What do you use for a spare ball?

[jaws1945]

Don't use one. I use a kill shot on my cross alley 6 and 10 pins

[difiCa]

I recently picked up a used old Ebonite Maxim, which has really improved my 10-pin sparing percentage compared to shooting my strike ball with a kill shot, which tended to hook slightly and miss the 10. I've also started using it on some other spares with fairly good results.

[J Anderson]

Used to use a 15# Ebonite signature w/ conventional grip for every thing. Used the arrows for strikes and aimed at the pins for spares. Averaged as high as 177 bowling in league once a week.
Switched to bowling left-handed due to an injury about two years ago. On the recommendation of my friend Jeff, I bought a used 15#Track reactive resin ball w/ fingertip grip, and learned to throw a hook. I can kill the hook for single pins and any thing to the left of center and am averaging 163.
After my right hand healed, I decided to upgrade to a 15# Hammer black widow. I cannot completely kill the hook on this ball, so for a while I kept the old Ebonite ball for spares. Have since invested in a Columbia White Dot for spares. I'm still trying to figure out which multi-pin spares I should hook at and which should go straight.

[Stormed1]

A lot depends on lane surface i'm bowling on. I use the plastic for the 10 pin and 3-10 all the time 3-6-10 and 3-6-9-10 i use my Link as it has a small hook which will help carry the sleeper. Over the summer i plan on working at throwing the plastic at all my single pin spares

[Beech]

i HAVE a plastic ball but it doesnt have my switch grips in them, and the thumb needs redone. so im using my main balls or my scout reactive to hit my 10pins etc. If i leave pins on the left i throw across lane with a big hook

[gfdengine204]

I use an Ebonite Maxim for all of my single pin spares. I have a clear Hammer Cube spare ball on it's way from Canada as I type this. I much prefer a straight shot at my single pin spares versus a hook that could hit some oil I don't know about......

For multi-pin spares, I will use my hooking ball to cover all the wood. But as always, it's a work in progress, needing constant practice.

[rastamaoli]

dude what about rubber does rubber work with or without revs??

What about polyester?? Urethane??

[J Anderson]

dude what about rubber does rubber work with or without revs??

What about polyester?? Urethane??

Almost anything can work. The pros seem to almost always use plastic to eliminate the need to think about how they are going to release the ball. On the other hand I know quite a few bowlers who just change their release a bit and use whatever they have been using for strikes. Some times it is urethane, and sometimes its even reactive resin. Rubber definitely works. I would still be using my old Ebonite signiture for spares except that it really needs to be refit. I think that my hand has changed a bit since 1975 I now use polyester with the same grip as my reactive resin so they both feel the same.

[randwool]

Normally use my #1 ball with a wrist adjustment.

[StriKING]

I just started using a plastic ball for the evil 10 pin. I had been using my Fury Pearl but, unless I was on the left lane I just didn't have the room to hook into it, because I stand way left. The ball return is in the way on the right lane.

On other spare shots, especially with splits, I have good control with my Fury Pearl. I've got it finished to 1000 grit abralon and it bites nicely and, with the exception of that 10, it pretty much goes where I want it to go; smooth and predictable.

My main strike ball is a Storm Virtual Energy, which I just picked up at the end of April. I've used it for easier spares like the 2,4,5,8 small bucket, but I don't trust it yet for the corners or precision split shots because it's just too aggresive and/or I haven't learned how to control it for the more precise spare shots.

Anyway, I was initially looking to pick up a Storm Ice for the 10-pin spare, but recently found an old 16 lb ball from the late 70's that I had tucked away in a corner of the basement. No Idea who the manufacturer was... it had Gem 300 stamped on it along with a diamond graphic. (Any of you older guys ever heard of that?) Anyway I had it plugged and redrilled to my adult hand span and had it drilled fingertip and thumb slug like my other balls so it "feels" the same on release. It polished up like new and it works like a charm. Best of all my house pro did the redrill for free (thanks, Jay) so it didn't cost me a dime to pull this one out of mothballs.