For me personally I have a much higher spare conversion rate throwing a hook. I do have a spare ball, but 9 times out of 10 it stays in my bag. I started out throwing a straight spare ball until one day the lane owner was talking with me and told me the "3,6,9 rule" It's so much easier to keep throwing the same ball and just adjust your feet a few boards for me at least. The only time I really pull out the spare is if I leave a 5,10.
I have enough practice shooting 10 pins that I pick them up around 80% of the time with a hook ball. My straight ball seems to like to tease me and just miss the pin. I also don't know how people shoot the 2,8 or 3,9 throwing a straight ball. If that throw isn't perfect you are gonna miss the back pin. Throwing a hook the rotation brings the ball back to the rear pin.
i'll hook at the 2, 8. being a righty, i'll ccan usually try to get it to hit the 2 slightly on the left side so that it'll still get the 8.
lot harder to do with the 3,9. I find it easier to throw hard and fast right at the 3 and literally just drive RIGHT through the 3 to get the 9. 15lbs going 20mph at a single pin isn't going to deflect very much, so it'll get the 9 as well. (assuming i hit my mark lol)
Since I had my Terror drilled, I've been using that ball for spares also. It's so comfortable, versatile and controllable that I don't even think about it. I know that even without rotating or revving it up, it will move three boards.
As for plastic at the 2-8 or 3-9; for some reason I can easily hook my Ice 3-5 boards depending on speed. Last season I used that ball for the third game of league and would hook it 15-20 boards. But that's real dry by then.
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Hooking with the 3-6-9 rule is great if you only play in one alley all the time (or in different but similar alleys), but as soon as you start playing different alleys with different oil patterns/lanes you will be better off with a straight ball for most spares (other than the 2-8 and 3-9). It's hard enough adjusting your strike shot, but if you have to adjust for each spare shot as well it can cost you some pins pretty quick.
There's a good reason why the vast majority of the pros throw a straight shot on spares....
I still think even playing different alleys and lanes it's a better option for me. Once you know where your strike ball is, it's not hard to adjust off that point and shoot your spare. That's the thing with this game while there are "correct" ways to do things everyone adopts their own style and it still works for them.
Let's see........the guy comes bowling with a six ball bag.....only averages in the 170's.....and he's giving you crap about using a house ball for spares? REALLY ?
Blow the guy off, because he THINKS he knows what he's talking about, but doesn't. ALL ball will drag some oil down, it doesn't matter what the surface is. Even some of the most aggressive ball will still drag it down.
Tell him to MYOB and learn how to use one or two balls before he starts bringing 6 balls in, because it sure isn't helping him !!!!
Bob
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