Bowling Spare Guide

One release, moved around the approach. Aim at the arrows, never the pins, and let your feet - not your swing - change which pin you carry.

Find your mark

Stand with your back to the foul line and take 4 easy steps toward the approach dots.
Turn around. Add 6 inches behind your front toe - that spot is your starting mark.
From that mark, your 4-step approach plus a slide lands you right at the foul line without crossing it.
Pick a target arrow and walk straight at it. You don't look at the pins until after the ball leaves your hand.

The release

Lift the ball up and out as you let go, keeping your palm underneath it. Finish in a "handshake" position, thumb up, as if greeting someone - that's what puts rotation on the ball so it hooks into the pocket instead of rolling straight. Keep this release identical every shot. It never changes - only your feet and your target do.

15 ft

Approach dots to foul line

Target arrows

60 ft

Foul line to head pin

The lane and the pins

The lane is 39 boards wide. Arrows sit about 15 feet out, five boards apart. Roll the ball over your target arrow - the hook does the rest of the work down to the pins.

Illustrative diagram, not to scale.

The strike line

Start from your center mark and roll over the 2nd arrow. With a handshake release, the ball breaks about 10 boards on its way down, carrying it into the 1-3 pocket.

If your own hook is smaller or bigger than 10 boards, shift your feet and your target together, by the difference. Hooking only 7 boards? Move your feet 2 boards toward your off-hand side of the standard mark, and aim 2 boards off the 2nd arrow in that same direction - same release, new spot.

Single-pin spares

Same release every time, over the 2nd arrow every time. Only your starting position moves.

Line A - the 10-6-3 side

Pin	Stand at	Why it works
10	Toe on the far dot on that side of the approach	Same shot as a strike, just started from the edge - the ball stays wide and tips the corner pin.
6	Halfway between that far dot and the next one in	One half-step toward center from the 10-pin stance.
3	The second approach dot in from that side	One more half-step in from the 6-pin stance.

Line B - the 7-4-2 side

Pin	Stand at	Why it works
7	Toe on the far dot on the opposite side - mirror of the 10	Mirror image of the 10-pin shot.
4	Halfway between that far dot and the next one in - mirror of the 6	Mirror image of the 6-pin shot.
2	Back at your center strike stance, thrown at a steeper angle	Same stance as a strike, but aim just above the 2nd arrow, toward the 3rd - the extra angle carries it to the 2.

Behind the 4-6

Pin	Stand at	Why it works
8	Halfway between your center stance and your 4-pin stance	Splits the difference between a strike shot and the 4-pin shot - aiming at either alone drifts past the 8.
9	Halfway between your center stance and your 6-pin stance	Splits the difference between a strike shot and the 6-pin shot, for the same reason.

Common splits

The trick: aim at the pin that isn't there anymore, using the stance you'd already use for it. Deflection off the standing pin does the rest.

Split	Shoot it like a...	What happens
5-10	2-pin shot (center stance, steep angle over the 2nd arrow)	Clips the left side of the 5, kicking it right into the 10.
5-7	3-pin shot (second dot in, 2nd arrow)	Clips the right side of the 5, kicking it left into the 7.
3-10	6-pin shot (halfway stance, 2nd arrow)	Nicks inside the 3; it deflects off the pin's own weight and takes out the 10. Easier than going straight through the head pin.
2-7	4-pin shot (halfway stance, 2nd arrow)	Hits the 2, which bounces across the deck and takes the 7 - the classic "baby split."

One release. Moving feet.

Every shot on this sheet uses the exact same lift, rotation, and speed. The only variables are where you start on the approach and which board you roll the ball over. Master the release once, and the rest is just geometry.

Want to understand why the arrows line up with the pins the way they do? Try the rangefinder guide