Spare shooting

[Smitty89353]

I have only been bowling seriously for about 2 months now and I have noticed that everyone says you should flatten your wrist out when doing so. What exactly does that mean and how do I do that? Also is there any practice methods that can be used to work on this?

[Trex]

Smitty,
Some bowlers who hook the ball cup there wrist, So....To flatten out your wrist you would do the opposite of cupping the wrist, which would be to let it bend backwards>opposite of cupping the wrist< ...That is the best way I know to explain it in a forum with words as opposed to showing you in real life or with pictures.

Some people will also try to use one ball to strike and spare with. The problem is some of these people are trying to pick up spares with a reactive resin bowling ball that is designed to hook when it finds any dry area of the lane, so that makes it hard to pick up certain spares using a hook ball.

If you are using a plastic ball to pick up spares, then most of the time you don't have to change your release, unless the oil pattern is extremely short or dry!! There are some bowlers who refuse to use a spare ball!!

If you insist on using a reactive resin hook ball to strike and spare, then be prepared to take the time to learn how to roll the ball in such a way that it will not hook when it comes out of the oil pattern...meaning simply roll the ball end over end. This can be a problem if the ball is drilled finger tip grip...which most hook balls are.

If I am forced to use my hook ball to pick up spares, I have learned how to throw whats called a backup ball...Meaning I can twist my wrist far enough that I can throw the ball right handed and cause the ball to hook as if it were thrown by a left handed bowler. The problem with this is that it is not easy for me to do, and it hurts my wrist.

What I have found that works best for me is....I had an old plastic ball drilled conventional grip like a house ball, I keep this ball in my bag along with my finger tip grip hook balls. And so....When picking up spares that are hard to pick up with a hook ball, I simply use my conventional grip plastic ball...and problem is solved.

I still see others that will not do what I do, and they bowl lower score's because they refuse to use a plastic ball. You can learn how to do it with a hook ball, but until then you might just want to use a house ball for spares if you do not have your own plastic ball drilled conventional.

Picking up spares using a conventional drilled plastic ball for a bowler who uses the two finger, cupped wrist, no thumb release....."yeah...you need to use your thumb" and learn to flatten your wrist...meaning not cupped, or even bent backwards a little, That way it will be much more easy to throw the ball straight at the 10 pin or 7 pin without the ball hooking too much.

Hope this helps :)

[Smitty89353]

Yea it does Trex, I use to use the 2 finger no thumb release with a plastic ball but a friend that I bowl with sometimes at my local lane suggested I get my plastic ball filled and redrilled fingertip and leanr to throw spares with it that way using all three fingers during my release. My next question is, would that be a good idea or would using the conventional grip be better for an inexperinced bowler?

[Trex]

Yes that is a Great Idea, something you should learn for sure.

As for myself....There are time's when the lanes are so dry, or the oil pattern is really short to the point that If I throw a finger tip grip plastic ball... it will sometimes still hook too much for me, So I tried a plastic ball drilled conventional for picking up spares where you need to throw the ball really straight and it works great for me.

All you can do is try it and see which works best for you. I was having trouble because the ball would hook and miss Just left of the 10 Pin, and if I swung the ball more right then it would slide too much and fall into the gutter. Most coaches will tell you to just flatten your hand, but for myself that just did not give me the results I needed.

My hand is such that if I flatten my hand and release the ball with a zero degree release, It still has a natural 45 degree type rotation and will hook, where as most people when releasing the ball zero degree's the ball will roll end over end...and will not hook.

For most people who flatten there hand and come straight up the back of the ball, there ball will roll straight end over end, I guess my fingers being crooked has something to do with me not being able to do that.

So for myself... the conventional drilled spare ball works best as it makes it harder to hook the ball and easier to throw it straight for those tough spares.

Some people say that switching back and forth between conventional grip and finger tip grip is too awkward for them, But I have no problem with it, and have become use to it and my score's have improved....So I am happy doing it this way. :)

You have to find what works best for you, and which gives you the best results. :)

[The Mayor]

Yes, always stick with fingertip, even on spares. If you want to flatten the ball out, as you release the ball, make sure your palm is facing directly at the ceiling. This will ensure that the ball goes straight.

[The Mayor]

Also, since you're just starting to learn let me give you a piece of advice. Start learning to shoot straight at EVERY spare. This will come in very handy later on once you improve. Shooting straight at every spare takes the lane condition out of play and spare shooting will be the same everywhere!

[jaydee]

Like Mayor, I would also advocate the same drilling for all your bowling balls, including plastic spare ball.

Learn to throw with a thumb on all your shots. A little painful at first, but chances are really, really high that you'll be better for it in the end.

[Smitty89353]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

[The Hulk]

If you want to flatten the ball out, as you release the ball, make sure your palm is facing directly at the ceiling. This will ensure that the ball goes straight.

Thanks for this tip! Been having a problem with picking up 10s lately. Used to be I could slide it right in and it'd hook enough to stay out of the gutter and then carry the 10. Been completely unable to make it happen lately, so I'm going to try this and see if it works.

Note: I only have my hook ball.

[The Mayor]

You're welcome!

[vgw]

just my 2 cents, when you practice, you should dedicate 1 or 2 games of just shooting spares, like the 7 pin on the first shot and the 10 pin on the second. i rarely ever see people practicing spares. if your alley can spot pins for you, take advantage of that and use that feature to pickup spares you tend to leave.