Last time I bowled seriously was in 2008 2007 and I don't recall these but this is an awesome idea I wish I had something like this back then and if there was I was unfamiliar. Trying to get back into bowling in will definitely try some of these
Me and my friend just started bowling last November. Avg already up in the 180’s. Just bowled our friends tournament Sunday. Drove 3 hours to play in it. And we came in second lost by 37 pins. I’m proud of us. We had fun. I bowled a 605 series which is big for our first tournament considering our nerves were high lol
I’m actually considering going to interchangeable thumb inserts, my only concern is that I’ve seen some of the pros lose their insert when they release the ball, or they get there thumb stuck because the insert falls out. How common does that happen and how can we prevent those from happening?
I'm very feel sensitive and would never give up my Vise I.T. interchangeable thumbs. I used to have Turbo Switch grips but being a left hander, I kept unlocking them at release (NOT cool). So, I got switched over to the Vise I.T. thumbs and have no unlocking problem. I have five thumbs because, like Rebecca, my thumb shrinks and swells depending on what I ate, humidity, bowling center temperature etc. And I absolutely love the fact that my feel from ball to ball is identical. I once saw a UA-cam video that had a Pro Shop operator and a bowler who had multiple balls, blind fold the bowler and then hand them a random ball and put their hand in the ball and then asked the bowler which ball it was. The bowler was able to identify each ball because each one felt different than the other ones. The Pro Shop operator then said: "I recommend you get interchangeable thumbs." :)
Half my arsenal is in the shop right now getting IT's on all of them after having a 16 lb. ball come flying off my hand in the backswing. This was because I had to make all the thumbholes too big due to excessive swelling. My home center has not fixed their AC for 3 months now and the swelling and shrinking of the thumb have gotten out of control. Tape adjustments were no longer enough so a drastic change had to be implemented. Can't wait to see how this will work out.
@@RebeccaBowls Thankfully it landed in an empty lounge couch. Still a safety concern big enough for me to call it a day, I'll let you know how it goes.
@@RebeccaBowls Got them and really liked the ease of adjusting the size of the thumb holes. I initially got two but now want to get two more to create a different finer tuned feel through tape adjustments. Also thankfully the ball hangs on to my hand well without flying off in the new backswing. Overall they were a total success!
@@TrashBulldogProductions that's great! I have 9 of them lol but really only have a couple that I use consistently. I do still end up messing around with tape because I am such a feel bowler. Glad you like them!
I've used Turbo switchgrips for several years now and could never go back to a fixed grip ... using the switchgrips has definitely been good for my game, improving consistency on release. Only drawback ... I had one break last year, coming out of the ball back in the pit ... happened only once, but I always worry it might happen again. I've found it is best to have a full set to cover my range of thumb swelling + backups of my favorite/most common sizes.
Not bad - but there is a 2 handed technique you may want to check out. If you’re using anything but a house ball, it is illegal to have a hole in a ball that you’re not using like a thumb hole. This is illegal for most leagues and tournaments. Your pro shop operator should be able to set your ball up appropriately for you. Good luck!
I'm sure many interchangeable thumbs and grips help many bowlers, but they aren't for me. Experimented with them for a bit and during one tournament all three of them flew out of the ball during a shot; the thumb and both grips. Threw em away directly after. Haven't trusted interchangeable thumbs ever since. I think it's much more important to have the right pitch for the thumb instead. Yes swelling up happens but the bowler is mostly in control of how much that happens. But if you have a pitch in a thumb that isn't comfortable even if it's off by as little as 1/16 of an inch? It won't matter how many interchangeable thumb grips you have.
good points! You definitely need to find what works for you. And 100% agree with thumb pitch. I had mine wrong when I got back into bowling and had all sorts of finger swelling and pain issues. Got to a new PSO who fixed the pitch and no more hand issues! Edit to add that I am very double jointed so fitting me isn't the easiest 😂
@@RebeccaBowls any tips on the double jointedness when it comes to fitting? I am a new bowler and my span is on the stretched side and reverse on the thumb. My elbow and 2nd joint on the ring finger are especially hypermobile but all my joints really. Even if it doesn't directly transfer to my fit it would be great to hear what kind of realizations you had to make about your game/fit to adjust for your flexibility. Thanks so much!
@@rpawlyv are you having any pain? If so, you would need to have your fit looked at and adjusted. For me, I have a 1/4 forward pitch and that eliminated the pain and swelling I was having in my fingers. I will say that it can be a challenge with consistency being double jointed bc we are so flexible and so much movement can happen in the hand. I would just be sure you have a good ball driller that is experienced with this. It can be a bit of trial and error until you have the best fit for you and when you do have a copy of it if possible so you don't have issues with drilling in the future. Hope that helps!
@@RebeccaBowls I was but couldnt pin it down- it was pain near my web (inside the hand) and the index finger facing side of my thumb. After writing this comment I felt inspired to go to a different PSO and they really took lots of time to look at my flexibility and skin in detail. Ended up not shortening the span as much as I imagined, but we also moved the thumb to 0 and he drilled the thumb hole with the right bevel and depth needed for my whole thumb to actually fit and release well. His oval hole felt so much smoother than the one I had before. It feels so much better- didnt realize how much pressure I had on my hand until today! It felt so nice to speak with someone who was on the same wavelength with the research I had been doing. Felt awkward trying to assert myself but I didn't have to with this current PSO. They did suggest a brace strictly for training purposes while I adjust to not having to break my wrist so far back to release. Don't want to wear one forever but Ill record with my bare hand for now and see if its something I could look into temporarily. Thanks so much for the kind reply- its so hard finding posts about flexibility on the internet!
@@RebeccaBowls. No problem. Let me try one more time, but avoiding potential words that might cause the red flags. The pro shop nearby my area is the authorised distributor for JoPo Grips, a new American brand for the bowling interchangeable thumb insert (and tape). They market the JoPo Grips interchangeable thumb insert as durable because they are thicker and bigger than other competing brands. I am still using the non-interchangeable thumb insert from Vise and might give JoPo Grips a try once I am financially ready in the future.
Last time I bowled seriously was in 2008 2007 and I don't recall these but this is an awesome idea I wish I had something like this back then and if there was I was unfamiliar. Trying to get back into bowling in will definitely try some of these
Let us know how it goes! Welcome back to bowling!
Me and my friend just started bowling last November. Avg already up in the 180’s. Just bowled our friends tournament Sunday. Drove 3 hours to play in it. And we came in second lost by 37 pins. I’m proud of us. We had fun. I bowled a 605 series which is big for our first tournament considering our nerves were high lol
wow way to go!
I’m actually considering going to interchangeable thumb inserts, my only concern is that I’ve seen some of the pros lose their insert when they release the ball, or they get there thumb stuck because the insert falls out. How common does that happen and how can we prevent those from happening?
It’s happened to me a few times since I’ve had them. I would talk to your pro shop about the best brand for you.
I'm very feel sensitive and would never give up my Vise I.T. interchangeable thumbs. I used to have Turbo Switch grips but being a left hander, I kept unlocking them at release (NOT cool). So, I got switched over to the Vise I.T. thumbs and have no unlocking problem. I have five thumbs because, like Rebecca, my thumb shrinks and swells depending on what I ate, humidity, bowling center temperature etc. And I absolutely love the fact that my feel from ball to ball is identical. I once saw a UA-cam video that had a Pro Shop operator and a bowler who had multiple balls, blind fold the bowler and then hand them a random ball and put their hand in the ball and then asked the bowler which ball it was. The bowler was able to identify each ball because each one felt different than the other ones. The Pro Shop operator then said: "I recommend you get interchangeable thumbs." :)
Glad to hear you found some things that work well for you! That's super important and I appreciate you sharing the story about the video!
Half my arsenal is in the shop right now getting IT's on all of them after having a 16 lb. ball come flying off my hand in the backswing. This was because I had to make all the thumbholes too big due to excessive swelling. My home center has not fixed their AC for 3 months now and the swelling and shrinking of the thumb have gotten out of control. Tape adjustments were no longer enough so a drastic change had to be implemented. Can't wait to see how this will work out.
Let us know how you like them! And I’m sorry about the ball coming off in your back swing! I hope nobody got hurt! 😬
@@RebeccaBowls Thankfully it landed in an empty lounge couch. Still a safety concern big enough for me to call it a day, I'll let you know how it goes.
@@TrashBulldogProductions wow that was fortunate and I understand your reasoning for giving IT a try! I hope it helps you! I like mine a lot
@@RebeccaBowls Got them and really liked the ease of adjusting the size of the thumb holes. I initially got two but now want to get two more to create a different finer tuned feel through tape adjustments. Also thankfully the ball hangs on to my hand well without flying off in the new backswing. Overall they were a total success!
@@TrashBulldogProductions that's great! I have 9 of them lol but really only have a couple that I use consistently. I do still end up messing around with tape because I am such a feel bowler. Glad you like them!
I've used Turbo switchgrips for several years now and could never go back to a fixed grip ... using the switchgrips has definitely been good for my game, improving consistency on release. Only drawback ... I had one break last year, coming out of the ball back in the pit ... happened only once, but I always worry it might happen again. I've found it is best to have a full set to cover my range of thumb swelling + backups of my favorite/most common sizes.
Thanks for the comment and glad you like them too! I have several as well in different sizes and as backups just in case.
I just started hooking and I only use 2 fingers.. Is that bad? I feel like I should be using my thumb
Not bad - but there is a 2 handed technique you may want to check out. If you’re using anything but a house ball, it is illegal to have a hole in a ball that you’re not using like a thumb hole. This is illegal for most leagues and tournaments. Your pro shop operator should be able to set your ball up appropriately for you. Good luck!
I'm sure many interchangeable thumbs and grips help many bowlers, but they aren't for me. Experimented with them for a bit and during one tournament all three of them flew out of the ball during a shot; the thumb and both grips. Threw em away directly after. Haven't trusted interchangeable thumbs ever since.
I think it's much more important to have the right pitch for the thumb instead. Yes swelling up happens but the bowler is mostly in control of how much that happens. But if you have a pitch in a thumb that isn't comfortable even if it's off by as little as 1/16 of an inch? It won't matter how many interchangeable thumb grips you have.
good points! You definitely need to find what works for you. And 100% agree with thumb pitch. I had mine wrong when I got back into bowling and had all sorts of finger swelling and pain issues. Got to a new PSO who fixed the pitch and no more hand issues! Edit to add that I am very double jointed so fitting me isn't the easiest 😂
That sounds more like a PSO/Driller issue. I’ve used the Turbo switch grip system for many years and never had one fail.
@@RebeccaBowls any tips on the double jointedness when it comes to fitting? I am a new bowler and my span is on the stretched side and reverse on the thumb. My elbow and 2nd joint on the ring finger are especially hypermobile but all my joints really. Even if it doesn't directly transfer to my fit it would be great to hear what kind of realizations you had to make about your game/fit to adjust for your flexibility. Thanks so much!
@@rpawlyv are you having any pain? If so, you would need to have your fit looked at and adjusted. For me, I have a 1/4 forward pitch and that eliminated the pain and swelling I was having in my fingers. I will say that it can be a challenge with consistency being double jointed bc we are so flexible and so much movement can happen in the hand. I would just be sure you have a good ball driller that is experienced with this. It can be a bit of trial and error until you have the best fit for you and when you do have a copy of it if possible so you don't have issues with drilling in the future. Hope that helps!
@@RebeccaBowls I was but couldnt pin it down- it was pain near my web (inside the hand) and the index finger facing side of my thumb. After writing this comment I felt inspired to go to a different PSO and they really took lots of time to look at my flexibility and skin in detail. Ended up not shortening the span as much as I imagined, but we also moved the thumb to 0 and he drilled the thumb hole with the right bevel and depth needed for my whole thumb to actually fit and release well. His oval hole felt so much smoother than the one I had before.
It feels so much better- didnt realize how much pressure I had on my hand until today! It felt so nice to speak with someone who was on the same wavelength with the research I had been doing. Felt awkward trying to assert myself but I didn't have to with this current PSO.
They did suggest a brace strictly for training purposes while I adjust to not having to break my wrist so far back to release. Don't want to wear one forever but Ill record with my bare hand for now and see if its something I could look into temporarily.
Thanks so much for the kind reply- its so hard finding posts about flexibility on the internet!
I personally prefer using fixed thumbs
That’s great you have something that works well for you.
I did too for years, once I changed to the switch grip it was great. I was not a fan of the Vise IT however.
My comments regarding the interchangeable thumb insert have been removed three times for the reason I don't know why 😅.
I don’t know why either! I haven’t seen your comments come through so many something was flagged through UA-cam. Sorry about that!
@@RebeccaBowls. No problem. Let me try one more time, but avoiding potential words that might cause the red flags. The pro shop nearby my area is the authorised distributor for JoPo Grips, a new American brand for the bowling interchangeable thumb insert (and tape). They market the JoPo Grips interchangeable thumb insert as durable because they are thicker and bigger than other competing brands. I am still using the non-interchangeable thumb insert from Vise and might give JoPo Grips a try once I am financially ready in the future.