My teammate has been having a nightmare season.  So far he has been able to finish a grand total of 7 games due to tearing the skin on his thumb every time he bowls.

He will come down to the center and get all taped up, and usually by the middle to end of the second game, the skin on his thumb is toast.  He is a lefty, and his thumb is losing skin on the side that is away from the fingers.  It becomes too painful for him to bowl, and he often times is forced to quit in the middle of a set.

He goes home, skips a couple of weeks of bowling to let his thumb heal, then comes back down to give it a go, and then the whole process repeats itself.  It is a real problem because he really enjoys bowling and is very talented (215+ when healthy), and also because he is on our Scratch Trio team.  Due to the rules of the league, we are severely limited in who we could have come in and bowl for him, so we usually have to take his average minus 10.

I think the obvious problem is the lateral pitch in his thumbhole.  Based on where the skin blisters, I think he needs more away pitch.  Am I right?  I would also suggest to him that he try more forward pitch, to discourage him from gripping the ball so tight.  Does anyone agree or have a different possible solution?
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Predicting my next opponent runs into a BUZZSAW!

Member- FOS

LUCK is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

What's the problem with having a qualified proshop guy check out his grip/pitches?
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"Yeah...what Jabroini said"

Steven, I need to explain a couple of things.  

First, our driller has a multitude of experience for over 50 years in the bowling industry.  He is getting up there in age now, but probably could drill a ball blindfolded.  Great in terms of picking his brain, but I would have to say he is a little stubborn and set in his ways; for example, he still gives people a little bit of a funny look if they ask for more forward pitch, although he will still accommodate requests.

Second, my teammate purchased a brand new Black Cherry Bomb a couple of years ago and left it to be drilled by our driller.  Turns out it was a very busy day and somehow our guy got distracted while drilling and drilled it with the span about half of what it should have been.  Upon discovering the problem, he plugged the ball and redrilled it correctly, but for a RIGHTY.  Obviously my friend was P.O.'d, and refused to work with the guy anymore, even though he is bar-none the best I have seen.  The driller has previously always been right on the money with everyone I have ever seen except for this fluky instance.

My teammate then tore his rotator cuff during softball season 2 summers ago, and is only now getting back to where he can throw a bowling ball, so he has had a long layoff.  He had purchased his ball right before he got hurt, so he never really had a chance to throw it much.  Upon returning to bowling, he started having trouble with the new ball and the thumb issues.

So now he has been in with the shop owner who isn't quite as knowledgeable, and that is when they came up with the new pitch.  Apparently it isn't the correct solution.  My friend gets so frustrated trying to bowl with a new and different thumb pitch every time he bowls that he is ready to quit.

I actually told my teammate to get out his old Teal Rhino and bowl with that, because it was the ball he used when averaging 215 and never had any problems.  But I only see him once every 3 or so weeks.  Very frustrating for everyone.


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Predicting my next opponent runs into a BUZZSAW!

Member- FOS

LUCK is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Will do, LL!  Thanks for the replies.
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Predicting my next opponent runs into a BUZZSAW!

Member- FOS

LUCK is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Smash49....a few questions of interest if you don't mind?

The method you described of marking thumb and working out opposite point is Mike Riggins?

I have seen many guys mark a thumb with yellow and where the yellow leaves a mark on hole work that out?

But your method(Mike Riggins method) you work out the opposite side?

So if a person had a rub on the back cornere of thumb...you would then work out with (screen?) the opposite side or the diagonal spot from thumb rub.  ie if back left of hole (when ball on table and fingers and thumb up and thumb closer) you would work out the front right of thumbhole?

Why not the impact point?

REgards,

Luckylefty
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Proud owner of a 140 first game average this year!  Don't bowl me the second two games though!  (two warm up balls in league..thanks proprietors)

I had the same problem of skin rubbing off. I'd never heard of a urinating method.  How is that supposed to help? The way they fixed mine was mainly by enlarging the thumbhole into an outrageous oval, it also took some learning as to how to properly release the ball. My thumb still swells up, but it no longer rubs itself into a blister. Having the thumbhole expanded to comical proportions may not be the correct solution, but at least I was able to keep bowling.
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Look for me in the upcoming PBA Tour! I'll be the guy in the back row with the foam finger singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the 7th inning.

Lucky Lefty

The span and the pitches come from Mike Riggins and the charts he provides in his classes.  The thumb hole fine tuning is my method some of the concepts from the pitches I have taken into how I finish my thumb holes.  Yes I work the area directly across from the yellow mark unless it is real close to the front of the thumb hole.  This is all done off a first new clean drill.  If someone brings in a ball off the street already drilled that can change a few things. You would then need to evaluate what has already been done to the hole.  

The goal is to have even pressure all the way around the thumb hole and at no point grabbing in any place.  By working the opposite side from where the pressure point is, it reduces the pressure.  Sometimes I will need to do just a little work on the pressure area itself but not much.  When the ball is finished properly I can almost not even tell I am holding the ball.  I feel the weight  but no pressure anywhere.  You must be relaxed and not squeezing the ball. Sometimes people tense up.  This is the method I use to finish thumb holes for myself and customers.  

The ball has to be setup and drilled for the customers hand and then fine tuned properly to eliminate the irritations.

Smash49
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Smash49
robert@bowlersslidesock.com
Bowler's Slide Sock: Sliding Consistently on ALL Conditions is Our Business!!!
www.bowlersslidesock.com
www.slsmdesigns.com/irvinghighbowling - www.strikingcatbowling.com

He's not squeezing the heck out of the ball?

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J.J. "Waterola Kid" Anderson, the bLowling King  : Kill the back row