What do you use for a spare ball?

[BobT]

I use my plastic ball for just about everything now. I'll use my strike ball for pins left in the middle. Since using it more, especially for corner pins i may only miss one out of a 100 times.

[Iceman]

I did use plastic, but within last 2 years, my coach pushed me to use my strongest coverstock to get the 10, starting missing a lot, but after awhile, started getting better flattening the shot. Now, I am usually 9 out 10 on a giving night (which percentage is ok) but I don't worry about the 10 pin leave now, I know I can get it. It does help with my strike ball if dryer shots, as I can flatten with some energy for backend.

I still want to grab plastic, but I am working on getting straighter is greater for all my spares (where applicable) with my hardest resin.

[kev3inp]

It's definitely doable, but I find it harder to break my wrist to kill the few revs I have than to just throw a ball that goes straight, unless I try and change my angle and rev the hell out of it. The drawback is that on dry lanes I can't use it as a strike ball because it just won't drive, it deflects. I've considered the Lane #1 XXXL but haven't made the commitment to that kind of coin for a mostly spare ball. Hey, whatever works, right? It's not how, it's how many.

[ericj]

I'm a relatively new bowler. Less than six months. Already have a somewhat embarrassing "300 series" patch.

I have a viz-a--ball that is ostensibly my spare ball, but the guy who's taught me pretty much everything i've ever learned about bowling doesn't carry a spare ball at all - he carries a fairly aggressive hook ball and a very aggressive hook ball. Of course, on dry enough lanes, he can hook my viz-a-ball.

Being right-handed, he taught me to pick up the 10 pin with a hook ball by putting my foot in the left gutter (so to speak) and throwing across the center mark. I don't put enough revs on a ball to do it exactly like that yet, but it seems to work at least as reliably as the viz-a-ball.

It's the 7 pin i have trouble with.

In any case, I've resolved that spares are just too hard to pick up, and I'll be much better off just hitting all strikes . . .

[The KingPin]

I'm a relatively new bowler. Less than six months. Already have a somewhat embarrassing "300 series" patch.

I have a viz-a--ball that is ostensibly my spare ball, but the guy who's taught me pretty much everything i've ever learned about bowling doesn't carry a spare ball at all - he carries a fairly aggressive hook ball and a very aggressive hook ball. Of course, on dry enough lanes, he can hook my viz-a-ball.

Being right-handed, he taught me to pick up the 10 pin with a hook ball by putting my foot in the left gutter (so to speak) and throwing across the center mark. I don't put enough revs on a ball to do it exactly like that yet, but it seems to work at least as reliably as the viz-a-ball.

It's the 7 pin i have trouble with.

In any case, I've resolved that spares are just too hard to pick up, and I'll be much better off just hitting all strikes . . .

Hello EricJ

I like your post. I have a plastic ball for spares, but the 7 pin is my poison. I like your theory on just hitting strikes. I need to follow in your footsteps.

Chris

[JerseyJim]

There's a Rolf Gauger (sp?) article in an old BTM about a spare shooting system with a straight ball that I found very helpful, too, but of course now that I've remembered it I can't find that issue right now. Murphy's law "strikes" again.

It was published in BTM in March, and April of 2005. Rolf later summarized it in the January 2008 issue. I use it with decent success. I think I would be better off buying a hard plastic ball instead of using my Manhattan Urethane from 1983.

[Jord_84]

I use a crappy little maxim, I think it was my first ball, but I only use it for 10 pins. I use my strike ball for my spares, but I move my span in to decrease hook. I'm not a fan of using too many balls. I bowl on wood lanes, and as fast as the lane conditions change, I like sticking to one ball, since I know how it's going to react.

[Iceman]

Hello EricJ

I like your post. I have a plastic ball for spares, but the 7 pin is my poison. I like your theory on just hitting strikes. I need to follow in your footsteps.

Chris

No offense here - but spares are the name of the game - everyone can strike, when you string 6 in a row and leave 1 duck up there, and miss it; Your giving your game away. Concentrate and focus on the spares, it will greatly improve your avg and ALWAYS keep you in the game. One duck miss against a decent bowler, you'll be chasing them the rest of the game.......

[jaws1945]

I use a kill shot flattening my wrist for the 10 pin

[DaRoadHawg]

I used my strike ball (#16 Hammer RoadHawg) primarily in the past. I just won a Brunswick TZone ball, drilled it and practice with it for spares. I got used to using my strike ball for 10 pin p/u, but now I'm using the TZone...hope it ups my average. I think it will...