I've been bowling on a regular basis for three years, but when I found this video a little over a year ago, the lightbulb finally went on for me. Before this, I had no idea where I had to stand for spares. About a year ago, I started bowling with a more traditional approach with a heavier ball, and that also helped a great deal. Last February, my average in my league was about 130. Now, it's 151. Not a huge improvement, but it's increasing each season. These videos are very helpful. Fundamentals
To do is get up there, look at your mark and say to yourself out loud or in your head "Ready..Set..Slow." Make sure your slide ends at the foul line and not way before it as this will give your ball a better angle into the pocket. Shake hands with your mark to give it enough curve but don't yank it. If you find yourself falling over or having to catch yourself after your shot you're walking to fast and need to slow your feet down. Find a nice consistent foot speed and learn to keep it there.
I love this guy. I've watched a bunch of youtube videos about bowling and his are the most clear and helpful. When I started watching, a really good game would be 150. Now I bowl 170-210 quite often. Help with spares was a big part of that.
My average improved from 77 to 215 in three years from hard work, dedication, constant practice, and observations that helped me understand adjustments and ball reactions! Thanks, youtube!! haha...
Thanks for the video. I've been bowling fairly regularly for about a year and a half and I've had some good nights and many bad nights, but even when I had a good night, I didn't know why. I just went out and practiced using these techniques and I bowled way better than I usually do at this particular place. It's amazing how muchy you improve in any sport when you learn the basic fundamentals. Thanks again.
I have been checking closely the process step by step, how to bowl better. I am very surprised because i have been improving the technics like references to release, how to aim to shot spares. My average have gone up to 185 every night tournament. I express my thanks for this facility. I have a real idea how to bowl with this concepts. John A. Williams The Killer
I am still a beginner so take what I say with a grain of salt. Which foot you start with depends on whether you are a right or left hander, if you are using a 4 step or a 5 step or a 7 step approach. If you are a righty using a 4 step you would start on your right, but if using a 5 step or 7 step you would start with your left.
Yes, like I always tell my teammates... "STRIKES for SHOW, SPARES for DOUGH!" You can't score good at all without picking up spares. Now a good 3 to 5 strikes in a row is always a plus YOU must pick up spares to win...
Mine results increased to 200 after 10 bowling times after buying own strike ball. Before got even 100. In all, bowling tecniques are pretty easy to learn.
To shoot at a washout, I move my feet 1 board right from my strike line (board 14) and move my target 2 boards to the left (board 12). To make the seven pin, I move my feet 3 boards right from my strike line (board 12) And move my target 6 boards left (board 16). This works for me. I always use a plastic ball to shoot spares and always roll it straight.
Good video.....My league is almost over and my average is 183.....My spare shooting really sucks ....I didnt know how many boards to move when shooting spares, I would just wing it......Now that i know how to move i'll try it.....I think i move back in too from the spot i start....I'll try to watch that too
I had the same reaction. I thought they must have been on a restricted budget & couldn't pay for pin re-sets. lol Seriously, it was a good explanation, but actually throwing a ball at remaining pins would have been a much better illustration.
Left side spares I hook into. Biggest issue for me is the 10 pin. I am getting a plastic ball soon for that but for right now I'm just using my reactive balls. I have started throwing at the 10 pin basically having my hand on the side of the ball through out my shot. Sometimes I make it some I don't.
continued.......are very imporant in any sport. If you arm yourself with the basics, you might not become a pro, but you'll at least be able to hold your own. I went from being the guy on my bowling team with the worst average to the player with the best, and it's not even close. I've noticed that I've evolved my game over the years while my teammates haven't changed a thing. The difference it quite telling.
I use this theory for shooting right-side spares. Using a plastic ball, I found a strike line by standing on board 15 and bowling a straight ball over the second arrow. From there I move in increments of 4 boards with my feet and two boards with my target. So to shoot the ten pin, I move 12 boards with my feet and 6 with my target so I'm bowling over board 16. To make the 3-10 baby split, I move 4 boards with my feet and two boards with my target so I'm bowling over board 12. It works for me.
Kaleb, he's using a five step approach. The idea, for a right-hander is to end up on the left foot. Some bowlers use a three step, some a four, some a five, some, just a few, even more steps. However, he is using five, so it is left, right, left, right, left-slide. I think the most common approach is four, which would be right, left, right, left-slide.
Most of these videos are for beginners or for people learning a default approach. As you progress and learn how YOU bowl, you make your own decisions and changes. Take the general idea and if you're as good as you are self serving, this shouldn't be a problem.
@Muggel65 well most people when they get into hooking they cant throw straight without using that hooking motion, so most hook bowlers would probobly get a spare ball that is polyester coverstocked because they tend to slide so its good for hook bowlers when picking up a 7 or 10 pin
Thanks!! Tomorrow I have a rolloff. I hope I can improve. I have a bit trouble with sparing. I can spare 3 pins but not more or less than that. Its quite hard. My ball keeps going the wrong way :(
I have seen vids of a ball release machine that can be adjusted for targeting, speed and rotation used to identify the best entry angle into the pocket. I wonder why they don't use that same machine to give a good visual for this lesson. If this system is as easy as moving left or right (depending the spare shot) and then throwing the ball the same way at the same target on the lane, it should be a fairly simple task to set up and repeat, yes?
I understand what hes saying about where the feet should start. but which arrows should we aim at for each shot? also, do u walk straight squared on the lane while releasing ur arm towards the target or walk straight towards the spare pin at an angle with a straight release? Ive just started bowling, hope someone can help. Many Thanks
@zedd89 the strike position is YOUR position. my strike spot is the 11 board but i don't hook the ball. as my corner pin is the 15 board. 18-20 board seems like it's pritty high up there.
Anytime! If you have anymore tips go ahead and PM me so that I can go more in depth. It becomes easier as you go, just take constructive criticism, get a good coach, and figure out your hand/arm positioning on that ball going the wrong way. Once you figure out your form you should be good and one more thing. When you go to get a new ball (this is always not just sometimes) have your pro shop manager set you up with a ball based on how you throw so that you don't have to adjust too much.
I only hook at spares on some multi-pin spares which require some hook or if i leave pins that are in the pocket area. i will shoot a strike ball shot at the spare so i can fix that mistake or test a new line.
@Muggel65 with a consisten hand you learn to just manipulate your angle and release which keeps your strike position the way you want it... going back an forth from your hook shots to straight kinda ruins that consistency between shots... which to some confuses them... like me :P
You got the basics. It will depend on how much curve you put on your ball as well. Start at 2 arrow for strike ball, then move over halfway to next arrow for 1 pin to right of headpin. Go to third arrow for 2 pins over, and halfway to fourth arrow for the 10 pin. For pins left of headpin, start at 2 arrow and work your way left using same increments. That generally works for me.
Actually yes. Get a ball that is comfortable in weight and drill it to fingertip. Make sure it get's broken in before your comp by the way. Anyway. Find a mark where your ball curves into the pocket and make sure you can hit that mark at all times. Now I'm assuming your right handed so when the ball goes too much left move your feet left, 1 to 2 boards at a time. If it goes too much right move your feet right 1 to 2 boards at a time. Now bowling is really a game of focus so what you need
I like the video, I thought it was very educational. Well, except for one thing. When he begins to walk toward the lane, he first steps with his left foot instead of with his right foot. If you are right handed, you start walking toward the lane with your right foot first, and if you are left handed, you start walking with your left foot. You know, "Vise Versa". That's is what I was taught. Excuse me if I am wrong and someone please correct me, because I don't want to tell every one wrong.
in this video, does the strike position is at board 18? Somebody please help me with that, because i applied these spare techniques with my strike position at board 20.
I throw a cranker shot (big hook) and I don't throw a curve every time. I'm 14 with a 203 average, and I'll bet if you ask any coach/professional bowler they'll tell you the same.
Ok, question for the trainers. First, great video. Second, I throw two different balls. My first ball is a c-friction ball with great hook. Start seven boards left of center, throw between second and third arrow. Had a 639 last night, first night of season. Five spare misses in three games. Two of those were one pin misses. I bowl maybe twice a month at most. So, second ball is low friction about thirty years old. Had it drilled exactly the same as my first ball . full fingertip.HELP
The possible downside of this method is that the ball is not intended to travel over the same target arrow for each different kind of spare attempt. Yes, the objective is to throw a straight ball right at the pin, but, it's not always going to be rolled over the same target board that is 15 feet away for each kind of spare. Seems like you're left to your own judgement of deciding which target board is to be used to maintain a straight path from your hand to the pin. One might prefer a system in which the focus is to cut the lane in half and always throw the ball over the 20 board 15 feet away regardless of which pin you're aiming at. If so, the 3-6-9/4-8-12 spare method might not be best for you.
So what you're telling me is this. 3-pin Four boards left of center Mark: Between second and third arrow 6-pin Eight boards left of center Mark: Third arrow 10-pin Twelve boards left of center Mark: Left of third arrow or between third and fourth 2-pin Three pins right of center Mark: Between second and third arrow or just right of the third arrow 4-pin Six boards right of center Mark: ?????? 7-pin Nine boards right of center Mark: Third arrow And if I'm throwing a straight ball at all spares, then why does "the rotation of the ball" make it less necessary to move so much when throwing from the right side of the lane? Wouldn't the rotation of the ball be neutralized since I'm not throwing a hook?
Keith Eichholz - Technically yes, however, if the ball is not a plastic spare ball it will curve a little anyway due to how it is drilled. In addition, a plastic ball will curve a board or two if you throw it in the handshake position with no reverse rotation used to "skid" the ball. In the end everything hinges on which ball you choose and how you decide to release it.
King Willie Can you answer a 10-pin question? If I'm coming in high, wouldn't I need to move left? To my thinking, if I keep the same mark, that will allow the ball more real estate to cover, leading to a better look at the pocket. If I'm coming in light, it seems I would have to move out, giving the ball less real estate to cover before reaching the pocket. I just read a website that said the exact opposite and that doesn't make sense to me. Also, the why would help a lot. Didn't seem that was included in what I read. Please and thank you.
Once again, it depends on how the ball is coming off of your hand as axis tilt dictates how sharp of an angle your ball takes when entering the pocket. If your axis tilt is too extreme, moving to the left will still result in high shots due to the ball making sort of an L shaped entry into the pocket as opposed to a ) shaped entry. This is often due to your ball hitting the less mentioned dry area, usually 5 or so boards heading straight down the lane nearest to the gutter. This is not to be confused with the dry "hook" area that encompasses the last 15 feet of the house oil pattern. So to illustrate my point, imagine 3 shapes, two of which are thrown with too much axis tilt, and one thrown correctly. Shot number one is thrown along your normal strike line over the 10 board, it doesn't veer too far to the right near the gutter, yet it still comes in high. Considering ball speed is sufficient, that is the result of the drying of the lanes due to too many shots being thrown, resulting in multiple bowling balls soaking up oil from the lane and ruining your normal line. In this case, your ball would enter the 15 foot "hook" section of the lane, make a violent L shaped turn at the last second, and miss high. Shot number two is thrown wide outside of the 10 board near the gutter, makes a > shaped entry and misses high. The final and correct shot is thrown into the oil, holds it's line, floats over the 10 board, and makes a ) shaped entry into the pocket, causing a loud crackling noise due to adequate pin action. In the house pattern, there is more oil in the middle of the lane, and less near the outside. The reason this helps you is as follows: If you throw a poor shot that veers off course a bit to the right, it will hit the dry outside portion and stop skidding. The consequence of having an extreme axis tilt is an over-compensation that violates the "miss right, move left" rule. Conversely, if you hit your shot too far to the inside, the slickness of the center of the lane will guide it back out to the pocket as long as your axis tilt is correct. So, in closing, miss right, move left only works if you have a consistent roll off of the hand and you are staying in the oil. Why? Because by rolling your ball as opposed to over - rotating it, you are allowing the ball to complete all three phases of the skid, hook, roll cycle as it was designed to do. What you don't want to do is force the ball to do something it wasn't designed to do and create your own break-point. If you get into the dry part of the lane too early by throwing wide near the gutter, it will zap energy from your ball too early and ruin the natural cycle. Drilling becomes almost irrelevant at that point. Keep in mind that these scenarios are not assumptions about what you are or aren't doing. Rather, they are things that I have picked up over the years from old-timers that helped elevate my game and make it more consistent, so hopefully you get something out it. I started bowling during the "cranker craze" and made many mistakes. It wasn't until I needed to get good enough to stop veterans from taking my money game after game that I broke down and received actual lessons from a local pro. The end result was league tournament prize money, a league average of 201 up from 170 at the beginning of the season, and a high game of 299. Nothing special by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly enough to show off at bowling parties and have a great time. Hope this helps!
King Willie I feel I should be paying you. You're very generous. You've given me plenty I can look into. As far as axis tilt goes, I don't think mine is super-aggressive. It's more than my first bowling ball, a Venom Toxin by Motiv. I now throw an Ultimate Nirvana, 15 pounds. My anchor took me out a couple weeks ago at my request and showed me a few things. He had me lining up with the outside of my right foot touching the end of the tenth board and aiming between the first and second arrows. I was having success and that's more or less where I start each time I go out. It's making the adjustments that are still a bit hairy for me. I've toyed with moving back and forth before moving laterally so that speed might heal what ails me. The bowler I try to pattern my game after is Norm Duke in his later years, not when he was a young buck cranking it from the inside. I'm going to do some more research to see if I can learn a bit more about axis tilt, particularly the axis tilt specific to the Ultimate Nirvana. I can't thank you enough for the help. I really appreciate it.
Soooooo, question . . .when I shoot spares is my STARTING POINT THE CENTER BOARD, OR SEVEN BOARDS TO THE LEFT (which is my ACTUAL starting point for my first ball) . . . .Hopefully you guys will answer and thanks again for a great video. . .you have added many pins to my game with your videos . . .
Ok, really, how about you buy a spare ball and shoot directly at every spare. Works very well and most professionals do it. Hey, I use the "left side" arrows for "left handers" so i can make 4 and 7 pins. Really, it's what works for you and your trusty plastic spare ball.
Anyone can "Fake a Swing" and say the ball hit the target. Would have been much better to actually roll a ball to better illustrated how to make pars and splits consistently.
no need to ever hook... toss the ball straight to the left of the first pin and you wont ever have to pick up a spare,hook shots are to look good nothing more or less and will sooner or later screw you
