QuestionI have my own ball-The Black Widow Pearl-drilled for my hand. Every time I bowl more than one game, my thumb gets bruised and hurts. I think my thumb rubs the ball's thumb hole when I release. I have had the hole honed out several times. It occurs on the outside tip of my thumb. What can I change to make it stop happening?
Answer
True Bowler Adjustment
Hi Sabrina, I probably have seen this occurrence a hundred times involving pain the tip of the thumb. On some of my bowlers the tip becomes very dark. We have a saying in the medical community which I am apart of, "you have to find a way to stop injuring the injury!" So let's put things into perspective. I see this injury on bowlers who spin the ball at release.
Often they have a tendency to "flick" the ball "forward" down the lane! (Not to say that you do that.) However, the mechanism of injury occurs because, the bowler wants to keep the ball "on line" down the lane. So in many respects the thumb is used to spin the ball and guide the ball towards the target on the lane, while even trying to help the ball with more revolutions at release.
A regular spin bowler will have a callus on the outside of the thumb "but" it is often much "lower" on the thumb closer to the top bending joint of the thumb.
A bowler who spins the balling; is gripping the ball; and is directing the path of the ball with their thumb; while at the same time trying to spin the ball, will rub "hard" against the side wall of the thumbhole as it tries to exit the hole.
Squeezing the ball is the main part of the problem. Coaches try different things to get bowlers to "not squeeze" the ball. I simply try to get the bowler to understand a "new muscle movement" may be required.
Take your opposite hand and position it like you have a roll of dimes inside of it. You should be able to see the four knuckles at the top. Next insert your bowling hand's thumb inside it. Wrist flat, palm up to the ceiling. Close your "bowling hand." You will see that it looks much like you are holding a bowling ball if you spread your fingers a little. The first thing you will notice is that there's nothing touching the injured tip of your thumb. However, you can feel the "inside" of your bowling hand thumb pressing at the base of the thumb on the non ball hand.
It will be on the fat part of the base of the thumb at that! If you have your thumb locked down like bowlers normally do, you can pull your hand back and get resistance before your thumb can clear the hole. That "lift" of your thumb to clear the hole is an aspect you have to try to force on yourself so you can take the pressure off of the outside of the thumb.
Squeezing the ball is a very hard habit to break. So a partial fix, is to lock your thumb to the left side of the thumb hole (if you are right handed) and to just "lift" it to release the shot down lane. I will often ask the bowler to just perform a 1 o'clock lift release, instead of a 12 o'clock lifting release. This requires a little ball tilt to the right,(right handers) so you can also place the thumb in the 1 o'clock position behind the ball. Your wrist position can be fairly flat.
In summary: Try not to squeeze the ball from the outside with the tip of the thumb. It gets hurt exiting the ball when it has to spin and direct the ball down lane. Create new muscle movement by using the opposite side of the thumb against the thumb hole. You will get less drag on the thumbhole. Sabrina, let me be quite candid...Most who I have seen go through this do very well. Pain at the tip of the thumb is not a topic I covered in my book True Bowler Adjustments because it takes a "bowling coach" with a "hands on perspective" to listen to you and help you through the change.
What I am talking about is getting a new "feel" for the ball. Unfortunately as coaches we get pretty close to teaching it, however, we truly can not teach "feel." It is sump'n I expect you to "work hard" to "understand" first. Then, work hard to work the inside or opposite side of the thumb and thumbhole in the future. It can be done, and in many respects, it has to be done... Best of luck and e-mail me at:
[email protected]
-Gary
Las Vegas, NV
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (its a great book!)
