While the average person would ask, “Just how difficult can it be to roll a bowlig ball down a straight alley and knock down ten pins?” a novice bowler knows it can be more difficult than you’d think! If a bowler fails to knock down all of the pins on the first try, he has a “spare” to pick up. If the leftover pins are far apart, he has a dreaded “split.” Thankfully, the creators of the sport decided to be merciful… bowlers get not one, but two tries to knock down all ten pins.
The Benefits of Picking Up Your Spares…
There is a beneficial reason to pick up your spares. When your spare or split is cleared, a bonus score gets added to the next frame, thus greatly increasing your score. Imagine what your average would be if you routinely cleaned up your act! Learning how to pick up spares or splits will always vary in difficulty, but with practice, patience and perseverance, you too will be clearing frames like the pros!
The Techniques to Knock ‘em ALL Down
If your spare is a cluster of pins or a single pin, you have an easy job. Simply aim your ball straight at the offending pins. Keep your arm swing smooth past your body and your wrist straight and vertical, like you’re going to shake someone’s hand.
However, if your remaining pin is near to the gutter, on the same side as your bowling hand, for example, on your left if you are left-handed, there is a simple way to hit the 7 or 10 pin, as the case may be. Move to the opposite side of the lane as your bowling hand and bowl across the lane at your pin. More experienced bowlers can use a hook ball to hit at a single-pin target when it’s on the opposite side of their bowling hand.
When two adjacent pins are left standing, your target is the forward pin. Simply clip it on the side opposite of the pin next to it, and your ball will knock them both down. Be careful of your technique if you try to knock the rear pin over…if you hit the pin too hard it will fly right past the other pin and leave it standing.
Hitting the Splits
The secret to picking up your splits depends on which pins are split.
The 2-7 or 3-10 Split: When you’re clearing the 2-7 or 3-10 split, hit the front pin on the side next to the other pin. Under normal conditions, the ball will go back and knock down the rear pin as well.
The 4-5 or 5-6 Split: In these splits, the distance between the two pins and the bowler are about the same and in order to knock the pins both down, you must aim directly between them, hitting each pin at the same time by going straight through the middle.
The 7-10 and Other Far Splits: These splits are too far apart to hit them both with the ball simultaneously. A different strategy, as well as a bit of luck is required. Hit one pin hard enough on the inside to cause it to ricochet off the side wall, back across the alley and into the remaining pin.
Knowing the secrets of bowling spares will result in much higher scores and an improved average. You can use the proper techniques to reach your spare bowling goals and impress your fellow bowlers. You will definitely look like the Pro by bowling clear frames!