Bowling Pitch

Question
Hi Warren. I am having a problem here and was wondering if you would be able to help me with it:

My thumb pitch has been a nagging issue for the past three years and I have been struggling to find the "perfect feel" for it. My thumb pitch that I use now is 1/4 reverse with no lateral. When I use these balls, it feels like my thumb will come off if I don't squeeze the ball, there is a lot of pressure on the back of thumb at the first joint and on the side facing the index finger, and I'm getting a red spot on the pad of my thumb as well.

I tried experimenting with forward pitch at 3/8, but this still makes me feel like I'm going to drop the ball. I was wondering if I should try go for something like 5/8 or 6/8 forward pitch to relieve this but feel that it might be a bit excessive.

I am not sure what to do.

Thank you.

Answer
Andrew,
First, sounds like the reverse pitch has you gripping the ball. As you adjust the pitch, less reverse, zero or forward pitch should help you hold onto the ball, so I'd wonder what the finger pitches and spans are and how close those are to being correct/proper.  

So, when you describe the thumb pitch as reverse, are you describing an angle that has the hole angled away from the fingers/center of the grip/center of the ball?

Experimenting with angle changes usually involves VERY SMALL adjustments, not more than half an inch from back to forward! So let's get some basic info first then we can discuss some specifics of your fit.

Let's establish some additional details of your grip. How long are your spans? How flexible is the thumb (look at your hand - holding it 6 to 8 inches from your nose at eye level, what do you see as the angle between index finger and thumb, 90 degrees, less? more? how much less or more (try to give me a number)? Is there much flexibility (Push thumb toward your wrist keeping the index finger and hand parallel to the floor, does the angle open much? to what?)? How long is the thumb?

When you have your hand in the ball is there much room between hand and ball, does the hand come off the ball much when you lift it up? This info should help establish what we have to work with.

Thanks for the questions. Getting enough info for a fit evaluation when I can't see your hand is crucial. Let me know more (if you can send pictures). It surely sounds like your ball could fit better.