Myron the Muse called me and said, "calluses." That's right, that "lump, bump, corn, or hard skin" that develops on and around your fingers and thumb when you bowl a lot. As an experienced bowler, it made perfectly good sense to me; as a beginner, you may not have the foggiest idea about why it made sense to him and me. Very simply, it has to do with, "the feel of the ball in your hands."

I remember reading something (or was it on an old-time movie?) a long time ago about a baseball pitcher who had a terrific pitch that, literally, nobody could hit. As his career progressed, a "lump, bump, corn, or hard skin" that he had had practically all his life began to cause him severe pain so a decision was made to surgically remove it. After the operation, he lost that terrific pitch and his major league baseball days were over.

How many of us carry emery boards or some very fine grit sandpaper in our accessory kits specifically for the purpose of sanding down calluses? How many of us, in the past, have sanded them down as much as possible, then realized on the very next throw that the grip we had on the ball didn't feel the same? And how many of us had to suffer with our game until the "lump, bump, corn, or hard skin" grew back again? Without thinking or talking much about it, we experienced bowlers have developed our own manner of dealing with them, isn't that right?

So here's my "Choc-List" for you up-and-comers:

1) It's a fact of life that your fingers and thumb will have to toughen up the more you bowl. Grab that shovel, hammer, pick, or axe and see how much you can do with it until your hands harden up to the task. Blister City, right?

2) Be aware of, and watch (monitor) the growth of your calluses. While you can't leave your hands too soft, neither can you allow them to get too hard. Too soft, you get blisters, too hard and they tend to dry out and crack.

3) Do not automatically sand (or remove) them completely because you will have to find the "happy medium" for your style of bowling. Only you can gage the point at which your grip feels "just right."

4) While a callus may be part of the game, pain is not. Consult your coach or local pro shop expert if that "lump, bump, corn, or hard skin" becomes painful. Usually, a minor adjustment is all that's needed.

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)