corner pin spares set up

[Beagle]

I use my ring and pinky fingers in the ball. kills it, very little roll

[Aslan]

For left side spares, I use the 4-8-12 lateral adjustment and thus will move 12-boards right of my spot for my strike shot. I will then throw my strike ball over the same spot and the ball will hook into the 7-pin. Since this is simply a lateral adjustment with the same ball and I'm using the hook…I walk straight to the line and don't open mys shoulders to the 7-pin. Unfortunately, I'm only 60% (83/137) at that pin as of right now…but that has improved a great deal recently.

For right side leaves I throw my spare ball (polished entry level reactive) and use the 4-8-12 system from center. So I will move my left foot to the 32-board (20/center + 12) and the target is generally the 15-19 board at the arrows. Since this is a straight shot, I will angle my approach and open my shoulders to the target. I am 58% at this pin (172/293) presently and it still gives me a great deal of trouble.

This shot still gives me a great deal of problems and those problems can vary. Generally, a missed shot is "usually" because I don't open my shoulders or I open them too much. But, I can also miss this shot because the reactive resin ball will grab slightly and if the lanes are drier…I'll miss by 1-3 inches left. However, that is generally cancelled out by the fact that on drier lanes, if I miss right, the ball will often times grab and straighten out into the 10-pin. This shot is also a problem if the lanes a VERY dry…or just not well maintained…because the ball, even at my low rev rate, will "bounce" off a very dry outside area. If that happens, I try to increase speed to overcome it…or I can flatten out my wrist…but I hate to do either of those since it messes with my normal delivery/approach/timing.

Realize, part of why I haven't switched to a plastic ball (yet) is I simply don't have a rev rate where I generally have a problem or get into trouble. The USBC generally teaches throwing a plastic ball. And I would agree with that for any new player or player that generates even 250rpms.

[RobLV1]

At the risk of being accused of being harsh, I don't care if your rev rate is 10. Use a plastic spare ball and learn to throw it end over end at EVERY SINGLE PIN SPARE. You are missing 40% of your seven pins, and 42% of your ten pins! Don't eat for a week. Don't buy gas for your care and walk to work. Turn off your telephone and your television. Whatever you need to do to get a plastic spare ball do it! NOTHING else will help you to raise your average faster.

[Amyers]

At the risk of being accused of being harsh, I don't care if your rev rate is 10. Use a plastic spare ball and learn to throw it end over end at EVERY SINGLE PIN SPARE. You are missing 40% of your seven pins, and 42% of your ten pins! Don't eat for a week. Don't buy gas for your care and walk to work. Turn off your telephone and your television. Whatever you need to do to get a plastic spare ball do it! NOTHING else will help you to raise your average faster.

Not harsh that's the advice I need to take.

[richard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u24FitJUzAI

[Aslan]

At the risk of being accused of being harsh, I don't care if your rev rate is 10. Use a plastic spare ball and learn to throw it end over end at EVERY SINGLE PIN SPARE. You are missing 40% of your seven pins, and 42% of your ten pins! Don't eat for a week. Don't buy gas for your care and walk to work. Turn off your telephone and your television. Whatever you need to do to get a plastic spare ball do it! NOTHING else will help you to raise your average faster.

Again, not saying I won't eventually go that route…but…

1) Even if I HAD a plastic spare ball…I wouldn't use in on corner 7s.
and
2) While it would help me pick up more 10s that I'm currently missing left…I'd miss all the corner 10s that I am currently missing right but hooking into…thus, a wash.

[RobLV1]

Did you happen to watch the Queen's telecast? If you get the chance, note that Kelly Kulick picked up a single five pin spare using a plastic ball. When you try to hook the ball into four pins, seven pins, and four-seven combinations, you take the chance of hitting too much oil and missing them right, or setting the ball too far right and finding early friction and missing them left. From your percentage, I'd say that is happening about four out of ten time. At the same time, you are missing even more ten pins because you are trying to use a reactive ball and killing it with your hand position. It's obviously not working! If you learn to use a plastic ball, thrown end-over-end, then every single pin spare has one thing in common: it's easy to convert. Why make this game tougher than it is?

[classygranny]

Rob, why do you indicate to throw the plastic ball end-over-end? My coach and ball driller have me throwing mine with my normal release. I do remember the ball driller telling me that it would NOT hook, even if I wanted it to, and that it may thump over the thumb hole even using my normal release. Which both are true...it goes directly where I throw it.

[Beagle]

I think Rob is trying to tell u to make it a habit...that plastic ball will hook at the Petersen if not thrown end over end.

[RobLV1]

granny: Last Friday in league, we bowled against a woman (a lefty) who threw with a lot of axis rotation and very little ball speed. She had just purchased an Ebonite Maxim (plastic ball) which she used for her strike ball. She used her Storm Frantic to hook accross the lane at right side spares. Plastic will still hook in the dry unless you learn to throw it end-over-end. From your post, it sounds like you have very little axis tilt, so learning a different release to make it go straight is not an issue for you. As a side note, it worked out very well for our team, as their anchor man was also a lefty, and her use of the plastic strike ball caused the oil to carry down and resulted in a total loss of carry for him!