Spare Shooting FAQs

A little while ago, I introduced my Personalized Spare Shooting Method that I use to teach spare shooting. I wanted to follow up on that with some of the most frequently asked questions that I get from bowlers about spares. Even with a system that works, there can be individual differences and particular spares that might need a bit of a different strategy.

If one bowler is struggling with a particular spare or alignment issue, it’s likely that there are others out there who can benefit from these answers. With that in mind, let’s get started!

Do I need to use the same target for all of my spares?

The vast majority of bowlers that I’ve worked with are better off targeting a single board for most of their spares. However, as you’ll see in some of the questions below, there are always exceptions.

Are you hooking it?

Most of the time, this question comes from people looking to hook the ball at opposite-side spares while throwing it straight at ball-side spares. Here’s the thing: the entire purpose of having a system for your spares is to reduce confusion and thought.

When hooking the ball at spares, you will inevitably need to adjust to the lanes based on the pattern. So instead of simply knowing exactly where to stand and where to target, you have to consider the pattern, the transition, and what your strike ball is doing.

Let’s give an example. A straighter righthander hooks the ball at the 7 pin using the traditional 3-6-9 spare system. At their home center, this works great, but the same move causes the ball to hook into the left gutter in the center across town. Knowing this, they use a slightly different strategy. Additionally, when bowling on a sport shot, the oil to the outside causes them to miss the pin to the right, so they ...