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

[jab5325]

Most people I've seen use a plastic ball to shoot corner pins on the side from which they throw (lefty/me using one to shoot 4s, 7s, etc; righty using one to shoot 6s, 10s, etc).

I developed a nasty habit of missing things on the right side using my strike ball. Sometimes, it would hook too much, other times it would hook too little. I had it in my head that I have to "throw it slow" and "make it hook across the pattern" to pick up the 6 or 10....and have it end up in the gutter.

So, I trying to take hook and oil out of the equation, I've been tinkering with throwing my plastic at all spares (sans the 2, 3, or 5). I don't know that my percentage is all that much better....but as I bowl on different patterns and in a sport league, I really think this is the best way to go.

What do you throw? How do you do it? What's your mark?

Any lineup/setup tips for a lefty to shoot straight at the 6, 10, etc. with a plastic ball are greatly appreciated.

I'm just frustrated because though I've been bowling well lately, if I could increase my spare percentage, I'd be averaging 200+. I've left several 240 games on the table this season with missed spares.

[NewToBowling]

I don't bowl in sport leagues so that may explain my answer but I only use spare ball on 10 pin (and maybe 6). All others I still use strike ball.

[Tony]

I don't currently use my plastic ball for anything other than 10 and 6-10 / right hand bowler.

I did go to a coach who suggested that I should use the plastic balls for left corner spares also and I tried it for a short time but
in my case I ended up missing more often than with the strike ball.
I determined the primary cause for this was my muscle memory that caused me to often take the plastic ball and proceed to throw it in the same place as
I would have normally thrown the strike ball. This of course caused the ball to stay right of the target pin with no hope it would hook into the pin.
If given more time and practice it might have worked but I switched back and started using my strike ball again.

[AlexNC]

I have used plastic on all my right side spares for a while. I have been working on transitioning to using it for all spares. I have had some success using a system mentioned by Susie Minshew where you essentially only have 4 shots, using only 2 targets: the 10 board and the 17 board. It has been mentioned already in a thread somewhere here.

[jab5325]

I have used plastic on all my right side spares for a while. I have been working on transitioning to using it for all spares. I have had some success using a system mentioned by Susie Minshew where you essentially only have 4 shots, using only 2 targets: the 10 board and the 17 board. It has been mentioned already in a thread somewhere here.

I vaguely remember the discussion, but don't recall the thread at all. Do you happen to have a link or remember the name?

[SAbowler]

Most of the time I use my Super Natural to shoot at the 10 and sometimes the 6-10. It's not a plastic ball (it's sort of urethane), but it's also not very hooky unless the lanes are super dry. Everything else, I use my strike ball.

[JerseyJim]

I use plastic on 99% of my spares the only exception would be the 2-8, or 3-9. I feel more confident hooking the ball into those spares. Read Rolf Gauger's article on the Triax Spare system It's improved my spare conversion rate by quite a bit. http://wiki.bowlingchat.net/wiki/ima...are_System.pdf

[fordman1]

Never liked the feel of plastic. Even when everyone was going to the yellow dot I stuck to my LT 48. Now for the 10 pin I use the
pitch black.

[AlexNC]

I vaguely remember the discussion, but don't recall the thread at all. Do you happen to have a link or remember the name?

You can read about the system I referenced and a couple others here.

[ep1977]

I shoot all spares with plastic. Right handed