While the average person would ask, “Just how difficult can it be to throw a bowlig ball down a straight alley and knock down ten pins?” a new bowler knows it can be harder than you’d think! If a bowler fails to knock down all of the ten pins on the first attempt, then he has a “spare” to pick up. If the leftover pins are far apart, the bowler 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 Advantages of Picking Up Your Spares…

There is a fantastic reason for picking up 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! 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. 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 somebody’s hand.

However, if your remaining pin is next to the gutter, on the same side as your bowling hand, for example, on your left if you are left-handed, there is an easy technique to knock down 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 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 pins are the same distance from the bowler and in order to knock them both down, you must aim directly between them, clipping each pin at the same time by going straight through the middle.

The 7-10 and Other Far Splits: These splits are too far from each other 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 techniques of bowling spares will result in much higher scores and an improved average. You can and will achieve all your bowling goals and impress your fellow bowlers. Bowling clear frames will make YOU look like the Pro!