Miss head pin on first shot - use spare ball for 2nd?

[panbanger]

Title of the thread pretty much says it all. When you miss the head pin on the first shot, do you use your spare ball on the 2nd shot? I stick with my primary ball and just throw my regular shot. For example to pick up the 1-2-4, I throw a normal strike ball because that should do the trick. Just wondering if most other people do this as well.

[jimlc2001]

I usually go with my spare ball and use it as practice for picking up the 1-2-4-10.

[Greenday]

Only time I use my spare ball is to pick up 6, 9, or 10 pins. Everything else, I use my strike ball. If I miss the head pin on my first shot, re-shooting with my strike ball let's me make the adjustment and see if the adjustment was good enough.

[billf]

If it's a league game I use my spare ball. If I couldn't hit the pocket the first time, why would I think I could do it again? Practice I do whatever I feel like.

[J Anderson]

If it's a league game I use my spare ball. If I couldn't hit the pocket the first time, why would I think I could do it again? Practice I do whatever I feel like.

Depends on why you missed it. If you hit your target but missed the pocket the safest bet is take the lane out of play and go straight. If you missed your target on the first ball, why would you think your spare ball would do any better?

[Greenday]

If it's a league game I use my spare ball. If I couldn't hit the pocket the first time, why would I think I could do it again? Practice I do whatever I feel like.

I feel like this is a good way to throw yourself off for the rest of the night.

[RoccoRock]

I usually use my spare ball, go straight and fast. At time's I've used my strike ball almost as a test shot, to see if I can fix the reason why I missed. Just have to be careful I don't over compensate, and miss on the other side.

[billf]

Depends on why you missed it. If you hit your target but missed the pocket the safest bet is take the lane out of play and go straight. If you missed your target on the first ball, why would you think your spare ball would do any better?

Bigger margin of error. A spare ball at 25mph doesn't even have to hit the head pin to knock it down (or any other single pin for that matter) plus it's easier to throw plastic straight through oil than hook a reactive accurately (albeit not always much easier).

[billf]

I feel like this is a good way to throw yourself off for the rest of the night.

Not sure why it would throw me off for the rest of the night. It's just playing with the odds in my favor. I hate losing and especially hate missing a spare. I'm one of the few people I know who actually practices split conversions including the 7-10. I've yet to convert the 4-6 and have only made the big four once.

[Hampe]

The only time I use my strike ball on the second shot is if the 1-3 are still standing.....and even then it depends on whats behind it.

[Greenday]

Not sure why it would throw me off for the rest of the night. It's just playing with the odds in my favor. I hate losing and especially hate missing a spare. I'm one of the few people I know who actually practices split conversions including the 7-10. I've yet to convert the 4-6 and have only made the big four once.

Do you stop using your strike ball completely? I mean, if you tell yourself that you won't hit the pocket if you miss once, I feel like that's going to be stuck in your head and mess with your first throws for the rest of the night.

[bowl1820]

Title of the thread pretty much says it all. When you miss the head pin on the first shot, do you use your spare ball on the 2nd shot? I stick with my primary ball and just throw my regular shot. For example to pick up the 1-2-4, I throw a normal strike ball because that should do the trick. Just wondering if most other people do this as well.

There's not going to be any set answer. It will depend on the bowler and the spare left.

Depending on the make up of the league, the majority of bowlers will be in one of two groups.

One group of bowlers will use their strike ball for everything. The other group will use their strike ball for the middle and balance arm side spares, with a combination of strike and spare ball for the ball side spares.

In the minority will be the bowlers who use their spare ball for most all spares

[billf]

Do you stop using your strike ball completely? I mean, if you tell yourself that you won't hit the pocket if you miss once, I feel like that's going to be stuck in your head and mess with your first throws for the rest of the night.

No I don't stop using a non-plastic ball until the lanes are too dry. Then I hook plastic. My point is, when the score counts I won't take a chance on a spare. I throw plastic hard and straight to make sure I convert. It's risk vs. reward and I won't risk an open just to be sure my first ball issue is corrected.

[striker12]

my only time i bring my spare ball out is for anything on the bakc and the 4 & 6 pins and for most spares too other then the 1-2-4-10 i use my strike ball for that but i move left almost all the way to the right and make my ball go brookling having done this now for 2 weeks in a row 4 times and have not missed 1 yet and last wed used my spare ball at the.

3-4-6-7-10 and i hit left of the 3 pin missecd my target by 4 boards but out of it all i knocked down 4/5 pins pin came around in the back and took out the 7pin but left the dame 4 pin standing.

[billf]

but i move left almost all the way to the right

Just saying

[panbanger]

I use my strike ball for anything involving the head pin. Although once I start an actual league next month that may change. Lots of interesting answers here though!

[Brownswick]

Typically I would use my spare ball on all spares. However, there are a few exceptions:

1. If I leave the 1 or the 1-3 or 1-3-6 or the 5 or 5-8 or 5-9, I will usually just use my strike ball again.
2. In the case of double wood (2-8, 1-5, 3-9) or some combination thereof (such as a bucket or a 3-6-9 combination), I will *always* use my strike ball in order to make sure I carry out the back pin. Exception: If I leave the 2-8 combination with a washout, I will use my spare ball. Because if I hit the 1-2 as needed to convert the spare, I know I would carry out the back pin.