Exit Your Bowling Thumb Cleanly

By: bowlingball.com, Originally Posted; 2/28/17; Updated: 1/21/21

If you wish to bowl consistently well, exit your bowling thumb cleanly from your ball.

For any one handed bowler using the standard grip with two finger holes and a thumb hole, your goal must be to allow your thumb to exit your ball cleanly and quickly.

Makes no difference if you are trying to use a “cupped” wrist position, a “straight” wrist position, or a “broken” wrist position, you must get your thumb out at the same time relative to your sliding shoe repeatedly.

The degree of wrist hinge you use at the precise moment your hand exits the ball will certainly affect ball skid distance. Once you have made this choice, release the ball quickly and smoothly with the same amount of loft distance over the foul line each shot.

To be certain, your job is to make sure you get your hand out of the ball as cleanly and as swiftly as you can each shot.

One key in accomplishing this task is to use the same amount of gripping pressure with your thumb every delivery you make.

Although you may use slightly more grip pressure with your fingers than thumb, do so consistently so your hand leaves the ball as close to the same time each shot.

In doing so, you can control your ball skid distance and overall ball reaction.

Some players will bend the thumb knuckle slightly inside the hole which can impair a fast and clean thumb release. Usually this happens if the hole is too big and the tendency is to squeeze the ball and bend the thumb knuckle prohibiting a fast release. Having a properly fitted thumb hole will prevent this from happening.

A benefit to allowing your thumb to exit your ball cleanly is that your fingers will follow in a similar fashion each shot.

If your fingers can release from the ball the same way repeatedly, you will get a very close amount of axis rotation and tilt each shot as well. This further enhances your ability to get a consistent ball reaction.

Another trick in releasing the ball cleanly is to key the thumb release near the top of your backswing and allow the forces of gravity to drop your ball into your downswing with the same degree of forward thrust each shot. This technique means you will force your release infrequently and you will be able to control your ball speed. Everything in the game is about getting a good ball reaction; exiting your hand from the bowling ball cleanly and swiftly is one way to attain that goal.

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