# 2.6.2 Pitch Suggestion — auto forward pitch based on hand flexibility # Pitch Suggestion — auto forward pitch based on hand flexibility 2.6.2 auto The **Pitch Suggestion** setting controls whether Spectre Cloud automatically recommends a forward thumb pitch value based on the bowler's recorded **hand flexibility**. When enabled, the auto-suggestion engine uses the flexibility measurement taken during the bowler's fitting to propose a starting forward pitch — saving the fitter from consulting a reference chart manually and reducing the risk of applying an out-of-range pitch for a bowler's hand type. ## 📐 How Hand Flexibility Informs Forward Pitch Forward pitch is one of the most directly comfort-driven measurements in a bowling fitting. Too much forward pitch restricts the thumb's exit from the ball; too little — or reverse pitch applied without justification — can cause the thumb to hang or the ball to drop early. Hand flexibility is a reliable proxy for where to start the forward pitch conversation: - ✅ **Less flexible hands** — typically benefit from more forward pitch to accommodate the thumb's natural resting angle and ease insertion and extraction. - ✅ **More flexible hands** — can comfortably tolerate less forward pitch or even mild reverse pitch, supporting a cleaner, faster release. - ✅ Spectre Cloud's suggestion uses the flexibility value already recorded in the bowler's profile or spec sheet to calculate a recommended starting pitch — no separate lookup required. - ❌ Flexibility-based suggestions are a starting point only — always verify with a physical fitting before drilling. Other factors including thumb shape, knuckle size, skin condition, and personal preference all influence the final pitch decision. **Note:** ⚠️ *Verify with your Spectre team: confirm exactly how hand flexibility is measured and recorded in Spectre Cloud — whether it is a numeric measurement, a category selection (e.g. low/medium/high), or a derived value from another measurement — and confirm which formula or chart the auto-suggestion engine uses to translate flexibility to a forward pitch recommendation.* ## 🛠️ Enabling or Disabling Pitch Suggestion 1. Navigate to **Settings** from the top menu. 2. Locate the relevant settings section. ⚠️ *Verify with your Spectre team: confirm the exact section name for 2.6.x settings, consistent with the navigation path used in earlier chapters.* 3. Find the **Pitch Suggestion** option. 4. Toggle the setting on or off according to your shop's preference. ⚠️ *Verify with your Spectre team: confirm whether this is a toggle, checkbox, or other control.* 5. The change takes effect immediately for all new spec sheets. Existing spec sheets are not affected. ⚠️ *Verify with your Spectre team: confirm auto-save behavior, consistent with other settings in this book.* ## 📊 What the Suggestion Looks Like in Practice When Pitch Suggestion is enabled and a bowler's flexibility value is on record, the forward pitch field on a new spec sheet will be pre-populated with the suggested value. The fitter can accept it, adjust it, or clear it entirely.
Hand FlexibilityTypical Suggested Forward PitchRationale
Low flexibility3/8" – 1/2" forwardThumb sits at a steeper natural angle; more forward pitch eases fit and exit
Medium flexibility1/4" forwardIBPSIA standard starting point for average hand flexibility
High flexibility0 – 1/8" forwardFlexible thumb can accommodate less pitch; supports cleaner release
**Note:** The pitch values above are general IBPSIA-informed illustrations. The exact values Spectre Cloud suggests may differ based on its internal formula. ⚠️ *Verify with your Spectre team: confirm the actual suggestion thresholds and output values used by the engine, and update this table accordingly before publishing.* ## 🔗 Relationship to Other Pitch Settings Pitch Suggestion works alongside the pitch display settings configured in chapter 2.4. The suggested value is displayed using whichever sign convention and directional indicator format is active for your account — so the suggestion will always appear in the format your press expects, not just as a raw number. - ✅ The suggested pitch value respects the **forward pitch as positive** sign convention set in 2.4.2. - ✅ If directional indicators are enabled (2.4.3), the suggestion will display with the appropriate direction arrow or label. - ✅ Overriding the suggestion is treated the same as any other manual pitch entry — the override is saved to history and informs future suggestions for that bowler. ## ⚙️ When to Consider Turning This Off - ✅ **Training new staff** — disabling pitch suggestion requires trainees to derive forward pitch from hand flexibility manually, reinforcing the underlying fitting logic. - ✅ **Shops with a fixed pitch philosophy** — if your shop applies a consistent pitch approach regardless of flexibility measurement, the suggestion may create an unnecessary override step on every sheet. - ✅ **Bowlers with atypical hand anatomy** — for bowlers whose pitch needs are driven by injury, surgery, or structural differences rather than flexibility alone, manual pitch entry may be more appropriate than a flexibility-based suggestion. - ❌ Turning this off globally increases the risk of a fitter applying a default or remembered pitch without reference to the bowler's actual flexibility — the suggestion exists precisely to prevent that. ## ☁️ Scope of This Setting This setting is stored at the account level and applies to all new spec sheets across all devices. ⚠️ *Verify with your Spectre team: confirm per-user vs. per-account/shop scope, consistent with the outstanding question across 2.3.5 through 2.6.x — this chapter would be a good place to resolve and document that answer definitively.* ### Related Sections - 2.6.1 — Overview: why leaving all auto-suggestions on saves time - 2.6.3 — Next auto-suggestion setting *(if applicable)* - 2.4.2 — Does your machine display forward thumb pitch as positive? Y/N - 2.4.3 — Display +/- in pitch tiles: showing direction arrows to avoid errors - 4.x — Spec Sheet: entering and reviewing pitch values - 3.x — Bowlers: recording hand flexibility in a bowler profile **Tip:** Hand flexibility changes over time — particularly for older bowlers or those managing arthritis or injury. If a returning bowler's pitch suggestion seems off, check whether their flexibility measurement in Spectre Cloud is current before overriding the suggestion manually. Updating the flexibility value will recalibrate the suggestion for all future spec sheets. ```