That is the question!
If you look on the PBA Pro Tour you’ll see some players using a spare ball and some don’t….but they all have something in common usually….their 2nd ball goes straight at their spare. Why is that important? Well, let me tell you. The more direct you throw your bowling ball at your spare the more likely you’re going to get it and the more predictable the outcome will be. When you throw a plastic spare ball it takes the guess work out of what is on the lane. If the lanes are dry or if the lanes are oily, you know the spare ball will go straight at your target. You may have to make a slight adjustment on the lane depending on the condition but overall the outcome will be the same – STRAIGHT!
When I first started bowling I did not use a spare ball. No one really taught me why I should or how to pick up my spares with one. I used my first ball and tried to flatten out my wrist. I was decent at picking up spares but when your first ball has a hook to it you’ll miss spares from time to time b/c the ball will hook past your spare. I’m sure if you currently don’t use a plastic spare ball and you’ve tried picking up a 10-pin (if you’re right handed) you’ve experienced this as your hook ball looks like it’s going to pick up the pin then hooks at the last second and you flag the spare. If you had a ball that went straight the whole time you most likely would have picked that 10-pin b/c it wouldn’t have hooked at the last second.
I changed to a spare ball in 2004….yes, that is quite late in my bowling career but I was sick of missing easy spares due to lane conditions. The less variables you have to mess with your game, the better. By using a spare ball, the ball goes straight and you’re practically taking the lane conditions (or your variable) out of the equation. Once I made the change, I couldn’t believe I didn’t do it sooner. I was like having an “ah-ha” moment in my bowling career. Now I would never travel to league or a tournament without my spare ball. It’s the ball that is in my bag no matter what!
I had to change my spare game approach slightly b/c the ball didn’t hook. Everyone has their own method of how to pick up their spares, for me, I used a 3-6-9 approach for spares when I used a hook ball for my spares. But when I changed to a ball that didn’t hook, I had to alter my approach. So I now call it my 0-3-6 approach. All of this is based off my left hand spares (I’m right handed). For a 2-pin I stand on the center dot on the approach and throw over the 5th dot in from the right side of the lane (just past the foul line). For a 4-pin I move three boards to the right with my feet and keep my eyes the same. For the 7-pin I move 3 more to the right from the 4-pin or 6 boards right from where I stood for the 2-pin.
I would highly recommend a spare ball for any bowler that wants to improve their score. Spares are where the game is won and taking them from granted is silly. Compare it to basketball….a free throw. I believe that no player should miss one. Of course it’ll happen from time to time, but those points add up quickly and be the decision factor in whether the team wins the game or not. Same for bowling! One spare more a game could make your average go up and help you win the game.
OnTheBallBowling.com has over 1,000 choices of spare balls. I had one made for Team Canada. I get so many comments on it when I use it. You can make your very own spare ball too. Check it out and design yours today!
Until next time, good luck on the lanes!