As a right hander I once made the greek church. But in a weird way I bounced the 6 pin off the ball and it slide in between the 4,7 and split them knocking them over.
i've spared the big 4 twice. I have seen my dad pick up the 7-10. On a completely non spare related note, my friend was shooting for 10 pins only on a full rack, he managed to do a shot where he hit only the 10 and ricochet of the back and hit the 7. only the 7 and 10 went down.
One of the things our coach did to us in Collegiates because we were missing a lot of corner pins, was that before we could go home for the night (our practice night was Mondays at 10pm at a 40-lane house), we were all to start on lane 1, and take the 7 and the 10 ONLY off the rack. If we did that, we went to lane 2 and did the same thing. If we took anything else off with the 7 and 10, we stayed on that lane and tried again. Wash/rinse/repeat from lane 1 to lane 40. After we finished on lane 40, we could go home. A couple of us (who are now lady pros) got done in 35 minutes. I took about an hour. A LOT of others on the team didn't get out of there until around 1:30am or later, keeping in mind that we still had class the following day. We missed no more than 10 corner pins for the rest of that season.
I picked up 7-10 split by luck. 🙏 I'm a righty and was trying to pick up the 7 pin. I pulled the ball too far to the left and thought the ball would go into the gutter but the ball just nip the 7 pin which roll across the lane and knock down the 10 pin. 🙏🙏🙏
“It doesn’t have to be Storm”. “YES IT DOES!”. I felt that in my bones. I only own Storms and when people offer me other balls I recoil like a vampire in the sun.
I bet it was. Every time I get a 7-10 split, I have one of my buddies record me attempting to spare it. Haven't made it yet but one of these days it's gonna happen and I'll have it on tape.
First get lined up making sure you can carry the 7 and 10 pins. Then shoot 7s and 10s on your first ball. Practice 2-8s and 3-6-10s since they are relatively difficult and fairly common. Then throw your strike shot. Scores are meaningless during practice.
I had no idea hooking at a spare was frowned upon. Granted I just purchased my 1st ball ever and have used house balls for my entire life, but now I have something to work on to get my average up. Thanks guys!!! Oh and I have very accidentally picked up a 7-10 split as a young adult. I got angry and tried to punish the 10 pin. It bounced off the wall, across the lane and took out the 7. I stood there like...😮😮😮...😎😎😎
I understand going for count, but on any 2-pin spare, wouldn't you almost always try to convert it? If you miss you're still getting the one pin anyway, usually. I can see just making sure you get the one for count on a parallel split, like a 4-6 or 8-10.
With splits involving the 2 pin, the margin of error is higher. As such, there is less to worry about when going for the split. Also, even if you do hit the 2 pin solid, bounce outs can and do happen, unless your bowling ball speed is weak.
I've converted the 7-10 split 3 years ago during league. I didn't expect to get the conversion, so I threw my spare ball at the 10-pin, knew it was going to hit it, turned around, and was told I hit the 7-10 split from my teammates. Turning back around I saw both the pins were gone.
Made the big four a few times the Greek church 3 times never the 7-10 by itself but left the 4-7-10 missed the 4 hit the 7 bounced off the back and nipped the 10 to knock it down
Cool video talk to tech Jr pro shop spare bowling ball Brunswick t-zone 13 pound bowling ball I'm going to get soon tomorrow Tuesday or Wednesday I'm going to pick it up tomorrow at the bowling alley I can't wait to throw it the bowling ball spare bowling ball Brunswick tzone bowling ball it will help me get more spares that have been problem get spare at time I bet getting spare at time using my strike hook bowling ball but not all the time so I will be getting spare more with my bowling ball Brunswick t-zone
Great tips for all level bowlers, especially for those under 190. Spares win games! Period. I have one tip for two-handers out there for getting better at spares. If you are a two-hander, and can not throw the ball straight (end over end), start practicing the backup ball. Take it easy at first, don't injure yourself, and in a short time practicing, you will get the feel for controlling the forward rotation of the ball. It is a good thing to practice it with the strike ball. Then you can start practicing straight release (also with the strike ball). When you master it, you will see that even the strike ball does not hook at all when you release it dead straight. Always throw the spare ball when competing, but practice often with the strike ball. I give these drills to all of my two-handed student's, and the spare percentage always show a large improvement. Keep up the good work! Looking forward to the next video.
I'm a STORM guy as well, went to school with Timmy Mack. I have 3 Hammer Balls but they are Trophy's now... :( - Proton, Dual Lock, (GB 4) < great ball!!!, Wild Streak, IQ Tour Sapphire and Moe's space plastic piece.
I joke around with people that I pick up the 7 10, only catch is that the left lane left the single 7 pin pick it up and right lane left single 10 pin and pick it up lol.
JUST DON'T SUCK!!! LOL...Yep! I got me a plastic piece for this by Radical in honor of Moe. I can flatten out my hand as well, but Moe is more consistent on both sides of the lanes...;) /
Took me a long time to break that habit of hooking spares. When I first joined a sport shot league from years being in a normal house shot league, I can't tell you how many seven pins and easy spares in general I missed hooking it. I would go practice ever week for months in the off season, and literally five games of just picking a target, and throwing straight balls the entire time. I went from a 180, to a 192 in our sport league from improving my spare game. Just having more confidence in my accuracy and not over thinking it.
Craziest spare I picked up was the big 4, 4-6-7-10. Pure dumb luck. Clipped inside the 4, sent it into the 7 and off the wall, came back across the lane to take out the 6 and 10. This was in practice with a buddy. Since then I've gotten 3/4 on that spare a couple times.. My Roto Grip Bullseye has been a godsend in my spare game. I've also used it as my strike ball in a long practice and put up a 223 game with it.. So it's staying in the bag for the foreseeable future.
I bought a black yellow and blue spiral viz a ball from brunswick. i dont know why but on the edges of the yellow stripes the color is turning orange is that normal did i store it in the wrong way or is it a production problem?
Haven’t seen that happen before. I’d take it into your pro shop and have them take a look at it. If it’s a production issue, it may be covered by warranty
Why do most right handed PBA players shoot 4s and shoot 7s by rolling down the left side of the lane with the boards rather than crossing the boards by standing to the right and targeting the fourth arrow?
I have the Storm Mix as my only ball, and since I don't know how to hook properly yet, it's probably the only thing i'll need for a WHILE. That thing barely curves, just the way I like it, and the durable urethane surface makes it look shiny and new no matter in what condition your lane is in. This video was also extremely useful btw. Thanks for the tips!
Made the 7-10 once in non sanctioned Tourney just shooting at the 7 the pin came off the back and hit my ball and shot across the deck. Made the Big 4 in league by slicing 6 over to the 7 off the wall and took out the 4. Im 40 been bowling 20 years only once on both.
the 2-10 was really crazy but i got it, but going from the right to hit left and vice versa is really good thats what i do and alot of ppl do but my friend doesnt, i need to show him this vid, really good guys thanks. ill try that 4th arrow technique
Craziest spare I ever made?? 4-6 split on lane 1 .I was on lane 2. MY SPARE was 1-3-6 and I'm a lefty. We were playing around with trying to hook across the lane from one end and all the way back and I fired an 8lb house ball across lane....when it hit the gutter it found a break in the gutter where the pieces weren't lined up and jumped into the lane next to me and wiped out the baby split from the person on that lane. I was never thanked.
Thanks guys. Great tips. I have a spreadsheet to keep my spare shots one. Unfortunately I keep making changes to it though. I'm getting closer and closer to aiming at the 34 foot mark on Brunswick lanes at the front tip of the range markers to hit most all the spares. This gets me to a little more than 50% down the lane with the ball to target at. So even if I'm a little off with my approach I'm likely better off at hitting my spare anyway. I'll keep working on this until I'm honed in... :) Keep the tips and great ball reviews coming. That Axiom Pearl is one hell of a ball...
Thanks for the kind words again clowny!! Yea target whatever is most comfortable, one of our really good friends, great bowler, looks at the foul line.
I've noticed my spare game really improving over the last year. 5-7 I can convert quite consistently. I've managed 6-7-10. This year, the two I've been most proud of were a 3-7-10 conversion and a 6-7 conversion. I almost got the 4-6-7-10 conversion earlier this year, but could get to the side of the 6 enough for it to get near the four
Haha thanks Byron! Well duke was around before spare balls so 😂 and also we forgot to mention a designated spare ball will save wear and tear on your reactive balls! Something tour pros don't have to worry about lol
I’ve actually converted the Big 4. It sucked because I threw the shot and turned away out of frustration. It wasn’t until I turned around just in time to see the last pins fall and the animation in the monitor that I actually knew what happened. Wish I hadn’t given up in it.
Me when i picked the 7/10 dude i chucked my spare ball so hard at the 10 it apparently bounced from the back and hit the 7 off of the ball and i was half way to the door to go smoke a cig bc that was the 3 pocket 7/10 i never say i made it untill i came back and checked my score and got told
In terms of shooting at splits, whether or not you try to pick them up depends on whether or not you know where the ball is going. There are lots of "interesting" approaches and arm-swings today that don't lend themselves to accurate spare shooting. Bowlers with such games should go for count. But let me share an anecdote. Couple years ago I was watching Yoshimi Kobayashi bowl in a women's JPBA tournament that was broadcast on RU-vid. She bowled a game in the 250s that included 2 spares, both of which were splits that she went for and converted (a 4-9 and a 6-7)! Yoshimi ended up capturing the final spot for the stepladder by less than 20 pins, and then ran the table to win the tournament. Had she "taken count" on both of those splits, there'd be no trophy on her shelf because she would have missed the stepladder. Oh, yeah...and in Match #1 of that stepladder, her opponent left a Greek church but in trying to take the 3 on the right chopped the 6-10 off the 9. As it turned out, had she filled 8 in that frame the game would have ended in a tie and gone to a roll-off, but she filled 7 and lost.
When I got back into bowling, my roommate made a comment to me "You're the only person I know that can say 'damn it' or '$hit' or something almost every frame and still break 200." It's all thanks to picking up spares to keep that score going! :-D Best spares picked up are probably the 4-7-10 (lefty) and big 4.
Omg I remember, in a tournament I was kinda struggling because I’m a low rev player and I was going against super high rev players who were using urethane and absolutely destroyed the pattern. I left the 4-6 and threw my ball really hard and the 6 pin and it bounced out and nudged the 4 and it ALMOST fell but it didn’t lol.
The Columbia 300 Blue Dot and the Brunswick Crown Jewel have an extra additive in the coverstock to make them go extra straight, so I’d definitely recommend one of those!
This may sound weird but I am a lefty backup bowler (meaning that I throw left handed but I hook it from the right side of the lane). Spares have been a huge problem for me over the years, but this year I have been improving and now I average over 190 on a consistent basis. These tips are extremely helpful! If I can do it, so can you!
@@jrproshop thanks for your explanation. Been bowling for 20 years, always a textbook straight bowler with 200-210 average, style like Brian Voss but much slower speed, low rev, not comfortable and not much success moving left past middle arrow until recently a few shots follow thru to my left face felt good, got more rev, ball roll is much inline with other better bowler, ball track got higher and the skid, hook and roll phrases are more defined in my eyes. I can now hook the lane much better. I feel I bowl much better with it, but just wondering why it happens this way. I feel thumb and finger pitches have something to do with it, ball with thumb 1/16 right, 3/8 reverse is not so comfortable and consistent at release but 1/8 right, 1/4 reverse feels right with new follow thru. Any thoughts?
I'm guilty of hooking at the 4 and 7 as a righty but don't ever remember missing one in a long long time. I don't hook the whole lane but only use spare ball on the 5, 6, 9,10.
@@jrproshop not in league at the moment but practice I do. It's never been an issue but eventually I'd like to practice throwing straight at it straight.
I once made a 4-9 that caused someone to have to do 100 push up. I was trying to convince a teammate to let me help improve his overall bowling, as he would miss a lot of spares due to bad technique. Part of the deal was he do 10 push ups for every miss, kept saying "no". One night, I leave a 4-9, he says if you make that spare, I will start to take your advice and do push ups. I step up on the lane, find my target, release onto said target five minutes later he's in the pro shop doing push ups. He had 7 or 8 opens that night.
Made a 7-10 and,,,, didn't even see it🤦♂️ I had a big run of strikes got mad and launched my ball at the 7 at more than 20mph and my dad said that 7 came off the side and didn't even hit the ground! Lol (FLEW ACROSS!) It was sanctioned. Got a patch😁
These were great tips! My biggest problem is negative self talk and it has messed me up so much in the past. I will try my best to always think positively😁. Also, the craziest spare I made was the 8-10. I was in a tournament and I was actually meeting my now gf for the first time and kinda showed off for her lol. I threw my ball super hard at the 10 pin and smashed it into the pit and it then it bounced out and demolished the 8 pin. It was so cool haha.
I have an ebonite tornado I have been using for my spares and just let the ball curve right into them. I have a regular plastic ball I think a Columbia 300 for spares but just can’t get the accuracy down. I guess I will have to take time and just practice a lot with it. I can get majority of the spares around 90% of the time unless it’s the 10 as I have to curve the ball and have it hold on the 1-3 board which is hard and not consistent for me.
dash, what a great nickname. My favorite spares are between multiple pins. The ball is wider than it looks going down the lane. So on splits sometimes going up the middle can knockdown both sides.
I disagree with your first two strongly.... first ive hooked at all my spares for along time and im a 210+avg shot depending. Now i have came to realize that your more accurate shooting them straight(thats what i do now) but i dont feel its incorrect to hook at a left side spare. And for the second point i stongly disagree i have a window spare which is poly with a weight block and i can throw it as a strike ball as well when the lanes are burnt in late game play i feel it all depends on your accuracy if were being honest
Thanks for the comment! We love discussion. The point we are trying to make is to have a spare shooting system, as to reduce the amount of variables, needless to say different bowling alleys, different patterns the ball is going to hook differently, but if you throw straight none of that matters. Also the problem with a polyester, (it will still hook) just not in the right spot on the lane or shape to be effective long term
