John Battista - For me, it all starts with a thumb insert that fits the current size of the oval part of my thumb first and foremost. If I can get my thumb in and out without too much friction on the sides, then I start working on the tape part. If you google “layered/tapered bowling tape for thumb insert” you should find some results. The idea being you’re trying to fill the gap that the tip of your thumb creates.

Re: building tape up to press back of the nail/front of the thumb, I don’t really think about building it up and forcing any sort of “pressing” feeling. It’s really just as simple as: can I comfortably fit my very relaxed thumb in here and will the ball sort of hold onto my hand instead of the other way around? Then, what happens if I add one more piece of tape? Find that point where one more piece is too much and then figure out whether you can get out of it using what’s in there or you really do need to take the piece out. It was very uncomfortable and a bit scary at first, thumb felt so tight that I was going to go down the lane with the ball. But once I got my taper right, it all started to click a bit better.

There’s going to be a very slight natural grip pressure no matter what from my experience. It’s all about trying to dial that down to the absolute bare minimum.

I’m sure there will be lots of great advice that pours in here, but just wanted to chime in to say I feel your pain! I’ve only just recently gotten a very decent feel consistently, and it’s taken A LOT of trial and error. I’m sure there’s still plenty left for me to learn as well.

The big things that helped me:

1. TAPE. Play around with tape. All kinds. The kind your put on the back of your thumb, the kinds you put in the ball, taper methods, different textures, brands, etc. I posted a video on this on the FB group a while back, and at the time it was the best I knew. I’ve changed and updated so much since. But this has been the single most effective tool for me, without a doubt. If you have questions, ask. When I get the time I plan on updating the video I made.

2. JoPo (or other) switch grips. Once you find the thumb/method that fits you best on any given day or time, it’s a game changer to have that feel in the rest of your arsenal. Understanding that your thumb fit can change constantly, Day to day, hour to hour, etc is also helpful.

3. At home practice. For 2025, I said, I’m rolling at least one ball, every day. Doesn’t matter if it’s on the lanes or in my office, one time or 250 times. Get my hand in a ball and roll it.

4. PSO. You need a good one. And if you have a good one and your fit hasn’t been checked in a while, go get it checked. My span and pitches changed quite a bit from my last fit. I’ve never come out of the ball cleaner than I have in the past 3-4 months after visiting a new and highly recommended PSO who changed my span and pitches.

5. In person coaching. Coach Daniel and this group are immensely valuable, I love being a part of everything they have going on here. But if you are serious about getting better, you need to find a 1 on 1, in person coaching situation, especially if you’ve never done so.

As you can imagine, all of those things take time. So give yourself time to figure out what works for you to find your feel. Everyone is different, all of the best nuggets I’ve tried, tweaked, and implemented have been borrowed from all over the place.

Good luck!

Bill O’Neill

Just lost my Parallax to a crack. Had it in a box and thought it was bagged, it wasn’t. RIP!

Modified the leather heel I had to fit my Dexters for league last night. Made all of the difference, made some big shots when I needed to and I just don’t think I could have done it with the other heel. Thank you for the confirmation of the “whatever works for you”.

I remember hearing someone say a while back that to maximize power, high level bowlers typically want a pretty fast sole and a hard brake at the heel. I think that was always floating in the back of my head, curious to your thoughts on if there’s any merit to that.

Ordered, thank you!

EJ Tackett