More often than not, when a bowler feels stuck and can’t seem to improve their average any further, it’s because their ball doesn’t fit their hand properly. We see bowlers all the time who go to their local bowling ball pro shop looking for lessons and wonder why they’ve reached a ceiling in their game, and nine times out of 10, the problem is their bowling ball fit.
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Excellent video, loads of quality information. Ron seems to be highly knowledgeable, I’d love to see more videos with him.
Man, i would love to be able to go visit that guy. I have tried different pro shop operators and gotten the same amount of different drillings. Some are better than others but i always feel like i either have to squeeze the ball to hold it and some times i can’t get my thumb out of the ball. Most of the time it feels uncomfortable that the thumb has to go that far right(when looking at the ball like it’s placed at 14:50). It feels like it naturally want to press left in my thumb hole and that makes it stuck. Therefore i use very slick tape which force me to grip the ball hard so that i don’t drop it.
This was great information, and I loved my ball fit before, and I’ve averaged 190 and 206 since 1987. But never had a fit as to where I felt that the ball wouldn’t fall off with a complete relaxed hand. So I went to my ball driller and we talked for one hour trying to figure this out. Long story short, I had to much reverse pitch in my thumb, now I am 7-16 forward, span is closer and I also determined that I needed my finger size opened up al little more, because I get finger swelling also, just like my thumb. Its kind of funny, now I desire my thumb to be nice and snug because I know it’s going to come off at the bottom. I don’t have a lot of flex ability in my hand and I think this is where the mistake came in for my previous drilling setups. I had reverse thumb pitch , but by making my span shorter it allows me to relax more and require some forward pitch to help the ball stay on. My first time out in league was I had to play much deeper, pick my speed up, because the ball was that much stronger. I even had some roll out problems, because the ball was burning energy too early. I will probably need longer pin set ups now, I’ve always used pin below fingers before. Thanks
U play pro with an average like that
This guy is so knowledgeable wish there were more people like him
I no right
this guy has reached the final level. also wish my pro shop had someone as helpful to drill my arsenal
It helps to get a recommendation as to what pro shop to use. I like the tray of finger inserts shown for sizing. better than simply sticking my fingers through a 2-dimensional metal plate. Next time I want the thumb hole drilled first, then put my thumb in the ball and have the finger hole center points marked.
Following Bill Taylor’s guide for fitting a bowling ball has saved my hand along with many others I’ve worked with. The way I look at a thumb hole being pitched and sized correctly is this. If it has to be cut on a whole bunch in order to get the ball to work for you, it wasn’t done right the first time. When the fitter uses the bevel knife and sand paper to tweak and tweak and tweak…it wasn’t close to start with and it can’t be duplicated. That’s when they sell you a “mold” in order to duplicate. That shouldn’t be necessary. I trust Bill Taylor’s book and his philosophy. Not everyone does. I’m in Texas. 🙂
I’m a fairly new bowler. Started about 3 months ago. Got a top quality pair of shoes a couple of weeks ago. Now I’m ready to get my ball…. This presentation has greatly helped my understanding of the importance of a proper fit. Now…I need to find an IBPSIA trained tech in the state of Florida.
Which pair of shoes did you pick up?
I quit bowling 23 years ago after a pretty successful youth career up to international level. Obviously tech and times have changed but I always struggled with getting fit correctly as back then you were just forced to conform to the “standard” How I wish I had this guy back then!!!
Everything he said about bad fitting I went through and this actually makes me want to bowl again after not touching a ball in 23 years
Great story, Johnny, I encourage you to get back at it.
How’s it going with bowling now?
Good stuff!!! Unfortunately, in my small town there are no REAL bowling centers and no pro shops. Can’t find buy a ball, can’t get one drilled. I sure wish I had Ron and his shop close by to help me get the perfect fit for my bowling ball. I am an old lefty who has owned many a bowling ball and none have ever been drilled exactly alike. Very frustrating to say the least.
This is awesome advice! I want to be a better bowler so I can try out for the state team
Holy hell, what a guy. My first ball was done in such a hurry, but sadly as a newbie I had no clue what was correct, what to expect from a pro shop owner. After a year of bowling I got another ball from a proper driller, and what a difference it was. If only I had encountered someone like this the very first day
I loved this video, bowled on a league 45 years ago (7 yr old) and just recently picked it back up. I am more fascinated with the angles and layouts, more than bowling. But I try to get about 15 games a week to to improve. Where can I go to school to learn the art?
I wish we had a pro shop and a person like him in my city.
This guy is great! I wish we had someone like him where I live
I wish Coach Ron was located locally to Houston, Texas. I do not see this kind of one on one assistance from my local Pro Shop guy and this is what I need since I am in search of a replacement bowling ball. Excellent video with lots of good information.
Really enjoyed this video. It’s so great to listen to the wisdom of an experienced ball technician who’s seen it all, and has kept up with the times. Ron is an absolute treasure. Thanks for the video!
Love that info about the owner statement. I’m just an enthusiastic bowl player of my own. Just start doing training of my own in 2 days now. Thank you!
Love Coach Ron’s tip about having your PSO drill all of your balls. My PSO is an hour’s drive away. Over the last four years, I’ve come to trust my local center’s PSO, who does a wonderful job. Then during COVID, he moved out of state. I gave the new PSO a try and . . . now I’m back to my guy who is an hour away. Should have never left him . . . .
Wow!
Where are you Ron? You sound very knowledgeable on this subject. I’ve been bowling on a league with some coworkers for a couple years now and it’s so frustrating not being able to improve. For some reason, my thumb keeps getting stuck. I had my ball drilled at a pro shop and they did measure my hand, but it did not feel OK right from the beginning. They had me try it and I felt like I had to squeeze my thumb in order to hold it. They kept saying that I did not have to do that, but being new to bowling I did not argue with them. Your mention of the thumb pitch sounds like it may be part of my problem. Getting some coaching from a coach like you would be a game changer!
Thanks for posting this video!