BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: xrayjay on January 09, 2016, 06:16:43 AM
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how can I delay the exit of the thumb as I release the ball?
I've been taught to have my thumb exit the thumb hole right by my ankle. When I'm struggling, or not getting the ball further past the foul line, the thumb starts to exit just behind the heel. While most bowlers thumb exit the hole around the toes and several inches past the slide foot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-c-aQ4mdHI
I'm all ears......
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You can try to snug up the thumb hole a pinch with tape in different spots.You can also go a little more forward in the thumb pitch if your not a fan of tape in the thumb slug
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I would agree with the idea of a bit more forward, or less reverse in the thumb. However if you wrist position is breaking at the bottom this can lead to your problem too, and changing pitches might just lead to you breaking your wrist more.
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Get up to the foul line instead of 6 inches behind it and you will get the ball further over the line.
You'd be better off spending time trying to get your hand into a stronger position than spending time trying to keeping your hand in the ball longer.
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I use MC and white tape with 1/8 forward and 1/8 left. I already have a snug thumb, but I guess it can go a piece more, i just have to see. I lost more weight from this video and the thumb hole is slightly looser now.
My early turn is something I've been dealing with for awhile now. I've done drills, have mental thoughts, etc...but my body just doesn't cooperate, but I'll continue to work on it.
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I had the same issue as you describe a few yrs ago. I was losing my feel on the downswing of my approach .My pitches then were 1/8" reverse x 0" lateral. I change my pitches to 1/8" forward x 1/8" left and that fixed the problem immediately. I've always had my thumbs pretty tight in the slugs to help loosen up my swing.Ive also had good luck with a 1/2" piece of white tape on the outside of my thumb slug to create a little drag sometimes, for a better feel
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All good replies . I would add to this to take some care in the amount of thumb bevel you are using. Every hand is different but generally speaking, more thumb bevel= earlier thumb release (and vice versa).
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You can try to snug up the thumb hole a pinch with tape in different spots.You can also go a little more forward in the thumb pitch if your not a fan of tape in the thumb slug
xray, I would try a piece of Hada patch blue tape on the back of your thumb to tighten up the grip just a bit.
I looked at your video---good form. Your thumb was clearly out of the hole as your hand was passing your sliding foot. For what little it may be worth, here is what I try to do: accelerate my arm swing at the bottom of the arc as my right hand is reaching my sliding foot. I have no video of my approach and arm swing, but I am pretty sure that my thumb exits the ball as my hand is at the toes of my sliding foot as you indicated.
I could not make that acceleration at the bottom of my swing if my thumb hole were even slightly loose. I usually add a piece of Hada patch blue to the back of my thumb after a couple of practice shots. My thumb grip is fairly snug, but I can still feel a bit of "wiggle room" after several shots. You may think that your grip is snug, but I am guessing that you may have just enough looseness to cause your thumb to slip out early.
Try the Hada patch blue. Good luck.
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St. Croix I use the blue hada on my fingers only and not on the thumb. I'll try it though, but with magic carpet tape it'll be interesting to use MC and Hada tape together...I've used hada before, but never got used to it. It peels off easy on my thumb...
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Never heard so much BS in my life. Just tuck up the fingers and push the ball out onto the lanes. If you can't hold up the ball with your fingers you're just wishing you could bowl. All this BS about holding onto the ball with the thumb is just that, BS.
Thank you Bullred
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Bullref, that's a lot of smack talkin for a 130 avg bowler.Your probably that guy on the rolltech commercial talkin trash on your phone huh !
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I use MC and white tape with 1/8 forward and 1/8 left. I already have a snug thumb, but I guess it can go a piece more, i just have to see. I lost more weight from this video and the thumb hole is slightly looser now.
My early turn is something I've been dealing with for awhile now. I've done drills, have mental thoughts, etc...but my body just doesn't cooperate, but I'll continue to work on it.
Jay,
I like a really tight thumb because it allows me to relax on the downswing and just let the ball be pulled off my thumb by the weight/momentum of the ball. However, if I find the thumb hole is too tight, what often happens to me is I relax so much to allow the ball to be pulled off that it falls off early. For all intents and purposes I drop it.
Unless you're cupping the ball such that your thumb is under the ball (as bullred, in his infinite wisdom implies, without explanation), there is a proportion of thumb pressure and relaxation of the thumb that you need to control. If the thumb is so tight that you need almost no pressure to hold it, it's hard to know when to relax all pressure, in order to allow the ball's momentum to pull itself off your thumb.
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St. Croix I use the blue hada on my fingers only and not on the thumb. I'll try it though, but with magic carpet tape it'll be interesting to use MC and Hada tape together...I've used hada before, but never got used to it. It peels off easy on my thumb...
I don't think Hada tape and the Magic Carpet are going to work well together.
I use Hada-type tape on my thumb;if you make sure your thumb skin is clean and you smooth it on, it can easily last all 3 games. I know people who claim it doesn't stay stuck. I also see them apply it very haphazardly. I take about 10 seconds to make sure it is pressed smooth all along the thumb, starting on the bottom half of the thumb nail. Only rarely does it not last at least 3 games. If your thumb's skin is really oily use some isopropyl alcohol to clean it first.
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Hada tape will roll up or come off if one knuckles his/her release. I see many that have poor fit that use Hada tape that have to replace it. It's the ones with poor fit that tend to knuckle or don't use tape inside their thumb hole to get a tighter thumb hole that have issues with Hada tape. Straight thumb, tight thumb hole, no knuckling, no issues.
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I don't knuckle the ball, have no tearing, and have no need to use Hada tape for protection. I do however sometimes use Hada tape to just to snug up the thumb.
For whatever reason, the tape doesn't always stick well, even prepping my thumb with an alcohol wipe. It's the nature of different skin types. I've seen this with others who are very good bowlers and otherwise exit cleanly.
Someone here mentioned a while back that prepping with Benzoin Tincture will do the trick, regardless of skin type. I bought a small bottle and the stuff is magic. You can get it cheap on Amazon if you need additional stick on the thumb.
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I don't knuckle the ball, have no tearing, and have no need to use Hada tape for protection. I do however sometimes use Hada tape to just to snug up the thumb.
For whatever reason, the tape doesn't always stick well, even prepping my thumb with an alcohol wipe. It's the nature of different skin types. I've seen this with others who are very good bowlers and otherwise exit cleanly.
Someone here mentioned a while back that prepping with Benzoin Tincture will do the trick, regardless of skin type. I bought a small bottle and the stuff is magic. You can get it cheap on Amazon if you need additional stick on the thumb.
That's ironic. I originally had trouble with Hada tape and was recommended the Benzoin tincture. While it helped, what helped more was going to the individually cut strips (vs the whole tape which you had ot cut into pieces yourself.) I think the individual pieces used a different glue. Currently I use both Hada (Vise brand) and Turbo Skin Protection Fitting Tape.
Neither come off my thumb.
I originally used it to help with my thumb release, but it has protected my thumb so much that I have virtually no calluses on my right thumb at all. If bowler looked at my hand without knowing who I was or what I did, he'd never suspect I was a bowler. (Some people say that anyway, but that's another problem. :( )
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I understand that some bowlers don't have problems with the Hada type tape staying in place. My only point is that not all bowlers who have tape sticking issues can point to bad thumb release as the reason. There are about 6 of us in our Scratch league who go through the ritual of applying Benzoin Tincture before thumb tape, and all have decent releases.
I use Vise Hada (both Blue and Grey) individually cut pieces. I also use Master Momentum tape (blue) when I prefer something a little thicker. I find the Master tape sticks better and I probably don't need Tincture for it, but I use Tincture ahead of time for all tape anyway. Just a recommendation for anyone having the tape stick problem.
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Hada has become a mask for some not all but some. More and more use it and that is very telling.
I see very few pro's on tour use it....hmmmmm food for thought. ;D
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James it generally relates to your timing as well as wrist position at the bottom...you tend to get early and your wrist wants to break down...thus the support is gone and gripping occurs
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Hada has become a mask for some not all but some. More and more use it and that is very telling.
I see very few pro's on tour use it....hmmmmm food for thought. ;D
I'm mostly in agreement. There are certainly some bowlers who use Hada tape to mask problems with span, pitches or whatever.
I personally use nothing on the thumb about 70% of the time. It's only when I'd rather not add another piece to the front that I'll apply thumb tape on the back. The Master Momentum tape is especially good for this purpose.
As far as pros, don't underestimate the number who apply some protection, even if it's not tape. One day in the paddock at the Senior US Open last year, Norm Duke was frantically asking around for skin patch that he had run out of. There were several others I saw, across the different squads, who applied patch ahead of time. Bowling lots and lots of games over several successive days can be a whole different thing.
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James it generally relates to your timing as well as wrist position at the bottom...you tend to get early and your wrist wants to break down...thus the support is gone and gripping occurs
+1
I'll be working on it and update in a couple weeks. This is one part of the game I have had a hard time getting this movement down. In past sports, I've always been able to adapt to different movements, especially form one Art to another - techniques were very different. But I adjusted.
But this bowling swing, it is short in distance, but miles away from getting it right.
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You might also want to "round out" your pushaway a little. Extending the pushaway
until the elbow locks will often make you top heavy. This results in the feet chasing the ball. It causes bowlers to over-accelerate step # 3 (for 5-steppers). This will often
result in the ball feeling suddenly much heavier ( causing a slingshot effect on the downswing). In turn, a bowler will actually attempt to grab the ball harder in order
NOT to drop it. Unfortunately, there aren't that many folks who have strong enough wrists to be able to hold onto the ball . Rounding out the pushaway motion keeps your center of gravity centered under your legs, and it results in less grip pressure being needed throughout the swing cycle. This, along with a properly fitted ball, will minimize
those early "dropsies" at release and your swing timing will be more in sync with your feet. It takes some time and patience because it will feel different at first, but this is true with any change.
Otherwise, your overall game looks really good!
Best of luck to you.
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Trust I've worked on this with him a few times...
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He got very good advice by the looks of his form.
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Boy, wish I had of bought into the tape business. Most bowlers are always looking for some"gimmick" to make themselves better or to at least have an excuse for their lack of talent. I've heard a thousand excuses as to "thumb problems". None hold water. Most are just ill fitting balls, the others are just "out of time" wanna be type bowlers looking for an excuse. Tape and Wrist supports are the crutches of modern bowling. They are used to cover up bad fitting balls, weak wrists, and poor technique.
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Tape is NOT a crutch...if you actually believe you have digits that NEVER change in size due to atmospheric changes or salt content...well some may have minimal change in their size in the grip but tape is NOT a crutch...nor is wrist support...the wrists and ankles are the weakest joints in the body...thus why they're called supports
Not everyone is gifted with incredible natural abilities...and others that feel they are shouldn't chastise those that don't
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Boy, wish I had of bought into the tape business. Most bowlers are always looking for some"gimmick" to make themselves better or to at least have an excuse for their lack of talent. I've heard a thousand excuses as to "thumb problems". None hold water. Most are just ill fitting balls, the others are just "out of time" wanna be type bowlers looking for an excuse. Tape and Wrist supports are the crutches of modern bowling. They are used to cover up bad fitting balls, weak wrists, and poor technique.
What's the address to your Proshop? Maybe you can check my span and give me a few tips too coach. I will travel. i sure need some help, and learning from an Internet sensation like yourself will be an honor.
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What's the address to your Proshop? Maybe you can check my span and give me a few tips too coach. I will travel. i sure need some help, and learning from an Internet sensation like yourself will be an honor.
He's suffering from a terminal case of bitter bowler syndrome. Don't read anything more into his posts. ::)
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People.......You guys don't remember bullred from the rolltech commercial?
He's the idiot talking smack on his phone,just another prop to hide behind !!
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It's funny how many guys that do NOT have actual pro shops on here or any other social media sites come across as fricking knowledgeable...
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I can remember Mark Roth's thumb. At times it looked like anything else but a (thumb).
There were times when it got so infected that it had to be lanced.
It just showed that even the very best bowlers are not immune from getting blisters and abrasions. I would think that those of us with far less talent should be expected to be immune
from what many would consider, a rather normal hazard that soemtimes goes with the game.
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[/quote]
He's suffering from a terminal case of bitter bowler syndrome. Don't read anything more into his posts. ::)
[/quote]
It's rather entertaining....
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possible solutions : firmer wrist bend, tighter thumb hole, less bevel, less reverse in the thumb pitch.
Even when I have my thumb snug, I move the tape higher and lower to fine to the fit and speed of release. The higher I put the tape, the longer my thumb will stay in the ball.