Author Topic: the hell with my forward thumb pitch. (Read 7167 times)

chitown · « **on:** November 21, 2005, 09:16:48 AM »

I have tried this season to do well with my forward thumb pitch (1/8 forward). I have done absolutely crappy. I hang in the ball half the time when I miss on my release. It has caused me to be real inconsistent in my release. I drilled an old ball with the same pitch's and span except for my thumb pitch. I changed the thumb pitch to 1/4 reverse and 3/16 lateral toward the palm. The lateral pitch was the same as before. I had much better success. Even when I missed on my release I was still able to have a good ball roll because I didn't hang. Well i'm going into the pro shop tonight to drop all of my balls in my arsenal off to change back to 1/4 reverse.

The moral of this story is that sometimes it's best to just leave things alone instead of always searching for something better.

scotts33 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 22, 2005, 10:17:51 AM »

I haven't seen all these pro's bowl but here's an observation. I am sure there is some folks out there that say I am nuts....what the heck.

Parker Bohn - 5/16 reverse with a 4 5/8 x 4 3/4 span <---relatively straight player comes around side of ball.

Brad Angelo - 3/8 reverse with a 4 1/x8 x 4 1/4 span (That's so unguru like)<---likes to circle it more comes around side of ball.

Mika K - 0 reverse with a 4 1/8 x 4 3/32 span<---pretty straight player likes to use loft and end over end roll more.

Mike Fagan - 0 reverse with a 4 3/4 x 3 3/8 (Sarge Easter)<---haven't seen mike bowl much but I seem to remember him jamming the ball into the lane more end over end but opens up the lane when he can.

See any correlation? From my experience which is not vast as drillers go but not cursory either. I see players that like to exert more side roll and more axis tilt like 0 to reverse. Players that like more forward roll like very little reverse to forward.

I maybe all wet but it just made me think about it a bit.
--------------------
Scott

Sawuser · « **Reply #17 on:** November 22, 2005, 10:38:21 AM »

Mika K - 0 reverse with a 4 1/8 x 4 3/32 span<---pretty straight player likes to use loft and end over end roll more.
---------------------

Wow! As lanky as Mika is, his span is that short?

--------------------
Wayne
FOS HARD CORE MEMBER
Bomb Squad & Diamond Cutter

And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgement

Brickguy221 · « **Reply #18 on:** November 22, 2005, 10:42:36 AM »

quote:
Wow! As lanky as Mika is, his span is that short?

Does he have a lot of forward pitch in the fingers?

--------------------
Brick

TheDude · « **Reply #19 on:** November 28, 2005, 01:39:12 PM »

quote:
Mika K - 0 reverse with a 4 1/8 x 4 3/32 span<---pretty straight player likes to use loft and end over end roll more.
---------------------

Wow! As lanky as Mika is, his span is that short?

--------------------
Wayne
FOS HARD CORE MEMBER
Bomb Squad & Diamond Cutter

I am the same size as Mika. hands very similar, games as well, now less loft and more letting the ball onto the lane sooner. I use 3/16 forward as well, but i will admitt is not for everyone. those with very free relaxed arm swings can use it, but i look most importantly at the bottom of the swing. if you are going past your ankle very quickly you need to exit your thumb fairly fast, and if you have the ball sitting lane level longer i would say less reverse.

With zero i loose the ball behind my ankle most times. i work here at buffa bowling and most of the staff can agree with trying it out.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgement

--------------------
Timothy @Juniors Pro-Shop
Staff Writer 7-10 Split Magazine,EGO Communications
Montreal, Quebec.

novawagonmaster · « **Reply #20 on:** November 28, 2005, 06:24:27 PM »

I wonder if it has anything to do with hanging up when sweaty. Dude on the PBA show this week (first time on TV and I cannot remember his name) was sweating like the groom in a shotgun wedding! Forward pitch requires a very clean thumb exit. I know when I get the least bit sweaty in the hands, I will have a tendency to hang in the thumb (I use 1/8 forward now). Could these guys be favoring reverse to allow a clean thumb exit? I went to forward thumb pitch and shorter span recently. I have noticed higher rev rates, no more dropping the ball at the line, and no more wrist pain.
--------------------
Jon (in Ohio)
CHROME WON'T GET YOU HOME!
F.O.S. Proud Saw user...see profile.

chitown · « **Reply #21 on:** November 29, 2005, 01:02:19 PM »

I don't know why the pro's use the pitches they use. For me reverse is so much better than forward. With forward i'm limited to coming up the back of the ball. If I want to throw my dry lane release where I come more up the side of the ball I end up hanging. If I miss on my up the back release I hang in the ball. Now in my mind i'm worried about hanging. Who needs those problems. Now as far as more revs I notice that I can get more with reverse in the thumb. However this is what works for me. I tried this forward in the thumb from the start of this season until this past Sunday. On Sunday I had all of my equipment drilled back to my normal 1/4 reverse and won money for the first time this season. The hell with this magical forward thumb pitch.

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #22 on:** November 29, 2005, 09:10:09 PM »

Hasn't anyone been paying attention?

Drilling and fitting a bowling ball is more of an art form than a science. Sure there are some guidelines but none are set in stone. There is an optimum release angle for you to achieve a clean release. I believe it to be something like 63 degrees. As long as you maintain this angle the release will still be clean. If you change your forward/reverse pitch, there must also be a span change in order to maintain this angle. If you do not change the span when you change pitch, you will either hang in the ball or lose the ball.

Bill Taylor has written a several part article on this very subject in BTM for those of you wanting to invest more thought.

You are right....forward reverse for some is a fad or perhaps even worthless but with the proper tweaks to your span, it can be a wonderful thing....
--------------------
Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Join the FOS by throwing the newest Wave of Destruction from Lane#1...
Get your hands on a Tsunami today!

Sawuser · « **Reply #23 on:** November 29, 2005, 11:10:53 PM »

Doug, You stated it well. The pitch changes must be done correctly with the PROPER span adjustment. When I started going forward with thumb pitch, 1/8 was great. I then decided to try 1/4 and did not shorten my span any more, hence I started what chitown experienced. I now have my span & pitches CORRECT, & will never go back to using reverse thumb pitch. Keep in mind also, it depends on how your hand is built. Some would never be able to use forward.
--------------------
Wayne
FOS HARD CORE MEMBER
Bomb Squad & Diamond Cutter

And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgement

Brickguy221 · « **Reply #24 on:** November 30, 2005, 03:38:49 PM »

All of you people that promote forward thumb pitch can say what you want, but there are people like myself that have a thumb a bit on the stiff side and we cannot survive with forward pitch. I myself have been to a number of drillers, some of which are former pros and I have spent several hundred dollars shortening span, plugging, redrilling, etc. with no success at converting to forward thumb pitch. Say what you want, but everyone cannot convert to forward thumb pitch and there is nothing to prove that they can.

--------------------
Brick

chitown · « **Reply #25 on:** November 30, 2005, 03:58:31 PM »

Wether forward in the thumb is good or not doesn't matter because it's all in the eye of the beholder. I don't like forward thumb pitch at all. I bowl a lot better with reverse thumb pitch.

Doug Sterner · « **Reply #26 on:** November 30, 2005, 10:37:57 PM »

Good point Brick....I stand corrected.

The exceptions to the rule are bowlers with any of the following issues:

1. excessively long thumbs
2. overly sweaty or sticky thumbs
3. thumbs lacking flexibility

If you have any of the above issues then you might very well not be able to use forward pitch.
--------------------
Doug Sterner
Doug's Pro Shop
Owego, NY
http://dougsproshop@aol.com
www.dougsproshop.net
Join the FOS by throwing the newest Wave of Destruction from Lane#1...
Get your hands on a Tsunami today!

Brickguy221 · « **Reply #27 on:** December 01, 2005, 12:36:04 AM »

quote:
1. excessively long thumbs
2. overly sweaty or sticky thumbs
3. thumbs lacking flexibility

Doug, believe it or not, I am a bit of all 3. My thumb is long, but not excessively long. Some days I have a problem with a sticky thumb and have to use some powdered soap stone that I made. Works better, lasts longer and is more consistant than Easy Slide. And last, I lack flexability of my thumb. For whatever reason, since I retired and quit working 4 1/2 years ago, my thumb is not quite as stiff as it once was, but it still remains somewhat stiff.

--------------------
Brick

a_ak57 · « **Reply #28 on:** December 01, 2005, 06:37:01 PM »

quote:
It's true. CGNOMADDAH. If you honestly think about how a bowling ball is laid out, all you are doing it positioning the mass bias (be it real, or just a line from the pin thru the cg at 6 3/4 inches) in a different position.

But keep believing that.

Jeremy
--------------------
\m/
Viva La Metal Militia!
Long live the new flesh!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

WHY, Jeremy, WHYYYYYYYY??

Here we go....
--------------------
- Andy

Author Topic: the hell with my forward thumb pitch. (Read 7167 times)

chitown

the hell with my forward thumb pitch.

scotts33

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Sawuser

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Brickguy221

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TheDude

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novawagonmaster

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chitown

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Doug Sterner

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Sawuser

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Brickguy221

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chitown

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Doug Sterner

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Brickguy221

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a_ak57

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