How many of you use your plastic ball for ALL spares?

[Tony]

Although a lot of guys don't use a plastic ball on opposite side spares throwing on a house shot I'm sure
that I and many others would find that shooting spares on sport patterns is a whole different animal. I can see using the plastic ball much more on those harder patterns.
It's great that you found a coach to work with you !

[manke]

I just flatten out my hand and use my the ball im using.

[vdubtx]

I am starting to make the transition to make all of my spares with my plastic. Previously was only on any combination of 3-6-9-10.

[swingset]

I shoot anything from the 3 pin to the 10 with plastic spare. Headpin to the left is done with my hook ball.

In sport leagues or tournaments, I use plastic from the 2-pin to the left (over to the 7).

[Blomer]

I only use plastic ball for right side spares mainly 10, 9-10, so memes 6-10

[jab5325]

I am starting to make the transition to make all of my spares with my plastic. Previously was only on any combination of 3-6-9-10.

It's definitely a "transition".

According to Pinpal, I'm only about 60% overall since I started. But, things are picking up. The triax system seems to have helped me, or at least given me a good base.

So far though, I really like shooting only plastic at spares. It takes lane conditions almost completely out of the equation. The problem I always had, when shooting stuff on the right side, was dealing with the carry down from right-handers. It made for many a 10-pin missed left.

[Aslan]

I started out using the 3-6-9 approach (no spare ball).

I then switched to a 4-8-12 approach (no spare ball).

One of the big steps towards raising my average was abandoning that old fashioned spare shooting system and getting a plastic ball and shooting all corner-pins (4,7,4-7,6,10,6-10) with the plastic ball including the occasional 4-7-8 or 6-9-10.

Even though, as it's been mentioned, that has been and is still the dominant approach to spare shooting...recently there have been some rumblings that perhaps a plastic/urethane ball should only be used for the side of your dominant arm (right for righties, left for lefties) as the ball often will "help" pick those pins up versus the dominant side where the ball hooking reduces your chances. In other words, as a righty, it may in fact be easier to pick up left side spares using the built in hook of the ball...that same built in hook that makes plastic/urethane crucial on the other (right) side.

For center leaves and splits I most often use my strike ball...even for single 8-pins or 9-pins.

I'm not sure where I stand presently. It took a LOT of getting used to; to go from throwing a strike ball all the time to throwing plastic at all corner leaves...so reintroducing the strike ball for left side leaves....I'm not so sure.

For example, one leave I have particular trouble with is the 2-5. Now, why on Earth would I have trouble with such an easy, easy leave? Simple answer. Since it's a "middle leave", I move 4 boards right from my strike shot and that 'should' pick it up. BUT!...on longer patterns or patterns where the oil is heavy in the middle....sometimes that strike ball just kinda slides...doesn't wanna bite...and I end up chopping the 5-pin off the 2-5.

And bowlers use plastic for that very fundamental reason...that there will ALWAYS....by design...be a built in variability when using a ball designed to hook. Always. Flat hand, behind the ball...doesn't matter. You can REDUCE the variability and might even be good enough at it to be an elite bowler (Norm Duke)...but it's like trying to emulate WRW...if you're the 1 in a million guy that can duplicate his ability...you're the best non-2 handed bowler in the World. But you have a 99.9999% chance that by emulating WRW you will suck....because you're NOT WRW. All those who want to point to Norm Duke as a reason to throw a strike ball (and I can say this because I've argued that point in the past and recanted)...then be as good as Norm Duke FIRST....then go ahead and use his spare shooting system. Good luck with that.

As to my system for shooting spares, I use Missy Parkin's strategy which is a lot like what was described for WRW. For the 10-pin I have left foot on 35 and throw over 17. For the 7-pin I stand left foot on 15 and throw over 15. For 6-pins and 4-pins...it's just a 2-board move in with my feet...same target. So, it's the same general system...I just move my feet slightly versus moving my target slightly.

Just adding the plastic ball and adopting a system like above...I went from a 40-75% spare shooter at single pins...to a 70-80% spare shooter. Still don't have the MAD SKILLZ of a Norm Duke (who I heard once went 3 years without missing single-pin spare) or a WRW or a PDW where you're picking up 95-99% of your single-pins...but, work in progress...

[TonyInPortland]

I use plastic for 10, 6, 6-10, 3-6-10, 3-6-9-10, 3-6, plus 6-7-10, big four, greek church, strike ball for everything else. A few years back I tried using the plastic ball for all single pins, but I missed too many 2, 8, 4 & 7 pins. I am thinking about trying it again, in practice, next summer.

[Perrin]

I use mine for 10, 6, 6-10, 9, 3-6-10, 7, 4-7

trying to convert to using it for most spares.

missed way too many easy spares by throwing strike ball at them at nationals last year.

[mc_runner]

I'm using it more now. Any combination of split on the left side I"m throwing plastic at. In league, I still use plastic primarily for right-side single pin spares, but in practice, I use all plastic for all single pin spares to get more comfortable.