Converting Spares

[Zoidberg]

Has anyone got tips on converting single pin spares such as the 10 or 7 pin?

 

[da_cowman]

STRIAGHTER IS GREATER!!!!!!!!!!

Later Da Cowman!

 

[jockey]

Just take a leaf from the pros and get a plastic ball and bowl dead straight at them. With them there are no dramatics just simply pick up the ball and mow down that single pin straight and hard.

With practice and confidence in your shot and it will eventually become second nature.

 

[safadao]

resort to swearing a lot

 

[PeterB]

Plastic fantastic. Throw it straight using the entire width of the lane.

 

[doug81]

http://www.jimloy.com/bowling/spares.htm

seems to cover a lot of stuff

 

[Zoidberg]

I know that you have to use a plastic ball and throw straight but my problem is that my accuracy isn't that great. So, how do I improve my accuracy?

 

[jason_doust]

Single pins are swing practice. If you push away, swing and follow through in the correct line, you'll start hitting more of them. And use the whole width of the lane to hit them. Shoot across the lane to stay away from the gutter as long as possible.

As for the straight shot, it's handy but not necessary and requires practice. If you only throw a small hook, then you should be able to use your normal delivery. Providing your local centre doesn't have the lanes so blocked (wet in the middle, dry outside 10) that the ball just "bounces" off the dry boards outside 10... If this is the case, then a plastic or urethane ball with your normal delivery won't bounce too much. It'll just straighten up.

 

[JWhitty]

I'd have to agree with Jason (which is pretty normal, he knows what he's doing)

Take a fairly straight angle at the pin, and avoid the gutter. If you try to shoot down 2 for a tenpin, you've got no room to miss right and about 2 board inside before it'll roll past. The sheer angle if you shoot across around 20 gives you a good 5 boards to hit. So if accuracy is your issue, the higher percentage play is the angle

 

[MinusZero]

I use to have trouble with the 10 pin but then i got some help from a friend. I radically changed my position on the approach across about 10-15 boards and started just aiming for the centre boards on the lane rather than an arrow. As i bowl on the dots, its not a big issue for me. I use an Ebonite Tornado for the 10 pin which has minimal hook for cross lane shots.

The big key is...Follow through! If i dont follow through, i struggle to get the spare. If i follow through, i hit it almost everytime. Make sure to get the ball out on the lane and it shouldnt be too much of a problem.

 

[Zoidberg]

I use to have trouble with the 10 pin but then i got some help from a friend. I radically changed my position on the approach across about 10-15 boards and started just aiming for the centre boards on the lane rather than an arrow. As i bowl on the dots, its not a big issue for me. I use an Ebonite Tornado for the 10 pin which has minimal hook for cross lane shots.
The big key is...Follow through! If i don't follow through, i struggle to get the spare. If i follow through, i hit it almost every time. Make sure to get the ball out on the lane and it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I've got the opposite problem with the follow through. If I follow try through, my natural muscle memory tends to give the ball a little hook and I miss the pin by about 3 or 4 boards even though my spare ball is a urethane ball. I also noticed that if i use a house ball, my accuracy improves and i throw straighter on those single pin spares lol

 

[jason_doust]

Do what works for you. In most houses, I use a urethane spare ball and a hook release. In some houses, I move my feet and follow through to the right of the 10 pin if it hooks a bit and vice versa if it falls in the gutter.

The urethane ball usually won't go from right to straight to left in time to hook past the 10 these days. It usually goes from right to straight, then falls off the back of the lane. If it does manage to go left, then the straight release is called for. (Haven't needed to do that for ages.)

 

[bluey]

The only thing that l would mention about bowling through the centre of the lane is that some centres have wider ball returns and end lanes with walls very close to the edge of the gutter. Depending on drift it may not be an issue, however a line through 15 board or there abouts may stop you from nestling against a wider ball return. (which l find a little awkward) And plastic or rock hard urethane is the way to go, that way you should be able to bowl closer to your natural shot, rather than trying to fling it at the speed of light.

 

[Zoidberg]

the urethane ball I have at the moment is an AMF Sumo. I'm pretty sure that with the core-cover combo, it would be hard to get it to go straight

 

[bluey]

Hey Z, wasn't the Sumo considered to be a big hooking ball in its time?