DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

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Confusionfusion11
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DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by Confusionfusion11 »

new to this site and was recommend by a pro shop owner.
My question is something I discovered yesterday actually after 3-4 years of bowling, we both realized my thumb is an HOURGLASS shape. why is this a concern you might ask? heres why. I put my thumb in the hole (no pun intended) and right as the knuckle starts going in. the space between the knuckle and the webbing of my hand has SO MUCH SPACE. which in turn causes me to GRIP and squeeze the ball, he said I'm not the only bowler with this issue and Jason couch had the same issue, his solution which he has seen from other people with the exact same issue, is to take thumb tape and start wrapping it around on the part of my finger between the first knuckle and the webbing of my hand to add some more "meet" to it so I can get a cleaner release. I was curious if anyone else had the same issue and is learning how to work around it. uploading a picture to give yall an idea.
please and thank you for your time.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by fufu »

Can you post a picture of where you are putting the tape? I'm somewhat confused.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by snick »

I often tell my customers with thumbs like this to do exactly ass you suggested: wrap the skinny part of the thumb with tape to help reduce the gap in the hole.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by stevespo »

I'm also in the "hourglass thumb club", and have experimented with this. The upside is it does help to snug up that part of our thumb and create a good feel in the hole.
thumb-tape.jpg
The downside is that the horizontal wrap between the knuckles can tend to roll and become loose when you're bowling. Getting the edge above the thumb bevel and good adhesion (clean hands, alcohol swab, etc) will help. Overlapping ends of the tape (on the back) and covering with a vertical piece also helps.

That said, I generally don't do this. I don't like the feel of the tape on thumb pad, but that's just me.
You might try some additional thumb bevel to get your thumb to seat a little more securely in the ball. An oval thumb will provide more contact with the thumb pad. I also put my thumb in first, which helps me get a consistent feel.

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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by Confusionfusion11 »

stevespo wrote:I'm also in the "hourglass thumb club", and have experimented with this. The upside is it does help to snug up that part of our thumb and create a good feel in the hole.
thumb-tape.jpg
The downside is that the horizontal wrap between the knuckles can tend to roll and become loose when you're bowling. Getting the edge above the thumb bevel and good adhesion (clean hands, alcohol swab, etc) will help. Overlapping ends of the tape (on the back) and covering with a vertical piece also helps.

That said, I generally don't do this. I don't like the feel of the tape on thumb pad, but that's just me.
You might try some additional thumb bevel to get your thumb to seat a little more securely in the ball. An oval thumb will provide more contact with the thumb pad. I also put my thumb in first, which helps me get a consistent feel.

Steve
When you mean by "getting the edge above the bevel" you mean the tape right? and I do have a oval thumb hole. as well. as for tape on the pad of my thumb I have never tried so I will give it a shot this weekend. (I also had to much revere pitch for my span so we ZEROED the pitch and god damn I have to learn how to bowl all over again. trying to not grip the ball.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by stevespo »

Yes, exactly. Try to get one edge of the horizontal tape just above the bevel. The piece on the back of the thumb does help to hold it together. It can get a little grabby on the front if you use white textured tape in the hole. Depends on what kind of tape, insert, etc, so definitely experiment.

Shorter (comfortable) span and neutral thumb SEEMS like it should be easier to hold onto and release, but I'm sure it feels foreign and the pitches may need a few rounds of adjustment.

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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by TomaHawk »

The base of your thumb is significantly larger than the rest of your thumb and does not rest in the ball properly. Reducing the amount of reverse was the correct direction to go, a tapered thumb hole is in order too.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by Confusionfusion11 »

TomaHawk wrote:The base of your thumb is significantly larger than the rest of your thumb and does not rest in the ball properly. Reducing the amount of reverse was the correct direction to go, a tapered thumb hole is in order too.
tapered as in? near the bottom of the hole is tight, but as it starts rising to the webbing of the hand or last knuckle, I should start opening it up more? (god I hope that made sense)
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by Bruhls »

I’m having the same issue as OP and I was wondering about some other methods of getting a more secure thumbfit with a hourglass shaped thumb.
Horizontal tape seems like a good idea, but as Stevespo mentioned, I’m having problems with the tape rolling up and I haven’t been able to find tape that’ll stick to my sweaty thumb even though I use alcohol rub before applying the tape. Can't even get 2 shots in before the tape is completely messed up.
Tried the Vise Bioskin which is supposed to be sweat resistant, but it was just as bad as any other type of tape I tried.

I don’t really understand how a thumbhole taper will help me with my situation.
I sculpt my thumbholes myself and sure I can do some tapering, but at release the fleshy part in the middle needs to exit the hole too, so the top of the hole kinda needs to be widened up as well or I’ll face problems at release if it's too tight for the wide part of my thumb.


Do I have any other options?
Last edited by Bruhls on November 11th, 2017, 4:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by bowl1820 »

Bruhls wrote: I’m having problems with the tape rolling up and I haven’t been able to find tape that’ll stick to my sweaty thumb even though I use alcohol rub before applying the tape.
You can try applying some antiperspirant to the back of your thumb.

They actually have antiperspirant for hands, some proshops have it. Master "Control Grip" , Kegel "No Sweat" and there's "Dry Grip" for golfers or some spray on Right guard should work also (Just matter of how long it lasts).

Put it on (Remember to wash & dry your hands first) a little while before bowling, Then apply your tape.

Also when you apply tape to your thumb, put it on with your thumb bent. If you put it on with the thumb straight, when you flex your thumb it pulls and stretches the tape and it tends to cause it to pull loose more.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by Bruhls »

I will try one of those products mentioned the next time I'm at my pro shop.
I still feel like a horizontal tape is bound to roll up, since you'll be rubbing against the edge each time you enter your finger in the thumbhole.

Placing another tape above in a vertical fashion doesn't help either since it'll only cover a small part of the horizontal tape.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by bowl1820 »

Bruhls wrote:I will try one of those products mentioned the next time I'm at my pro shop.
I still feel like a horizontal tape is bound to roll up, since you'll be rubbing against the edge each time you enter your finger in the thumbhole.

Placing another tape above in a vertical fashion doesn't help either since it'll only cover a small part of the horizontal tape.
In regard to the tape your placing horizontally on your thumb, once the tape is on your thumb. You might try taking some new skin (or similar) and use it to "glue" the edges of the tape down to your thumb.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by Bruhls »

great Idea, thank you.
I also ordered a roll of teal turbo tape which is supposed to be sturdier.
Will report back on my experiences.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by Bruhls »

Unfortunately I haven't gotten much success with the horizontal tape.
Ordered a roll of teal turbo tape (the tackiest one), but
a.) still can't get rid of the curling up issue which doesn't matter because:
b.) it actually makes my thumb waaaay too fast. Dropped my ball quite a few times on the backswing and noticed a huge ammount of increased grip pressure because the thumb ways so slick.

Extraskin glue didn't help either.

So I'm back with no tape on the thumb.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by kajmk »

snick wrote:I often tell my customers with thumbs like this to do exactly ass you suggested: wrap the skinny part of the thumb with tape to help reduce the gap in the hole.
Sounds like a good idea.

Looking at a picture of a thumb can be deceptive though (at least to me)
Do you conceptualize thumb shape in terms of longitude and latitude?

To me, the thumb is one of the tougher components of the game to conquer.
I wonder if in part, that is why some folks intuitively do the half thumb thing?
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by MegaMav »

kajmk wrote:To me, the thumb is one of the tougher components of the game to conquer.
Still struggling with it after all these years even with a great fit.
I have a cone thumb and a cyst on the nerve. 1 piece of tape can be the difference between hang and drop early.
My thumb also changes sizes significantly with the weather, Its extremely frustrating.
Im also hurt at the moment. I injured my wrist's radial collateral ligament from screwing around with tighter thumb holes and hanging when I come over the side of the ball too early. I also was messing around with hand pressures for different releases that played a role in the injury. I've gone back to clean at the bottom but not before the damage was done.
Im out 4-6 weeks.

The struggle is real for many. Most times its bad fit in this industry, sometimes its anatomy.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by GrumpyCatFace »

I’m looking for some guidance on this as well. Im a pretty new bowler, but I just can’t seem to get my thumb seated, after 2 attempts with the PSO. I have a whole lot of extra space at the bottom of the thumb hole, and it always seems to sit on a weird part of the joint, that doesn’t feel “natural”.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by MegaMav »

GrumpyCatFace wrote:I’m looking for some guidance on this as well. Im a pretty new bowler, but I just can’t seem to get my thumb seated, after 2 attempts with the PSO. I have a whole lot of extra space at the bottom of the thumb hole, and it always seems to sit on a weird part of the joint, that doesn’t feel “natural”.
Where are you located?
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by GrumpyCatFace »

MegaMav wrote:
Where are you located?
Northern Ohio. I can send you the PSO's name, if it helps, but he's a super nice guy, and I don't want to sound like I'm running him down. It's most likely an issue with my understanding of how a ball should fit.
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Re: DISCOVERED A THUMB realization

Post by MegaMav »

GrumpyCatFace wrote:
Northern Ohio. I can send you the PSO's name, if it helps, but he's a super nice guy, and I don't want to sound like I'm running him down. It's most likely an issue with my understanding of how a ball should fit.
So you're not *too* far to see one of the very best in the business.
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