Tinkering with thumbholes

I’m having the worst bowling season in a decade or more. My average is down. My confidence is down. I don’t find much time to practice. Due to some of my equipment getting so old, I had to replace much of it all in one season which I don’t usually do.

The other night I was bowling, and after finally feeling like my mechanics were back, it was obvious, I’ve forgotten the feeling and the skill of tinkering with my thumbholes to make them perfect. Since my grip isn’t right, it effects the mechanics. It’s a feedback loop.

How did I overlook this? Well, first, I don’t usually buy a lot of bowling balls, but for the last 5-7 years I’ve purchased 1 a year on average. That’s because I like a specific feel, something that has been dialed into the extreme. Something that I know exactly how it works. This year, I had to purchase five (six is a standard competitive set) because a couple cracked, and a couple reached a stage that was too worn out to continue and I needed one to round things out. I don’t bowl as much as I used to. I took the balls from the pro shop, and mostly threw them as is, without spending the significant amount of time tinkering the sanding the thumbholes to the perfect fit. Somehow, I forgot the necessity of this because I usually only buy one a year and don’t have to put that much effort in.

Now that I’m working on all the thumbholes, making sure they feel perfect after each session and if not adjusting as necessary, everything is coming back together.

This isn’t unique to me and my bowling. There are a few key factors in every endeavor that affect the amount of success. Is there anything you’re overlooking the importance of today, especially something you did in the past?