QuestionQUESTION: I once had an offset thumb layout and I liked it. Once the pro shop owner moved away it was hard to find someone to duplicate the feel, so I went back to the traditional way to layout a ball. Needless to say I have been searching ever since.
Why do you think some people are comfortable with this type of layout and some pro shops hate drilling in this matter? Is there another method out there that would give me the same result?
I recently ( this week ) went 1/4 lateral with my thumb and it sucks...I cant stand it. My hand is sore after 5 games. I'm looking for comfort and consistency this summer ( no leagues) I cannot enter another season not sure of whats next. My main issue is that I cant get my thumb to relax due to the ball not resting in my hand. I originally started with a stretched span and followed what seems to be bad advice when I shortened it.
Please help or I'm gonna have to take up something else. Consuming way too much $$$.
thank
Ken
www.TrueBowlerAdjustme
ANSWER: For a pro shop professional, this change presents an idea that they aren't truly guiding the customer in the right direction. When they encounter a bowling ball like this, they naturally say the same thing every ball driller does..."hey, who drilled this for you?, This can't be your span?"
Bowlers get frustrated because they don't realized drillers are trained to accommodate for changes in the span by instituting lateral, forward, and reverse pitch changes.
Moving the thumb, impacts the span or length between fingers. You may be looking for that "custom feel". In most cases when I encounter someone like yourself I often say let's start over from scratch. New drill sheet and all.
However, the most important thing is,... "Hey, let me see you throw that thing?!" "I can't help you if I don't see what you are trying to do on the lanes."
Custom fitting the ball to a customer is a good thing. Beveling, custom fits a ball so that it will not press upon bone or nerves causing the bowler to want to dump out of the ball early.
I won't sugar coat this...."Proper technique in releasing the ball often will lead to the best feel for a bowler." For example, spinning the ball out of your hand, verses throwing it full roller, backup style or forward rolling. The ultimate feel, is elusive until you combine it with the correct "ball release." You have to ask yourself, what release are you trying to execute?
Regardless of the answer, every release can be accomplished with the proper span fitted for "you" by your pro shop professional. This is an egg that does not need to be cracked. The offset thumb, is truly a over spanned thumb.
Communication with your ball driller to the fact that you only want to put "part" of your thumb in the ball verses the entire thumb may well be the solution to your problem. Whatever the two of you come up with, you will have to pass along to whoever drills your equipment so they don't make the same error for you in the future.
In summary Ken, keep it simple. It's the way a bowler wants to be able to get out of the ball that is the key to their success. If you need to extend the thumb to be comfortable it is not a problem. :-)
Case in Point: Tom Smallwood PBA pro. Check out his story. Love this guy, very humble. He won lots of money at one point. He only puts part of his thumb in the ball. How much depends on the communication between the bowler and the ball driller together.
Take care, and I truly hope this will cut down on your spending bill. I been through it before too. Making changes will be a piece of cake, when you begin moving in the right direction.
- Coach Gary
Las Vegas, NV.
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (It's a great bowling book!)
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I want to ask this question so I have it right. Are you saying don't try to pursue the offset thumb layout? I do like to put my thumb all the way in the ball by the way...it's just I feel the way it's set up that I only can hit up on the ball rather than roll thru the ball. What do you think could be causing that?
Thanks for answering so quickly.
Are you in Chicago?
Do you own a pro shop?
Answer
www.TrueBowlerAdjustme
Ken, often the disconnect in these cases is technique or release. Since you added that you like to put your thumb all the way in the ball then I can only guess that you rest the ball on the pads of your finger tips and not the joints.
In our business of drilling the ball, we want to capture the distance between your middle finger joint and the ring finger joint by 5/16th of and inch. Pro shop staffers know which way to extend or shorten the ring finger for bowlers.
This is often based on the position of the top joint of the ring finger when aligned beside the middle finger.
This is perhaps the part that your old driller truly got correct when fitting you for your span and speaking with you about your delivery.
Again, the aspect of your span combined with your desire to roll the ball down the lane can cause a slight disconnect. Especially if you have not had your delivery evaluated by a coach.
Wish you were here in Las Vegas! Dammit. :-) There is nothing worse than having a bowler out there that can't get their MO'JO to work.
I have been coaching, recommending, and laying out bowling balls for 20 years. I work in a pro shop. It is so much fun. It's sort of being a doctor when you work in a pro shop. When the patients come in with a problem, their ailments can range from being chipped or cracked, too strong or too weak, to being too old, needs some modifying, rejuvenating, or replacing.
In summary Ken, check your span and ring finger span with two different shops if you have too.
This way you get fresh reading from both. Make sure to tell them afterwards, that you want to be able to roll the ball off your hand. Their response "should be." If you want to roll the ball of your hand, then this is what you need to do....
I hope you will agree that two different languages exist here. One is drilling the ball to react a certain way on the lanes. The second is the act of teaching the bowler how they can best deliver the ball down the lane, if we can get it off their thumb, fingers and hand, comfortably.
Kennnnnn.... Vegas babeeeeee !!!! Take care,
- Coach Gary
Las Vegas, NV.
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (It's a great bowling book!)
