| A lot of people worry so much about bowling a | | | | care how good a bowler you are, you will not |
| strike but not enough about picking up the | | | | always bowl a strike, that's why it's good to |
| spares. Do you think the pros just think | | | | learn how to pick up your spares because |
| about bowling strikes? No they don't, they | | | | it'll raise your average. |
| want to make strikes but they know they won't | | | | |
| be bowling a strike in every single frame so | | | | Take your time when it comes to spares |
| they think about how to pick up spares too. | | | | |
| This is often an overlooked element of | | | | A large part of bowling is based on spares. |
| bowling, but I'm going to let you in on a | | | | Let's be serious, while throwing 7 or 8 |
| little secret. Picking up spares will beat | | | | strikes is good, when the other frames are |
| the competition. | | | | spares you missed, that 240 or 250 game that |
| | | | you were smiling about drops to about 200 |
| Ok well maybe it wasn't a secret, but it sure | | | | really quickly. |
| is the truth. Here are the necessities to | | | | |
| pick up those spares. | | | | Remember these tips the next time you're |
| | | | trying to pick up a spare: |
| 1. You should aim directly for a pin square | | | | |
| and hit it. Don't think about it, just do | | | | 1. Take your time and think about it |
| it. This one tip alone will help you | | | | |
| increase your spare percentages. You're | | | | You should first carefully think about where |
| throwing a straight ball to certain areas of | | | | you want to line up for the spare and then |
| the lane. Expert bowlers use a ball | | | | take the shot. Don't rush it, think about |
| especially for picking up spares, called a | | | | where you want to throw the ball. |
| "spare ball". The ball is made of plastic, | | | | |
| because plastic balls go a lot straighter | | | | 2. Throw straight balls |
| than regular ones. Try to straighten your | | | | |
| wrist as much as possible so you can throw | | | | This is one of the keys to picking up spares. |
| the ball at the pin square and as straight as | | | | You need to relax your wrist during release, |
| possible. | | | | so the ball can go as straight as possible. |
| | | | You need to minimize the spinning of the |
| 2. A lot of people take spares for granted, | | | | ball. A plastic ball is much better to use |
| but if there is one thing that I wish I could | | | | when trying to pick up spares because a |
| drill into newbie bowlers' heads it would be, | | | | plastic ball goes a lot straighter than the |
| SPARES DO MATTER. If you're in a league or | | | | standard ball does. |
| in a tournament, take some balls and shoot at | | | | |
| the 7 pin or the 10 pin (if you're a lefty). | | | | I'm going to end this lesson by saying again |
| This will allow you to observe your reaction | | | | that spares play a huge role in determining |
| as you're going across the lane. I don't | | | | whether you bowl a 250 or a 200. |