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one handeded/no thumb blower

Posted: September 3rd, 2020, 8:26 pm
by ballspoint
Hi
a friend is a no thumb bowler, but hes putting it in the gutter a bit to often,
with this type of bowling, beening mostly muscled? is this his problem being so inconsistent?
I don't have a video, so hoping for some helpful comments.
Thought i should mention he is a one handed no thumb bowler.

Re: no thumb blower

Posted: September 3rd, 2020, 9:13 pm
by kajmk
Perhaps better than shooting in the dark.

This video was prepared by Maestro Jim Merrell



Also, this axiom applies to every style.
Note the pictures posted by Jim Merrill of a young two handed.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1052

I would strive to apply the key elements pointed out in the video.
Couple these guidelines with practice where the goal is targeting over multiple points on the land, note the goal is to come as close as possible to dotting the dots.

Belmonte converts his 10 pin leaves while rolling his no thumb two hander dead straight.
In bowling, before one learns how to hook a ball, one should learn how to roll it straight and hit the intended targets.
Don't let your friend be seduced by the RPMS and hook.

Get a video, post it for our certified coaches to analyze.
Note well, Dean and Tony have the talent and skill to analyze and establish keys for your bowler to work on. But first they must see.

Stay safe.

Re: one handeded/no thumb blower

Posted: September 4th, 2020, 4:33 pm
by boomer
ballspoint wrote: September 3rd, 2020, 8:26 pm Hi
a friend is a no thumb bowler, but hes putting it in the gutter a bit to often,
with this type of bowling, beening mostly muscled? is this his problem being so inconsistent?
I don't have a video, so hoping for some helpful comments.
Thought i should mention he is a one handed no thumb bowler.
a bit more to the point:

a: which gutter? I'll assume the right gutter (right handed) - without a video I'll give the advice I typically give no-thumb or two-hand bowlers. REACH OUT. The biggest issue I see (all other things being equal) is that these bowlers don't reach toward their target. They have an abbreviated swing, so that reaching toward their target is very important. It puts in their brain the "line" that they need to be swinging on to get there. Missing badly left or right can often be because they're just dumping the ball and not actually getting the ball on a line.

b: what line are they bowling? A person I've been helping has been trying to adjust but only with their feet. They learned the line, "miss left, move left" which is correct as far as that goes, but at some point they end up throwing straight at the channel . . . and the ball goes into the channel. No-thumbers and two-handers have to watch the oil, just as much or even more than we thumbers do. I know they want to chuck . . . but they need to THINK even more. Their line has to stay in the oil - move left both feet AND target and get them into the oil. This will also have the effect of having them throw the ball down the lane more.


Without video (really need video) that's about all I can think of for now.

Re: one handeded/no thumb blower

Posted: September 4th, 2020, 5:29 pm
by kajmk
As an addendum to boomer's cogent points -

Use of a focal point can help, also the old towel on the land to encourage loft.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5109&p=40735&hilit=Focal#p40735

A thread on BC discussion of two handed style.
Analysis of the Two-handed Style
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6339

Also, if you care to review search results
Word "handed"
Author Jmerrell
Forum Certified Coaches

search.php?keywords=Handed&terms=all&au ... mit=Search

Anecdote: In the recent Phantom show, coach Mark Barker mentions that he voraciously read books, articles etc on Bowling.
Also, the importance of video as a tool to diagnose and prescribe a course of action for an individual.
We all feel things as we bowl. Mark said that most times what the bowler feels is very often not what the bowler is doing. Going on, he mentioned that many elite bowlers are "feel players". In many cases, he looks for things they can key on.
Your friend no doubt has a mental image of what they look like and do.
It would probably help if they saw themself. Lacking video, seeing their image in a reflective surface can help. For example a mirror or a glass door or window (at night, where it's dark outside and the glass serves as a mirror) The reflection method was cited in 'The Inner Game of Tennis"

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6440

Re: one handeded/no thumb blower

Posted: September 4th, 2020, 6:19 pm
by TomaHawk
ballspoint wrote: September 3rd, 2020, 8:26 pm Hi
a friend is a no thumb bowler, but hes putting it in the gutter a bit to often,
with this type of bowling, beening mostly muscled? is this his problem being so inconsistent?
I don't have a video, so hoping for some helpful comments.
Thought i should mention he is a one handed no thumb bowler.
Yes, he is muscling the ball. There is a tremendous amount of tension placed on the hand, forearm, and bicep muscles when delivering a bowling ball with no thumb / one hand. Realistically, even the shoulder muscles are tense. To take it a bit further, it takes a lot of practice to just let the ball swing freely from the shoulder when utilizing no thumb / one handed technique.

Throwing the ball with no thumb / one hand also creates the sensation the ball is going to fall off the hand throughout the delivery. Because of that sensation, the natural tendency is to hurry up the approach. A hurried approach leads to all kinds of inconsistencies.

Developing the proper timing for that type of bowling technique is critical.

Re: one handeded/no thumb blower

Posted: September 5th, 2020, 12:22 am
by ballspoint
Thanks all for your comments, very helpful, will see if he can get a video as thats critical for online help.

Re: one handeded/no thumb blower

Posted: September 5th, 2020, 5:57 pm
by kajmk
Here is a short clip of a Mike Miller early in his career.
Note the quick approach and ability to keep the wrist cupped.
I had dabbled in no thumb, both 1 and 2 handed.
Being a small guy 5'8", with average size hands, I used a trick I observed from watching Bob Benoit (he used his thumb). What I did was use my lower forearm and wrist to help support the weight of the ball, I coupled that with very fast feet (Marshall Holman) to generate ball speed, since I would have a short swing.
Note, I did not say I was any good though.

Mike Miller


Jim Pratt a bowler from the Phoenix Metro area
The last time I saw Jim was in a classic league here in Sun City


From a few years ago
Brett Wolfe vs Jim Pratt