Hi all,

I just need to get this straight so I can completely understand how I'm supposed to handle the ball:

For those of you who are using a completely relaxed hand, is it normal to feel a lot of the weight of the ball on your thumb (with or without a cupped wrist)? I'm talking about holding the ball at your side cupped, like in Clifton's picture, do you feel some/all of the weight of the ball on the thumb/a lot of pressure on the thumb? or is all of the weight supported by the wrist?: http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/TipGraphics/Cupped2.JPG

I know when you're swinging the ball, you shouldn't feel the weight of the ball at all. Personally, The ball's weight bears down on my hand on the bottom of the downswing when I bowl.

Are you supposed to keep the fingers firm (squeeze with fingers to support ball), or are they supposed to be fully relaxed as well?

So to get it all straight, is the only tense thing of a free armswing, a cupped and cocked wrist?

I will feel the ball pulling on my thumb because your thumb is locked in. Gravity wants to pull it off but it won't come off your thumb. You shouldn't have to use any pressure to keep the ball on your hand.

Can someone please tell that to my Pro Shop operator. I just bought another ball and having it drilled with 1/4 forward pitch in the thumb, and it was like pulling teeth to get him to do it.

I've been trying to wrap my mind around this idea for a couple of months now, since I started bowling.

My understanding is that the thumb should not support ANY of the weight of the ball. The weight should be entirely supported by the fingers (and palm possibly). The thumb should only feel the pressure of stopping the ball from rolling forward off the hand.

See my recent post titled "I think a lightbulb came on" for my recent epiphany concerning thumb pitch, etc. http://www.bowlingcommunity.com/b/ubbthr....html#Post65336

Disclaimer: I may not know what I am talking about here.

If you look at the picture linked to in the first post, the ball will want to roll off your hand. It will pull on the thumb when you do this.

adagdag - It's funny you bring this up. I was looking at the same article recently and I discovered I have a very lazy wrist (my wrist stays in the position in picture A). Last night praciting before and during league, I emulated the wrist position found in pictures B and C. I found out a couple things doing this, and this may be relative.

Firstly, during the swing the only weight pressure I really felt was on the finger tips and my index finger. I could barely feel my thumb, but I had to concentrate on my wrist to keep it in said position. I honestly didn't feel like I was squeezing the ball too much last night. And this is with an improper grip. If I had the correct span/pitches, I would assume it'd be even more comfortable.

As Lefty said, during the swing the force of gravity will keep the ball on your thumb (as if it's locked in), the only pressure I felt was on my finger tips, my index finger, and my wrist. You shouldn't be squeezing at all - the ball will literally "hang" onto your hand during the swing naturally. This is something I've just recently discovered, and found out what it feels like.

I'm not sure how you could not feel any weight at all. I mean, you're throwing a 12lb+ object, gravity can only do so much. But I thought the weight was distributed to the wrist, and the fingers during the swing? I felt the weight on my index finger and my insert fingers, and some of the wrist, but that was it. It was nothing uncomfortable or enough to make me really think about it, but could be wrong here though.

I thought that this is why people get wrist supports. Because their wrist may not be strong enough to support the weight in the proper form without one, and also why people (including Jim) suggest wrist exercise.

Wrist exercises are two fold solution:

1. it strengthens your wrist to bowl properly.

2. It prevents injury even if you wear a wrist brace you could still develop tendinitis if your wrist isn't strong enough.