Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

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Bigbossman
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Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by Bigbossman »

Started bowling again in nov 2017 ..last league was in the 1970’s so, much has changed . Have updated pearl and reactive balls . Problem is injury to thumb . Cut on inside near index finger at first joint . Using standard finger tip grip . Dropping ball just before foul line and I have had lessons and used towel drill on lane but no improvement. I suggested to pro shop,after much online research, to experiment with thumb drilled with more forward pitch . I also suggested the fingers be drilled with forward pitch away from Palm). Pro shop operator wanted to take small steps in adjusting pitch forward . I wanted more aggressive results and back the pitch up instead of making small steps at$40 a whack!
Both middle finger and ring finger have noticible under nail blood vessel damage indicating a problem ther too . Averaging league at 180 but have skills to be in 195 or greater range. Using 15 pound balls and ball speed averages 15.5 to 16.5
What happens if forward thumb pitch goes to one inch and fingers are pitched away from palm?
Other suggestions or ideas appreciated...
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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by snick »

Before you do anything, you should establish a proper base fit with a certified driller. The dropped balls and fingernail injuries are suspect.
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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by EricHartwell »

Bigbossman wrote: I also suggested the fingers be drilled with forward pitch away from Palm)
Forward pitch is toward the palm and Reverse is away from the palm.
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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by Bigbossman »

So , what problems with release occur with a forward thumb pitch and reverse pitch finger drilling ?
My driller said that would create a release problem???

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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by TonyPR »

Sounds like you probably have a stretched span. Draw a line at the midpoint between your fingertip knuckle crease and second knuckle crease on middle and ring fingers, insert thumb fully all the way in and lay your fingers over the holes without inserting them nor stretching them, thumb web must not be super tight nor slack, think “relaxed”, the lines you drew should coincide with the bottom edge of the finger hole inserts (or hole if you don’t use inserts). This is the way to check for a proper span on a fingertip grip. Let me know if your span is long, short or just right. Attach photos of this test if you want. After this I can guide you step by step so that we can figure out a good fit for you. We can do this, bowling should not hurt.
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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by djp1080 »

I've had the pitch of my finger and thumb holes changed similar to what you're asking your pro shop guy do for you. I often used to drop the ball with an old style drilling ball I started out with several years ago. Used to throw a full roller, too.
Now I'm rolling a semi-roller where I talked to the pro shop guy about adjusting the thumb pitch forward. He was afraid that I'd hang up in the ball, but we did it anyway. Used my spare ball. We made three adjustments forward from the original reverse pitch. The first step was to zero pitch. Then he made two additional forward adjustments. I think it ended up being 3/8ths forward. I probably could go a bit further, but it feels good and I don't drop the ball.
After that I developed some discomfort in the fingertips especially on my middle finger. I noticed that my fingers on my right hand couldn't bend nearly as well as my left hand when I made a fist. So I marched back into the PSO to check it out. He made two adjustments and I haven't had any issues following that. I think I may be suffering from a little arthritis.
That span check is an easy one to do, but making the fist with both hands and comparing may be part of your problem.
Good luck...
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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by Bigbossman »

I checked span as suggested and it is one half inch longer than line between my first and second finger joint, which is marked midway between joints with tape measure .

I also got same answer from PSO being worried about being able to get my hand out of ball with a forward thumb pitch . We moved forward about an 1/8 inch on current experimental drill but span is off as noted above...I’m going to request a 3/4 move forward and change span and fingertips .
Thanks for all of your suggestions .
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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by JohnP »

I’m going to request a 3/4 move forward and change span and fingertips .
A 3/4 change in pitch is huge. As suggested previously the best solution is to find a pro that can analyze your hand and recommend spans and pitches based on it. -- JohnP
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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by stevespo »

JohnP wrote: A 3/4 change in pitch is huge. As suggested previously the best solution is to find a pro that can analyze your hand and recommend spans and pitches based on it. -- JohnP
JohnP is absolutely correct. Start over with a proper workup/fit. You need to reduce your span, but the big forward thumb pitch change seems problematic. Get close, then fine tune. It will be an iterative process.

The wikifit procedure can be very helpful.

http://wiki.bowlingchat.net/wiki/index. ... itting.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by Bigbossman »

The wikifit info is helpful , especially the coke can diagram. However , I’m not exactly sure how to interpret so I will leave that to PSO.. will also take direction from PSO for forward thumb pitch recommendation .
Again , thanks for all your comments
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Re: Ball drilling thumb and forward thumb pitch

Post by TonyPR »

1/4” too long of a span is way too much and can hurt your hand. What is your current span? I can recommend thumb pitch based on your current span minus 1/4” depending on thumb flexibility.
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