What Does a Spare Do in bowling?

I can not brag enough about the importance of spares. If you’re ignoring those leftover pins on your second throw, you’re missing out on all the attractive points you could have achieved. So do you pick up the spares during your games? It’s a shame if you don’t. If you’re new to this fun world of bowling, you probably don’t know how impactful spares can be on your overall bowling average.

So what does a spare do in bowling? How does it work? And how can you become an even better bowler just by mastering this particular shot? Well, let me tell you everything in detail. 

What does a Spare do in bowling?

It is marked a spare in bowling when bowlers knock down all the pins with two back-to-back rolls in a single frame. When you cannot get all the pins on your first throw, the spare shots give you the opportunity to get the rest of the pins as a bonus which is added to the points of the first throw. This is why you do not add up the final score for a particular frame until the ball is rolled one more time.

How do Spares work in bowling?

So do you know how spares work in bowling? To understand how spares work and how important it is to learn about shooting spares, you have to know how the scoring system works. Not only does it create a lot of differences but also improves your bowling average, followed by some spectacular bowling final scores.

When a bowler can score a successful spare, they earn 10 points which is the number of bowling pins they have knocked down in total. So does that mean they receive just 10 points in a frame? No, there’s more to that. Besides that 10 points (for the 10 pins), the points from the first two throws in the next frame are added to that original 10 points. Therefore, how many points a bowler will get in a single frame depends on what the score will be on the first throw of the second frame. Sounds confusing? Well, then allow me to clarify how spares work with an example. 

Imagine yourself bowling as you usually do. So on your first frame, you have knocked down 7 pins with your first ball roll. Then on your next ball roll and second frame, you have successfully got the rest of the 3 pins. So what does it mean? Congratulation, you have just rolled a spare! 

Now, on the first throw in the next frame, you have knocked down 8 pins and then on the next roll, you knocked down 1 of the remaining 2 pins. Therefore, your score on the first frame is going to be = (7+3+8=18) and for the second frame, the score is going to be (8+1=9). This indicates that, in total, the score on the second frame is (18+9=27). Do you know understand how spares work in the bowling scoring system? 

When you miss the opportunity of picking up the spares, you leave that frame open. As a result, you end up with a much poorer score. Who would want that, right? On that account, spare is the second-best kind of shot that you need to keep your scores high. So, spare is indeed a useful shot.

Why is it called a Spare in bowling?

The reason a spare shot is called a “spare” is pretty straightforward. To understand it properly, I want you to imagine a strike shot first. What happens when you knock down all the pins in a single ball throw? Do you get any bonus shots for that? No. Because you don’t need another ball throw to knock down any pin. After a strike, when you throw your ball again, it is for the next frame. 

So what happens when you are unable to get all the pins in a single throw? You get an “extra shot” on the same frame to get those remaining pins. And what is another word for “extra”? It’s spare. So the way I see it, this is where the term “spare” came from. 

It is also believed by some bowlers that because you need a “spare ball” to knock down the remaining pin(s), the shot is called a ‘spare’. Typically, bowlers take out a second bowling ball for rolling it straight to get the pin(s). This is applicable for bowlers who use a bowling ball that hooks on the first frame with a target to get a strike and then use a “spare ball” to secure a bowling spare shot.

Conclusion

Spare shooting is one of the most important aspects of bowling. If you are still working on your spare shooting, I wish you nothing but the best. Keep working hard on your spares and get the right bowling ball for that. Trust me, it will pay off. Bowling instructors always push us for spare shots for no reason. They know, spares can significantly improve your bowling scores. So, the best advice I can give you is that you should practice shooting spares just like you practice for strikes. Last but not the least, keep on bowling with all the enthusiasm and maximum precision. See ya later, my folks!