Technique
“THE ADVANTAGE OF THE FINGERTIP GRIP IS THAT THE SPAN IS LONGER, SO MORE OF YOUR HAND IS COV- ERING THE RADIUS OF THE BALL. THAT MAKES IT EASIER TO PUT REVOLUTIONS ON THE BALL, AND THE MORE REVOLUTIONS THE MORE POTENTIAL ENERGY AND HOOK YOU CAN APPLY TO THE BALL.” / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
look at as more relaxed. We know so much more about proper fi t these days, and the methods of creating the proper fi t also are better, which makes for less pain and eff ort in the delivery. When I speak of the proper grip, I am,
of course, talking primarily about the fi n- gertip grip. If someone enjoys bowling to the point at which they purchase their own equipment, I don’t see the point of a conventional grip. With the proper fi t, it’s almost as easy to hold onto the ball with a fi ngertip grip as with a conventional grip. The advantage of the fi ngertip grip is that the span is longer, so more of your
TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE YOU A BETTER BOWLER
entire pad of your fi nger down in the hole. If you feel like you have to close your hand too much around the ball, the span might be short. The span determines the angle of the thumb hole. Having the thumb hole fi t properly is often the diff erence between dropping the ball and having the ball come off your hand properly and consistently. In fact, the properly fi t grip is so import-
Spanning the globe: The advantage of the fi ngertip grip is that the span is longer, so more of your hand is covering the radius of the ball, making revolutions easier to generate.
hand is covering the radius of the ball. That makes it easier to put revolutions on the ball, and the more revolutions, the more potential energy and hook you can apply to the ball. The shorter span of a conven- tional grip, in which you have more fi nger in the ball, results in less coverage and forces you to rely more on your wrist and elbow to generate revolutions. The only times a conventional grip makes sense is for a child, someone with a very small, dainty hand, and for seniors. There are a few keys to the proper grip.
First, we want to see the thumb go all the way into the thumb hole, meaning the back of the knuckle is straight up and down to the back of the hole. We don’t want to see the thumb move towards the
fi ngers. If the thumb shifts in the hole, it means the span is a little too short or too long. Then we want the fi ngers in only to the
fi rst crease. I see a lot of bowlers today who have their fi ngers buried into the holes past the fi rst crease, which is incredibly bad for the hand. That also increases the span. We want to put that fi nger just to the top edge where the joint can bend and the thumb is seated all the way into the hole. Generally speaking, if you put your thumb all the way in the hole without moving the back of the knuckle forward and stretch your fi ngers over the top of the ball, the edge of the fi nger holes should be somewhere between the forward two joints of your fi ngers. We want almost the
ant that I always recommend bowlers have their hand checked before every season starts. Hands are always changing. They change with weight fl uctuation; the fl exi- bility of your hands can also change due to your job or ailments like arthritis. Teenage and pre-teen bowlers should
have their hand checked two or three times a year. Growing kids can easily go through a size in their clothes and shoes every year. Their hand is no diff erent. Get it checked once at the beginning of the sea- son, once midway through, and perhaps again at the end of the season. The problem is that when a bowler’s hand span changes but they fail to make the corresponding changes with their equipment, they sometimes compensate by making mechanical adjustments to their game. That’s never good. Bowlers need to maintain good fundamentals, and they can’t allow a bad grip to change that. With today’s reactive balls, it’s more
important than ever for bowlers to understand the importance of having the proper grip, and that they know what steps to take to ensure their ball fi ts the way it should.
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September 2013
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