Help needed.....

[Hammerguy529]

Ok, Apparently I dont quite have the speed needed to throw a plastic ball at 10-pins. Ive tried and tried again to flatten my wrists and do all that "I" can think of to get those spares on a regular basis and I just cant. I have the skills to throw 160 no problem but my spare game is lacking and very obviously bringing my scores down I'm wondering if throwing a lighter ball might help get my speed up to the point where my ball doesn't hook. If my ball isnt going in the gutter from bad aim, im getting the aim good and hooking right before hitting my pin. Any pointers and tips that might help me further? I know I am in dire need of a coach and some lessons as well. But you can only get so much at certain times that I am free to bowl. Thanks

[JaxBowlingGuy]

I personally drop a pound for my spare ball.. I actually know alot of people that do this as well.. Also try putting some more polish.. My plastic ball is polished to 3500 using Storm Xtra Shine... Due to my high rev rate my plastic ball would hook right at the last minute.. Now couldnt get it to hook if i tried.. Straight as an arrow.

[Hammerguy529]

polish.....now theres a thought....I think I will do just that.....would I just need polish or could I do some sort of surface adjustment as well?

[JaxBowlingGuy]

you could sand it up to 4000.... but i would go polish no matter what... But if the ball has some use on it then it could have surface scratches and that could be gripping the lanes... just get it smoothed out and then polish... If you have a viz-a-ball you can not do any surface adjustment unless you want a solid white ball.. just a fyi

[JaxBowlingGuy]

i see now that you have a maxim... you can just throw some polish and keep it polished... I usually over kill and polish my spare ball about ever 20-25 games..

[Hammerguy529]

Yessir, Currently Im rocking the maxim, I used it for the first real time tonight and must say I didn't like the idea of hooking it whatsoever..... Im only using this ball until I get comfortable with shooting spares and then I may punch my widow clear

[bowl1820]

Speed doesn't matter
The ball can be going 5 mph, as long as it's rolling end over end and going straight at the 10 it will hit it.

if your throwing hard now, back off some. A lot of time when bowlers throw hard, they wind up hitting up on the ball which will cause it to hook more.and also it will exaggerate any problem with accuracy.

Just relax your hand and come up the back of the ball. One thing that can help is to spread your index and pinkie finger this will help you roll the ball more.

Also some bowlers take their ring finger out of the ball when they shoot 10 pins. This takes a lot off the ball.

i throw a 16pd plastic ball at the 10 and its going about 15-16 mph at the pins.

[JaxBowlingGuy]

Now you will probably get more hook out of the widow clear than the maxim if you dont keep polish on it.. for some reason or atleast in my cases the material that the companies make the clear balls from tend to hook a little more than the white dots and maxims..

[Hammerguy529]

duelly noted....Ill make it a point to keep it polished

[Graaille]

The advice about coming up the back of the ball is good advice. The way to tell if you're doing it correctly is if you hear the ball rolling over the thumbhole (thumpthumpthumpthumpthump......). If you come around the ball at all, it'll attempt to hook.

Another thing I've seen people do is have their spare ball fitted not for their middle and ring fingers, but their ring and pinky fingers. Pretty much kills revs and acts like you're throwing a knuckleball.