BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Mitch Cumsteen on December 14, 2013, 09:39:16 PM
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I am the JV coach for a high school bowling team. My kids are all 13-16 years old and of varying skill levels from novice up to pretty good. The problem is single pin spares, in todays two matches we missed 10 single pin spares in the first match and 11 in the second match. We lost both matches. Does anyone have any tips, drills, anything I can do to help make them better at the easiest of spares to make. I really love doing this, but these guys are going to give me a heart attack.
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One thing that helped me a lot with single pin spares was how I changed my approach. On corner pins, I angle my feet towards the target and this helps prevent pulling or having to muscle the ball in any direction.
For example, on a 10 pin spare, angle the feet towards the right and walk slightly towards it. The opposite is true for the 7 pin where you'd angle the feet towards the left and walk slightly towards it. Ever since starting this a few years ago, my percentage of converting the corner pins has gone up significantly.
Then for other spares, you can modify this. Using the same principle can and usually will help.
What you may want to do with some practice sessions is see if your bowling center will allow you to just have single pin or certain spare conversions set up in the rack. Have your team do nothing but shoot at those for part of the practice. By repeating the shots correctly on a regular basis, it will reinforce the importance of spares in a good way.
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Two things I did years ago that built confidence in the kids.
1st I set a pin down on the lane near the foul line and then put a ball on each side just barely touching the pin. This showed them just how much room they had to miss their mark and still make the spare.
2d I moved the pins out to the arrows. Put one pin on the 20 board and one on the 10 board. Object is to simply roll the ball between the pins. As they get comfortable, move the pins closer together.
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Gotta practice practice practice
Maybe have your bowlers shot a game or two of all spares every practice.
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Two things I did years ago that built confidence in the kids.
1st I set a pin down on the lane near the foul line and then put a ball on each side just barely touching the pin. This showed them just how much room they had to miss their mark and still make the spare.
2d I moved the pins out to the arrows. Put one pin on the 20 board and one on the 10 board. Object is to simply roll the ball between the pins. As they get comfortable, move the pins closer together.
Great insight and advice - I will try this with my own kids.
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In addition to the good advice already posted above, you might want to look this over:
http://bowlingknowledge.info/images/stories/8_steps_improving_your_spare_shooting.pdf (http://bowlingknowledge.info/images/stories/8_steps_improving_your_spare_shooting.pdf)
If you need to teach various spare systems, here is a page that has links to various spare systems.
http://www.bowlersreference.com/Approach/Spares/default.htm (http://www.bowlersreference.com/Approach/Spares/default.htm)
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2d I moved the pins out to the arrows. Put one pin on the 20 board and one on the 10 board. Object is to simply roll the ball between the pins. As they get comfortable, move the pins closer together.
For some reason, in my mind I am thinking that the ball will hit both pins that way. It seems to me like that is close to being the 5-6 split, but I am not sure what board the 6 pin is actually sitting on so I am probably wrong on this.
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2d I moved the pins out to the arrows. Put one pin on the 20 board and one on the 10 board. Object is to simply roll the ball between the pins. As they get comfortable, move the pins closer together.
For some reason, in my mind I am thinking that the ball will hit both pins that way. It seems to me like that is close to being the 5-6 split, but I am not sure what board the 6 pin is actually sitting on so I am probably wrong on this.
Might be right. Been quite a few years. What you want to do is leave about 2 balls width between the pins. All you're really working on is them rolling the ball straight. Just an accuracy drill.
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Have them shoot at corner pins then the pocket while warming up at matches/tournaments.
My son has the same issue and this is the best advice he was given. He practices on lanes that are much drier than match conditions. He gets into the habit of allowing for the ball breaking (a lot)on 10 pins. Get to a match or tournament, lanes are wetter and slip, ball into the gutter. By the time he figures it out, three open have passed and that's a lot of pins. It's finally sinking in.
Also, maybe work with them on what they are looking/aiming at. I've known a couple boys who don't look at anything. Just throw the ball. They've since started.
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Don't let them bowl games and throw strikes.. Practice Practice Practice... Teach them a spare shooting system, ie) 3/6/9 or Triax... I use triax.. Urge they get a spare ball and teach hard and straight..
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Work on having them set up a system where they know, if they hit the 3rd arrow, this is where I stand to go to that pin type of system, make em take notes.
for practicing:
1. if you get two lanes, you cover the spares of the person on the lane next to you. lane 5 covers lane 6, and 6 covers 5. kind of like playing scotch doubles.
2. get a deck of cards, use the aces, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, draw a card at random and that's the one you go for first.
And you could also instill a rule, for every pin left for the sweeper arm during a match, that equals a pushup and / or a sit up at the next match.
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All the replies are good advice on the physical side of the game, but what about the mental side of it? Need to make sure they are treating the spare shot as an equally improtant shot as the first shot. Also, need to make sure even though they did not get the result they wanted on the first shot, the kids need to let it go as quickly as possible and reset themselves to make another quality attempt.
You can have all the physical gifts in the world, but if your in the wrong mental state, it does not mean much.
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Thanks everyone for the replies and ideas. Going to try some, if not all of them at practice tonight, don't want to throw too much at them all at once though.
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Single pin miss is equal to 11 pins per frame. It adds up quickly. To me it concentration or the lack of when I start missing. Doubles several years ago brother and I where bowling a tournament we came in like 10-12 place in a really big tournament for are area. We got done an count the single pins we missed an it equal 130 more pins we should have had. Which means we would have won the tournament. It woke both of us up real quick how important they where (Spares). By the way all tips that where given are good one. Just make sure they realize how important spares are.