Grip and Fitting Articles
Do you sometimes struggle to consistently release the bowling ball? Do you have troublesome calluses that rip while bowling? Do you experience pain in your hand joints during or after bowling? If you answer yes to any of these questions, or if have any other issues with your bowling ball fit, you are at the right place.
Bowling This Month has articles with tips and suggestions to make sure you have the best fit for your equipment. With a correct fit, the bowling ball is supposed to let go of you at the release, and not the other way around. So with that thought in mind, you will find a number of articles here that help lower your grip pressure, give general fitting advice, and cover various fitting methods:
- Lower grip pressure: One of the many key factors of bowling is shot repetition and repetition is almost always improved with lower grip pressure. The majority of the world’s best bowlers employ fitting methods that are designed to lower their gripping pressure, which is the force required to keep the ball on the hand throughout the swing. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including through the proper use of bowling tape, advanced taping techniques, and by using proper fitting methods that customize the gripping holes to best utilize each individual bowler's hand. Our articles cover all the leading methods and techniques in lowering grip pressure.
- General fitting advice: A great fit is a key component of shot repetition and consistency. Having every bowling ball in your arsenal feeling the same is of utmost importance. If you need to make a ball change in a key situation, and it takes you a few throws to get used to the ball you are throwing, you just spotted the field that many more pins. The articles in this section will teach you the methods and techniques to maintain consistency in all of your equipment.
- Fitting methods: At Bowling This Month, we try to cover all the options that exist addressing common grip and fit-related issues. Whether you’re coming back after an injury or if you haven’t had your fit measured in over a decade, here you will find various techniques and methods for how to best fit your hand to the bowling ball for improved comfort and consistency.
In bowling, having a consistent grip on the ball will improve your ability to strike (and spare!) as much as possible. If you have any kind of issues with your fit, it can hurt your scores and, worse yet, it can lead to major injuries. Protect your hand, protect your scores, and make sure your bowling balls fit perfectly!
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Featured Grip and Fitting Articles
Coaching the Unorthodox – Part 2
Unique gripping and release parameters
In this follow-up article on coaching those with unorthodox traits, I will look into other aspects of a bowler’s game and my approach to coaching them, with a focus on the bowler’s grip, ball roll, mental game, and also the...
Troubleshooting Finger Pain
Bowling shouldn't hurt
Like any sport, bowling can sometimes hurt a little, but it shouldn’t hurt your hand—especially when you get out of bed the next morning. You know that feeling when your pro shop guru hands you a new ball for the...
Tips for the Weekend Warrior: Fit Is Key
How ball fit affects more than just your release
Bowling certainly has its unique challenges and complications: which ball to throw, what lane surface you are bowling on, what oil you are bowling on, and many more. But above all of those variables, the physical game is still the...
Bowling’s Golden Rules – Part 1
The importance of fit
Over the course of the next few articles, we will be looking at all aspects of your equipment and your physical game, together with your relationship with your ball driller and your coach—or should I say coaches. In bowling, much...
Troubleshooting and Fixing Thumb Exit Problems
One of the most complicated issues to fix in bowling is the concept of “clearing the thumb." This refers to how consistently your thumb exits the ball as part of your release. Thumb exit problems are so difficult to fix...