Practicing Your Spare Play

As you know, the game of bowling is more than just bowling strikes every frame. You are going to be placed in situations where you have to complete a spare instead of that coveted strike. So practice for them! Practicing bowling for spares isn’t the always the most fun, but you’ll be much better off stringing several spares together rather than getting more strikes and leaving open frames in between. Learning how to bowl for spares is a strategy that could push your bowling game from a 150 to one that is 200 or more.
The great news is that there are some things you can do to greatly improve your spare pickups, instead of just hoping that you luck out.
Make Adjustments

Making adjustments to your bowling stance to the left or right depending on the pins still standing will help give you a better chance to pick up a spare. A rule of thumb is to move in increments of five boards. For example: if you move ten boards to the left, and aim at the same target on the lane, your bowling ball should go ten boards to the right of your first ball target. Find out which board the remaining pin is on and make the appropriate adjustments.
When facing a single pin spare, some bowlers tend to straighten up their shot and go with less hook. It’s up to you whether you want to keep your same shot and adjust your target or switch to a straighter bowl. When you’re just getting started, you should try both and go with what feels most natural.
Approach and Delivery Consistency

In order to bowl for spares consistently, you will need to have your bowling fundamentals under control. Your delivery and approach will need to be as consistent as possible in order for you to be able to hit your intended target time after time. However, due to different lane conditions and other factors that can affect the path of your ball, your spare adjustments won’t always be perfect every time. So working on the approach and delivery of your ball will help you know how to read the lane conditions, and make adjustments. 

New Year's Day Bowling Tournament

Mike & Ruth Rose Present...

The 2017 New Year's Day MR Eliminator Bowling Tournament

Sunday, January 1st, 2017
Squad Times: 10:30 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:30 PM

Location: Bowl-a-Roll Lanes
1560 Jefferson Road
Rochester, NY. 14623

$1,500 FIRST PLACE GUARANTEED!...
Brackets & Jackpots Powered by Brackman Software

$45 Entry Fee -- Pot Game Included in Entry Fee!
Double Your Money for Making the Finals!
3-game qualifier; Eliminator style finals
1:6 from each squad advance to finals
*Top Senior (50+) advances to finals
**$10 Desperado Squad. Pick Your Favorite Pair. High Game Advances to Finals.

See the tournament link on MyBowler.com for the official flyer and tournament rules: http://mybowler.com/index.php/en/upcoming-tournaments/event/729/2017-New-Year-s-Day-MR-Eliminator/0

Two ways to pay! Registration will open on November 1st and will be available in-person and at the tournament link on MyBowler.com.
Only prepaid reservations will be accepted. Walk-ins will be available on the day of the tournament on a first come, first serve basis and based on availability.

Visit MyBowler.com for Full Tournament Details!

Carry!

Now when we go bowling we are not looking to try to leave as many pins as possible after our first shot, right? No way, we are all looking to strike as much as possible. Don't get me wrong here, I am a huge believer in spares. But when you can strike on every shot the need for spares is no longer needed. The hardest part about striking every time is even when you hit the pocket not all of the pins fall.

What are you thinking about when you're striking? Probably not much since the pins are all falling down. How are they falling down? Is the shot a light mixer? Is the 6 pin kicking out the 10 pin? The way you are striking matters. It will determine the next move you are going to have to make. Even though you are getting strike after strike, guess what the oil transition is still occurring. Whether you bowl 3 games of league or an 8 game qualifier. The shot transitions all the time.

The tough part about the game is to know what to do when you are not striking. If you're not hitting the pocket here are a couple of adjustments you can make – 1. Make sure you are hitting the mark you want correctly. 2. If you are hitting your mark but not the pocket it is time to move in the correct direction. If the ball is hitting high(face) for right handed bowlers it's called miss left move left. Flip it if you are a left handed bowler, if the ball is missing pocket right, miss right move right. A lot of times you may keep the same target and just move your feet. Now that we are hitting the pocket correctly we can make adjustments from here as well. Lets say you are hitting the pocket but leaving a 7 pin. The 5 pin is sliding in front of the 7 pin. What does this tell you? It should be screaming that the ball is going too long before making the reaction. How can we fix this? Well you could try a couple of things. One move 1 board right and use the same target. This will if repeating the shot correctly allow your ball to react one board closer to the pocket. Next you could try this. Stay in the same spot and finish the release more up the back of the ball to get the ball into a roll quicker. Now what if you are leaving the 10 pin? How are you leaving the 10 pin? Most of the time the 6 pin lays flat in the gutter next to the 10 pin. When this is happening the ball is rolling out with no drive going into the pocket. How can you fix this? You may either move one board left to hit lighter in the pocket or move one board right to try and hit high flush. The other option you have at this time is to change your hand position and stay in the same spot. Since you need more length you are going to want to increase your axis rotation. The higher the axis rotation the longer the ball goes and the lower the axis rotation the quicker the ball hooks/rolls out.


Yes strikes make the game easier but again spares are essential to your score. Watch how the pins are falling in order to make your next move. Just because you are hitting the pocket doesn't mean you don't have to make moves. This game is a never ending battle of adjustments. The one that makes the right adjustments is the one that is usually on top. Remember to enjoy the game of bowling and Practice, Practice, Practice.

A Family Affair

In the Sunday Adult-Youth League the Farsace family lit up the lanes.

Sabryna Farsace 290-729

Mike Farsace 300-791

Great bowling in our first week of league competition.