How to be a better spare shooter! Spare system that makes it easy to pick up every spare you leave. AFFILIATE LINKS BELOW 👇 DH LAB: bit.ly/47N7nk4 RoyalFlushApparel.com 10% Off Code: NGYT24
Not to be rude, but you need to drop this video right in Nate’s lap. Missing single pins has been a real nemesis for him. Might of cost him a win on the weekend😢
Love the info here but I think before any of it can be utilized, bowlers gotta change their mentality/attitude towards leaving spares. It is SO easy to get mad at spares when you leave em and that will affect how most shoot em. Would see this SO much in college: Even though I was mostly on the JV team because I only struck a third of the time, my single pin spare rate was in the mid to high 90 percentile while those who struck more than a third of the time could barely hit 90% on single pin spares. My multiple pin spare rate was even more ridiculous: It was close to 75%, and that INCLUDED washouts and splits. Highest across both teams by nearly 10%. The one underneath me was at 62.5%. Wasn't even a good bowler back then, average hovered around 205 or so, was super duper speed dominant. Like 175 RPMs but threw the ball close to 18 MPH...I was that a$$hole who would get my most aggressive ball, take it down to like 360, and hurl it out to the 10 board from the 15 board...lofting it to the markers haha. Everyone hated it. Even me, but it was all I knew at the time. WAY too one-dimensional to be part of ANY college team. Everyone I bowled with was like "what is your secret? You strike like four times a game at most but only run MAYBE two opens a game." My response was "well spares are free sticks if they're not splits. And if it's a single pin you have literally half the lane to cover it (unless it's a corner then you have a third of the lane). Those are like the 'free throws' of bowling: There's no defense, don't need to worry if your throw was on time, it's just ball to pin just like in basketball it's ball in basket." You could have the best and most optimized technique for spare shooting but if you're getting mad because you left a ringing 10 that should have carried, left a blower 7 that should have carried, or went light and left a 2 pin, went high and left a 4 pin, that mentality will get you to whiff it. It's even worse if you got mad at a spare you left on a bad shot and you thought it was a GOOD shot, cuz now you're mad for the wrong reason lol. I've run into so many bowlers in league who will leave 2s and 4s and complain that those should have carried. Um, no. If you leave a 2 pins and 4 pins you should consider yourself lucky there aren't other pins WITH it. Gotta treat single pins (and most 8 count multiple pins like 6-10, 4-7, etc) like how basketball players treat free throws in that they are pretty much guaranteed to improve scores.
This is a huge helpful lesson video. Fall League is over and I'm going to spend a lot of time focusing on improving my spare shooting this summer, thanks for the video elise
wow I l learned this but I've been lining up w my right foot instead of the left. Now it makes sense why I had to adjust 5 boards. I feel so dumb. Thanks for this....I'll practice today.
I think this video has great tips but i think it would be way more helpful if we had the camera looking at the lane with a line pointing at where her intended target is from where she is standing before she throws the shot.
I only have one ball, just changed to fingertip from conventional. I was throwing my spares with it 12lb Storm tropical surge. and doing pretty good cause its a pretty straight ball. Struggling with fingertip. and now wondering if I will be able to be as acurate with it for straighter angles for the ten , i was getting pretty good a tthose from the left part of the lane straight into the 10.
That is basically what I do, but I have never created an actual "method". I think I tend to go too far to the extremes for the 7 or 10. So, corner to corner. (I'm a beginner hack rolling a hook). Having a method to practice will certainly help with my consistency. I have one ball that I'm presently using as I just came back to bowling after ~40 years and it is a Rhino reactive pearl, 14# ball. I need to get a spare ball and was wondering what you recommend, and do you drill it the same as your hook ball? I was thinking 13# for spares but not sure and have no idea what to look at. My hook is coming along, but my release I can see that my fingers are about an inch above the equator of the ball and that I need to work on getting my hand more underneath. Anyhow, I love how you teach, and appreciate your video! I'll follow you and hope to learn more from you.Thanks!
I think the biggest thing is having a system. I have seen all kinds of different systems from bowlers at every level. Do what works for you, practice it, and stick to it. I think a lot of bowlers miss spares because they have no system and do not have structured practice sessions where they work on spare shooting.
I just caught this video a few weeks late. High Avg I have but say 75% spare shooter.😂 When I practice for spares as you are shooting I use a plastic ball. I also carry a urethane ball’ I drilled the ball pin between fingers and a 6” pin. I use that and I pick up every spare, when I use the plastic I usually miss. So what should I do, I have a feeling what you’re going to say. Plastic ?
As a newer bowler who has been using whatever ball is in my hand at the time (Rhino, Infinity, Perfect Mindset, Theorem, Slingshot) to hit spares, are there certain spare balls that are better than others? I know it's mostly the responsibility of the player to aim correctly, but I was curious if there is a clear winner out of the various brands?
The funny thing about shooting cross lane, picking up single pins are harder to pick up at first, but at the same time, splits feel so much easier to pick up compared to before.
Nice video Elise. I have been shooting straight at my spares for a few years now and everything you say is valid. I will be directing folks to this video when they ask about making spares. 👍
This is a great video. Elise is good at breaking things down to make it easy to understand. When able to start practicing again, I will try this method.
The hardest part for me in picking up the 10 pin is getting the correct alignment. I'm getting better, but still too inconsistent to feel comfortable in picking it up. I've always kept my hips open, but until now I've never really paid attention to how much they're open. Im going to test out different placements of my right foot against my left to add into my spare shooting system. Thanks for the tips!
Excellent video Elise, thanks very much. I do have a question. For the 10 pin, you stand on 30. Do you slide on 30 and look at 20? Thanks again, love watching you and Nate.
I know straighter is greater for spares and I switched to shooting straight at all spares this past league season which has helped a bit. Still looking for the right system for me and I think I'll give this a shot, it makes sense to me. However, I was also told that "you shouldn't shoot straight at all spares" like the 2-8 for example or 3-9, or a bucket. My question to you is, do you shoot straight at those? Or do you hook? And is it all personal preference? I see pros shoot straight at 2-8, 3-9, buckets, with a spare ball and I see others hook at them.
Thank you so much for describing your spare system. I've adopted it with great success! I am twice your age and have recently renewed my love for bowling after serious back surgery. My rev rate and ball speed closely match yours so I am a student of your videos. Could you PLEASE put forth a slow-motion video of your RELEASE? I and others would be so very grateful. Thanks!
Unfortunately the angles change depending on where you start from. I bowl from the up dots and not the back dots. This changes the board placements and the bowling angles. From my position each angle is steeper. THUS I don't use the center arrow and must use the 17 board more which causes difficulties by sliding out of the oil and more into the dry on the 10 pin side,,, which is my harder side to pick up spares on [my straight shooting side].
Great vid, Elise and thank you, not just for explaining your spare shooting system, but also for explaining the rationale behind it! A few questions, please: 1. I struggle using 20 as my spare target area, because it looks as if it's in the middle of my chest. I know this is an optical illusion, but do you have any suggestions or thoughts about this? 2. Could you please explain more about the relation between foot position and the position of the hips and shoulders, when shooting spares? When we shoot strikes, we typically align our entire body toward our intended strike target, or at least toward our intended strike path: feet/hips/shoulders. Yet when we shoot spares going straight with plastic, it seems that other than moving our non-slide foot back or forward a bit, as you demonstrated in your vid, spare shooting angles seem to be determined more with hips and shoulders, not the feet, so there is a disconnect, between the feet and the hips/shoulders. What is the down side, if any, to aligning feet/hips/shoulders when shooting spares, just as we do when attempting strikes? 3. Do you have any tips or drills to help bowlers roll their plastic ball spare shots straighter? At the amateur level, simply switching to a plastic spare ball, even with a spare system, isn't going to work if we still rotate our hand around that plastic ball at release. If we release our spare ball the same way we release our strike ball, the slightest dry spot on the lane will cause even that plastic ball to hook and miss the spare. How can we get better at switching back and forth between strike and spare releases? Thank you, and wishing you success on the upcoming 2024 PWBA season!
It sounds to me that you are saying to position your body (hips & shoulders) toward your pin, walk toward your target and I assume cross over step with your target being the middle arrow and your starting position in alignment with your target and middle arrow. Is that correct?
Elise, Thank you I am an old man and have been Bowling for 54 years and never new how to do that.. I would always through and hope.. Nate you are a very Lucky man to have such a wife that does things you both can do for a life time...
I think when you’re showing people how to shoot a spare need to see more of your body of what you’re doing so that we can actually accomplish what we want with trying to pick up my spares
Love this video. I'm missing too many makeable spares by being mentally caught on whether to hook it the left side rather than using my spare ball. Thanks so much for helping my simplify my thought process. Got instant results practicing today on both sides! ❤🔥
Thank you so much. I have been looking for someone to show me how to stand and where to throw. This is a great starting point and I am confident that I will be able to use this system. I can’t thank you enough for this information. 🎉
I loved the explanation, and it is similar to what I do. I know where I stand and target. I pivot around that point depending on what pins need to be included. I have a similar spot for the other side. These spots are only for my spares. My friends talked me into going to practice with them. The first three threw their ball like it was a regular game. I said I thought we were here to practice. I picked up my ball and took out the 7, and the second ball took out the 10. I told them they needed to work on their spares. Their opponent gets ahead of them every time they miss one. Three years later, I heard one of them telling others how I practiced when I practiced. He told them the only ball I took out of my bag to practice that day was my spare ball. Hopefully, this video helps a lot of people.
I line up with my left foot still when shooting at the 7, but I still position my right foot up as if to trap the ball. It was pretty vindicating to see your right foot is very close to where mine is/would be. My left foot goes to 18.
So, when shoting spares like 3-4-6-7-10 do you feel shooting straight at it is better than hooking at it? I seem to have better luck hooking at it, but on a sport shot tghat can be challenging. Also, 2-10. What would you recommend for converting? No leaving it is way better, but happens....lol
Depends on what you’re bowling on. On something that’s not completely flat, Nate may hook at it but for me, I have found success hooking my spare ball a little bit that the spare but the spare ball is still going fairly straight.
I hadnt picked up a 10 pin in months and months, lost a few games because of it. Watched this video today, also got my new venom shock in. Went to practice and was 3 for 3 shooting the stupid 10 pin! Turned my body like you said. Thanks for the video.
Elise, the comment you made about "trust your alignment" is SUPER valid for me! So many times I was lined up perfect, and then "helped" the ball, only to have it miss, me cursing myself for not trusting, and shooting confidently. Another important thing I've learned from another more skilled player, is to stop, SLOW down, VISUALIZE your line, position your body to throw the ball on the MARK that intercepts that line, and ONLY then, shoot your ball!