Bill Collins

I was having difficulty keeping the dice together during their flight through the air.....they would always seem to fly apart by 1 to 2 feet on their way down the table.  I was using a three finger front grip, but it really didn't feel all that comfortable and after a while the back of my hand would kind of hurt and tingle.

Then, last night, I got to looking at my hand...more specifically, my fingers and how their lengths compared...or rather didn't compare to each other! About half an inch difference on the two inside fingers lengths, compared to the two outside fingers.

That got me to thinking that maybe my dice were splaying apart because the difference in finger lengths were working against each other?

I kept the same three finger on front grip, thumb on back, but...just before release I removed my first finger completely from the dice, so that I was holding like with a two finger grip, with the ring finger on the  outside edge of the dice.

Voila!! No more dice splaying apart upon leaving my hand!!! Dice seem glued to each other during the entire flight...keeping the same roation with each other!!!  SUCCESS!!

Conclusion: My fingers were working against each other and forcing the dice apart with uneven pressure on the dice, try as I might to keep it even.  Removing one finger held the dice perfectly and removed the imbalance in pressure. (No more back of the hand tingling, anymore, either.)

Hope this helps others who might be having the same splaying apart problems with their throws.  Definately something to think about and try for yourselves, to see if it helps you, too.

Golfer

Hi Bill,

I think you may be on to something here.  I have had the same problem recently and after reading your post I can't wait to get home to try your fix.

Irishsetter

The key to the three fingered front grip is to make sure ALL three fingertipss are EXACTLY lined up in a straight line.  Of course it's pretty hard to do without LOOKING at your fingers.  I saw mentioned on the PARR board that someone had set up a little hand mirror so that they could see their fingertip alignment when they gripped the dice (when practicing).  OR, you could do as Bill and I did and use fewer fingers in your grip.  (I'm down to one finger in the front)  

Good diagnosis on yourself Bill!

JustMikeF

Scotchtaping your fingers together after evening the fingertips.  You will feel any movement when you throw while practicing.  You will realize that you shouldn't straighten your fingers out until after you release the dice.  Muscle memory and a more conscious command of your fingers will take over after repetition.

The next thing to work on is whether to have your thumb bent or straight.  This will change the signature numbers.

Then work on elbow position.  A dropped elbow will cause your throwing hand to tilt to the right, causing the dice to lean to the right through the air after release.  It's just the way the arm and hand are assembled and function.  A level elbow will result in a level flight of dice.

Then work on follow through with your whole body. With a good follow through, your eyes and body will be in sync, allowing your eyes to watch the dice tumble throgh the air.

IMHO, double pitching of one die is caused by the fingers not being the same length as both dice roll off of the fingertips.  Also caused by unequal pressure of the fingers.  The more conscious effort to squeeze the fingers together all the way through the throw will remedy the problem.  The scotch tapping trick helped me greatly.

Shotputter

I recommend athletic tape or medical tape instead of Scotch tape. They are more durable, flexible, less likely to cause sweating or discomfort and built better for the task.

big lou

In the fifteen months that I have been monitoring this site - Just Mike F made a very signficant comment,which I learned by myself and now it is out in the open and that is "the follow through". Watch the professional player,whether he is a golfer,bowler,etc and notice their follow -thru. My dice setting improved significantly when I started to follow thru with my toss. By the time the dice "kiss" the far wall,my hand is above my head. Try it and watch your dice setting improve! This is a very important point and please dont treat it lightly.

Irishsetter

Biglou and JMF,

Absolutely! You will see a definite improvement.  I mention it in the "How I Hold 'Em" section of the site: http://dicesetter.com/setting/mytoss.htm

<snip>...."and I have a full follow through to about eye level, despite having let go of the dice about one foot above the table surface.  This grip and the follow through cause a natural slow backwards rotation of the dice, without having to flick my wrist."

MickeyD

Bill:
Your concern is why I changed over very shortly after starting dice setting to a two fingered grip 99.9% of the time.  I figure that, "Less equals more!"  More control with less to deal with.  And I am also a proponent of the high follow thru!  The simpler your grip and tossing mechanics are the easier I think it will be to master.

Mr. Tech

Man, this makes the golf swing look simple.  I've had better luck using the five finger top grip.  Probably because my fingers are kind of short and fat.  My wife called me stubby for years, then I found out.... oh well, thats another story.

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