Many people .....
But what I have been noticing is even with plastic, high-rev bowlers are having a hard time keeping the ball on track on today's drier THS prevalent here where I bowl. The excess dry area makes the ball hook past the pin. What I try to teach is find a line and a release that allows the ball to finish hooking to where the ball is traveling as straight down the lane as possible. This is especially effective for lower-rev bowlers. Too often I see bowlers think because they are throwing plastic they can just chunk it down the lane and it will convert the spare. But you still have to have an approach to the spare.
Ideally throwing the ball end over end at the 10-pin is ideal, but if you could do that you wouldn't need a spare ball. So find a release for you that allows the ball to finish hooking by traveling straight down the lane (not hooking back to the left for right handers). That way if the shot really starts to dry up, you don't have the ball hooking past the pin, but instead hooking TO the pin.
I dissagree.learning to hook a ball at single pin spares is a no no. I've seen balls turn on a dime at the very last second and miss the pin.
Trash Heap has it right. plastic ball and roll it straight. I can cover the ten with my hooky ball as well but in the end of a series I feel I have a better percentage with the plastic and it makes a great dry lane ball as well.
I think my concept was misunderstood. I disagree with "hooking" the ball at the 10-pin. HOWEVER, not everyone, even with practice, can throw the ball straight end over end. If they could they wouldn't need a plastic ball to begin with.
I am saying it is easier for those bowlers, especially crankers, to concentrate on reducing their rotation to a point where they can have the ball rolling forward when they roll the ball cross-lane at the 10 pin. If the rotation is from right to left, then there is a chance the ball can hook past the 10-pin.
I think the bowlers on ball reviews sometimes forget how difficult hand release changes are for the majority of bowlers. The way I understood the OP was he has a hard time with the 10-pin because of his rev rate. I am sure it is obvious to most throwing the ball straight is the way to pick the 10-pin up, but he/she is unable to do that. I was simply suggesting an in-between fix for the time being; something between his normal release and throwing the ball straight.