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Author Topic: Thumb and finger hole tightness  (Read 6082 times)

lilpossum1

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Thumb and finger hole tightness
« on: October 31, 2016, 10:11:36 PM »
I know a lot of people like their thumb hole snug. How can a person even get the ball off their thumb with it being snug? No matter how relaxed I let my thumb feel, I will hang up in it and pull the shot inside every time. If I leave it loose, relax my thumb, and cup my wrist, I get a nice quick, clean thumb exit with accuracy (to my own extent as a bowler of course.)

Side note, how tight are your finger holes/ inserts? Is there any advantage to tighter ones rather than looser ones, or is that just preference?
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St. Croix

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Re: Thumb and finger hole tightness
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2016, 12:41:49 AM »
Possum, if you are getting a clean release that you described with a loose thumb fit, by all means, stay with it. My personal preference is a snug fit but not so tight that my thumb catches on the release. For me, it is experimenting with tape on the back of my thumb (Turbo, Vise hada patch, Masters) until I get the right fit.

My finger holes with inserts are looser---just a matter of personal preference.
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xrayjay

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Re: Thumb and finger hole tightness
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2016, 12:43:55 AM »
For me, a snug thumb fit is more a timing thing. The thumb comes out on its own as it passes my ankle - well that's the goal. At the same time the ball is hold my hand and not me holding the ball.

My fingers are more "fitted" and are not snug at all. it's my preference.
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dwight3080

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Re: Thumb and finger hole tightness
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2016, 08:51:44 AM »
I recently moved from a round thumb to a interchangeable Oval thumb.... It has made a world of difference!!! I am getting a more consistent release off my hand, I'm not grabbing the ball anymore, I'm getting better rotation on the ball, and I can move that interchangeable from one ball to another and not have to worry about having a different feel.

It's all about preference, but the oval/interchangeable thumb has been a tremendous help
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lilpossum1

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Re: Thumb and finger hole tightness
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2016, 10:06:12 AM »
Thanks! I do use turbo switch grip and right now I am stuck in my largest size with a piece of white tape in the front with a piece of thumb tape on the back, while still being a little loose. Not the proverbial "hot dog down the hallway," but definitely not tight. I guess I won't try to change anything
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avabob

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Re: Thumb and finger hole tightness
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2016, 12:13:42 PM »
It's such a personal preference that there is no right answer.  If you are clearing the thumb at the optimal point you have the correct fit for you
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SVstar34

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Re: Thumb and finger hole tightness
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2016, 12:35:53 PM »
Quote from: avabob on November 01, 2016, 12:13:42 PM
It's such a personal preference that there is no right answer.  If you are clearing the thumb at the optimal point you have the correct fit for you

I agree with this statement.

My thumb fits a 29/32 hole but I'm more comfortable with 15/16 and I have the option of using tape with 15/16 even though I normally don't
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Fooser_Ken

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Re: Thumb and finger hole tightness
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2016, 08:51:22 PM »
I agree that it is a personal preference.  For me, I like it very snug.  I use zero muscle in my thumb through the entire swing, letting the ball release from my thumb from the centrifugal force created at the bottom of the swing as it passes my ankle.  This allows the ball to "roll" off my hand without "lifting" it, creating more revs.

Another thing to experiment with is your thumb pitch.  If your pitch is too far forward, that will cause your thumb to hang.  I took an old ball and asked my ball driller to drill several sets of holes with different thumb pitches.  The ball was full of holes so it was funny listening to it roll down the lane.  I then spent a week trying out each of the pitches until I found the one I liked best.

I kept the ball so that if I ever changed anything about my grip, I can go back to the ball and experiment again.

Ken
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SG17

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Re: Thumb and finger hole tightness
« Reply #8 on: November 01, 2016, 11:51:54 PM »
for me; I want the ball to stay on my hand during the swing and release from the thumb and fingers cleanly at the appropriate time.  outside of that, do much care how I get there.

That being said, I have moved to molded thumb inserts in the last couple years.  and they give me an ability to be a little tighter than I could before.
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J_w73

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Re: Thumb and finger hole tightness
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2016, 11:31:15 AM »
I could not use a tight thumb until I got my span and lateral thumb pitch correct.  I would always need a loose thumb and a ton of bevel.  Once I got my thumb pitch correct, I could snug it up super tight and use very minimal bevel and still get out clean.
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