While the average person would ask, “Just how hard can it be to roll a heavy ball down a straight alley and knock down ten pins?” a novice bowler knows it can be harder than you’d think! If a bowler fails to knock down all of the pins on the first attempt, then 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 attempts to knock down all the ten pins.

The Benefits of Picking Up Spares…

There is a fantastic benefit for picking up your spares. When your spare or split is cleared, a bonus score will be added to the next frame, thus greatly increasing your score. Imagine what your average would be if you routinely cleaned up your act! Picking up your spares or splits will always vary in difficulty, but with practice, patience and perseverance, you too will be clearing frames like the pros!

The Tools to Knock ‘em ALL Down

If your spare is a cluster of pins or a single pin, you have an easy job. Just 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 offending pin is next to the gutter, on the same side as the hand you use to bowl, for example, on your left if you are left-handed, there is an easy technique 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 roll the ball across the lane at your pin. More advanced bowlers can use a hook to aim 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. But be careful of your technique if you attempt to knock the rear pin over…if you hit the pin too hard it will likely fly over 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 clearing the 2-7 or 3-10 split, hit the leading pin on the side next to the other pin. Usually, the ball will go back and pick up 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 center.

The 7-10 and Other Far Splits: These splits are too far from each other to hit them both with the ball at the same time. 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 techniques of bowling spares will result in much higher scores and an improved average. You can use the correct techniques to reach your spare bowling goals and impress your fellow bowlers. You will certainly look like the Pro by bowling clear frames!

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