the series. I will use Hada patch blue or red (or Turbo fitting tape) on my thumb sometime in the 1st game to tighten my grip.
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If you need tape for any reason except to get a better grip, when your thumb shrinks SLIGHTLY because of no humidity, you should visit you Pro and have your grip checked for pitch, size and span!
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If you need tape for any reason except to get a better grip, when your thumb shrinks SLIGHTLY because of no humidity, you should visit you Pro and have your grip checked for pitch, size and span!
If you don't need tape in your thumb hole to adjust for shrinking and swelling sometime during the year, I suspect you must be a robot or an android or not entirely human. Human extremities swell and shrink with the weather, with varying intake of salts and liquids and with any changes in body chemistry as well with the time of day and night.
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If you need tape for any reason except to get a better grip, when your thumb shrinks SLIGHTLY because of no humidity, you should visit you Pro and have your grip checked for pitch, size and span!
Medically, swelling occurs in the extremities throughout the day, depending on intake, activities, and/or weather to name a few. Other factors are also medical conditions and medications - these cause swelling or reduce swelling.
We also gain and lose water weight throughout the day. Hit the scale right after you wake up. Then weight yourself again after 5 pm. Do it for three days straight. If you believe this statement, then why did you say what you said about thumb tape?
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I use Hada tape on my thumb, plus white tape in front, black in back of the thumbhole.
I only use the Hada tape for feel. Because I tend to lotion my hands, my thumb can get sticky at times and without the Hada tape it can be a nightmare to get a good, clean release on "sticky" nights.
The thumbhole tape is pretty standard - one piece of white in front for feel, black in back for fit.
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If you need tape for any reason except to get a better grip, when your thumb shrinks SLIGHTLY because of no humidity, you should visit you Pro and have your grip checked for pitch, size and span!
If you don't need tape in your thumb hole to adjust for shrinking and swelling sometime during the year, I suspect you must be a robot or an android or not entirely human. Human extremities swell and shrink with the weather, with varying intake of salts and liquids and with any changes in body chemistry as well with the time of day and night.
charlest - Have you ever tried Magic Carpet? -- JohnP
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If you need tape for any reason except to get a better grip, when your thumb shrinks SLIGHTLY because of no humidity, you should visit you Pro and have your grip checked for pitch, size and span!
If you don't need tape in your thumb hole to adjust for shrinking and swelling sometime during the year, I suspect you must be a robot or an android or not entirely human. Human extremities swell and shrink with the weather, with varying intake of salts and liquids and with any changes in body chemistry as well with the time of day and night.
charlest - Have you ever tried Magic Carpet? -- JohnP
Yes, sir, I have. I liked it at first, but after a while it began to irritate my thumb too much to use regularly. I've been using Hada and similar back-of-the-thumb tape ever since. It works well for me to protect my thumb from blisters and to assist in a cleaner release.
Thank you for asking.
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charlest - Have you ever tried Magic Carpet? -- JohnP
I'm obviously not charlest, but I used Magic Carpet for years way back when I had a stretched span and a lot of reverse in my thumb. It worked pretty well for me at the time.
When I shortened my span and went a little forward in the thumb, the carpet became too difficult to get a clean release from. To get out cleanly and to avoid too much irritation, I had to open up the thumb hole too much. That was true even when I used the soft side of the carpet.
Still, I think MC is something worth trying for a bowler who is frustrated getting a clean release and is at the end of their rope looking for answers.
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I have gone to the tiered taping technique talked about by Joe Slowinski, a friend of mine and gold level coach. I was skeptical, but after some trial and error, I settled on my desired fit. I use a 6-4-2 for my levels of taping. That is one full piece of tape to start, with (4) half size pieces stacked on the bottom edge of the full piece of tape, followed by (2) quarter size pieces just above that on the same piece of full tape, followed by a full piece of tape on top of the whole thing for a smooth release. I will adjust to a 5-3-2 when my thumb hole seems more snug on the middle & bottom. Since I started using this earlier this year, I won't go back to any other method. I get a nice, clean release, and the same amount of pressure on the entire thumb, not just the top, which is key.
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MAGIC CARPET:
I've been using MC since the late Sawbones mentioned it, almost 8 years? or more?
At first it irritated my skin and the posterior part of my thumb was darkened. but I got used to it. My thumb was pretty tight due to the reverse I had on my thumb. Not knowing that my thumb pitch was causing me to grip, I used MC as a band aid to hold on the the ball.
But around 2010 my thumb pitch went forward and I continued to use MC. This time around it wasn't so tight like I had it before, and over time my thumb went back to its original color.
MC is perfect for me. I don't need much white tape up front, at the most 2 or three. Though, I had lost a lot of weight and my thumb got smaller, I need to go down size on the thumb hole. I went up to 31 @ 260.7lbs, but may end up at 15/16 or smaller once I hit my goal by next season at 170 lbs. (currently lost 32 lbs.)
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My $.02 on Magic Carpet: MC irritated my thumb probably because the thumb fit was too snug. The direction sheet that comes with Magic Carpet says that a "break in" period of 3 games is suggested. If you continue to experience irritation and redness after using MC for 3 games, the directions recommend that you open the thumb hole. I was a bit leery about enlarging the thumb hole, so I went back to Hada patch and Turbo tape.
I am sure that MC is good stuff and works for people as xrayjay has noted. It is just not for me. All these posts show that there are many ways to use the many tapes on the market.
OK, it was more than $.02. Happy New Year to All.
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I have gone to the tiered taping technique talked about by Joe Slowinski, a friend of mine and gold level coach.
I'm glad the technique worked for you. I fiddled with the technique and gave it an honest chance. I found two problems:
1) The intricate "tiering" caused irritation to my thumb. I tried several adjustments with the small cut pieces, and I just couldn't get the right feel.
2) If I needed to add or take out tape due to natural swelling and shrinking, working around the intricate tiering caused a problem.
Again, I'm glad it works for you, and undoubtedly others. For me personally, what I've found after years of countless tinkering in spans and pitches, that once you find your sweet spot, you don't need gimmicks to maintain a good consistent feel in the thumb.
But the process is different for everyone. Never give up until you discover what works for best for you.
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once you find your sweet spot, you don't need gimmicks to maintain a good consistent feel in the thumb.
But the process is different for everyone. Never give up until you discover what works for best for you.
Truer words were never said.
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Ebonite's "Thumb Straight" was nice little invention. To me it was a lot better than the tiered tape. Too bad it didn't catch on.
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I use white tape in my thumb hole,3/4" & 1"
I use Vise hada patch #1 on the inside of my thumb and #4 on the back of my thumb.I get a constant feel and release from my thumb all the time
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keep trying like Steven said, and once you get there, life is good. lol
and once you've tried different types/brands of tape, you will also figure what brand of white tape, for example, you prefer. I prefer Masters over storm.
I have HADA thumb tape but use them on my fingers not my thumb. i'm cheap and these tapes work for me. I can get my fingers real snug without hanging up when my fingers swell.
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"Yes, sir, I have. I liked it at first, but after a while it began to irritate my thumb too much to use regularly. I've been using Hada and similar back-of-the-thumb tape ever since. It works well for me to protect my thumb from blisters and to assist in a cleaner release.
Thank you for asking."
You're welcome. I use it and sell it to several of my customers. Some have tried it and complained about irritation or blistering. Generally the cause is either the hole is too tight for the MC or the customer "knuckles" the thumb. -- JohnP
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I started using Magic Carpet about 4 years ago and haven't stopped. Never really experienced any irritation from it the way others have. Earlier this year I started using it in conjunction with Brunswick Thumb Saver and my release has never been so clean.
Was wondering what some of our posters thought of the Brunswick Thumb Saver. I bought 1 at the pro shop I bowl league at, but when I went to the pro shop near my work (which I'd never been in before) and asked about it, the man behind the counter said in a rather disgusted manner, they don't carry that because "it's the worst product ever invented". I thanked him and left.
Has anyone else tried this and why is it the worst product ever invented?
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That's just one man's opinion. One of the things great about the ol USA,we all can have an opinion
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once you find your sweet spot, you don't need gimmicks to maintain a good consistent feel in the thumb.
But the process is different for everyone. Never give up until you discover what works for best for you.
Truer words were never said.
Perfectly stated. Everyone is different, so find what is comfortable to you. Most people put protecting tape (you choose the brand) on the back side of their thumb. I place it on the pad side of my thumb do to the fact of working with ball dust and water was giving me different releases each time I bowled depending on what I worked on that evening. If I mainly drilled, I had a fast release do to the ball dust, if I was cutting plug and resurfacing, I had a slow release from working in the water plus all the dust and water has caused my thumb to get dry and crack. I started using protect tape about 5 years ago and had consistent release. As for taping the thumb, I use 1-2 pieces of white on the backside of thumb hole. When I start the evening, I usually have 3 and by end of night I usually have 2. In summer months, I start with 2 and usually have 1 by end of evening. As stated in an earlier response, most people fluctuate throughout the day. Taping allows one to have consistent grip pressure without having to squeeze when thumb is small or over-relax when thumb is large.