In fact, I just went and grabbed a football and threw it underhanded, and it is the EXACT motion, and hand position that I use to roll the bowling ball. You can do it thumbless as well. I think I may have to employ this into my coaching down the road.

I haven't seen the football exampled mentioned in a while, desertdog. I used to read it on a weekly basis. Its the perfect motion for learning what to do with the hand, but then its the gripping and getting out of the ball properly issue.

What I am trying to relate though is that the cradling of the ball like you do with the football is what allows for a bowler to not grip the ball.

Coach Jim will be happy to know that I didn't have to hit up on the football to get revs.

I know, like I said it used to be common practice to suggest using a football to learn the proper hook motion, but having seen it so much lately.

Actually it's proper span and pitches. I can keep my hand "dead fish" limp and throw the ball without it falling off. I don't have to apply any pressure most of the time. Physics keeps the ball on my hand.

Past the knuckle and just before the joint that connects the thumb to the hand. I know the thumb doesn't touch the edge of the hole, but about 1/8 or 3/16 down the hole there's a spot that I think needs to be buzzed/sanded out. I've had this happen before and buzzing that part out usually fixes it.



I would really love to keep my hand completely free during my armswing, but being human I thing I would always have to apply slight pressure. If I can grip a little with the base of my thumb(which I'm physically capable of but my fit won't allow it) instead of bending the knuckle while keeping a firm hold on the ball and still have a clean release I would be happy with that.

Also, my driller brought this up and I'm hoping it's not a big issue. The space between my knuckle and my joint is thin compared to my knuckle, which makes it hard for the thumb to hold the ball. This is because with the knuckle being wider, the hole needs to be drilled big enough to release it. Since the upper part of the thumb hole is where my thumb is thinner I personally think that's why we can't find the right fit size wise. Pitch/span might be the ultimate problem, but I want your opinions on this as well.

As I have already said that if your thumb is tight and the ball still slips out of the ball you need to go forward. If you are forward and the thumb is locking up in the hole then have your span checked, you have said that your ring finger span goes to the first knuckle and the middle finger goes 1/2 way between the first and second knuckle. Have the ring finger span shortened to 1/2 way between the first and second knuckle and go from there.

Okay, I rechecked with the span test. The ring finger deal is still true. First, since I use inserts, I assume I should be looking at where the inside edge of the insert is at on my fingers.

That said, the first crease of my middle finger actually is about 1/16 past the edge the first crease, not 1/2. The first crease of my ring finger is short of reaching the edge of the instert by 1/16.

When I put my hand in the ball, my fingers don't feel like they're going to come out or anything. Also, my fingers don't lay on the ball. There's a little gap between the second knuckles and the ball, the middle finger gap being slightly bigger, but the area past the second knuckle of the ring finger comes closer to the ball surface than the same area on the middle finger. I thought the right span would have your fingers touching the ball in all areas. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I have a feeling I am because how people's fingers lay on the ball are probably different from bowler to bowler.

You were right though, being forward(with a little less bevel) has me locking up in the ball(although it also has the "slipping" feel in the swing) even at just 1/8 forward, while anything more reverse than that(with plenty of bevel) has me knuckling the ball.

Pictures are always an option if you'd like.

I think that you're perhaps misunderstanding what bevelling is and means.

In fact, bevelling the thumb hole is simply taking off the sharp edge that is normally left after drilling ANY hole in ANY materiel.