34 Comments on “Should Bowlers Throw a Backup Ball? Is it OK Sometimes?”

  1. Have a guy I bowl against that is a premier refty as we call it. Multiple 300’s throwing backup ball.

  2. I’ve thrown a back up my whole life because it’s comfortable and I get more revs than bowling like a normal right handed bowler. Many have told me I need to learn to bowl like a normal right hander if I wanna get better but my arm naturally goes the back up way. I ride the left gutter and it breaks right into the pocket sometimes I start in the middle and aim for the center arrow and it still breaks into the pocket! Why should I learn to bowl the normal way when back up is so comfortable?

    1. My daughter is hyperflexible and throws a back up. But this creates am unnatural strain that resulted in a server sprain in her hand that took months to heal.
      Throwing a ball up for an opposite hand split can be effective.
      But in the long run, it can do more physical harm.

    2. There’s a huge difference between a thumb in and thumb out bowler throwing a backup ball. It becomes extremely difficult to play certain angles/lines etc. throwing backup with your thumb in the ball (due to having to clear the thumb) which is a must when bowling longer formats and on more challenging oil conditions. On a house shot you can do whatever because the lanes are usually extremely forgiving.

  3. I bowled backup back when it didn’t have a name. Then I learned the other way, and haven’t been able to bowl backup since, but I do miss having the ability to pick up tough spares from the opposite angles, or switching to fresh lane surface when there are no lefties on the lanes and you have been through the bag and everyone is struggling.

  4. I was trying to learn how to throw the ball straight, but weakening my hand position created a natural backup for me. So instead of forcing myself to learn straight, I’ve now used the backup ball to go after most spares. It’s straighter and faster with a slight backup using a spare ball.

    1. I have a friend who did that. He only recently learned how to hook without backup, I heard it’s been going well for him.

    2. @MyGuyMonolo I do actually hook the ball the normal way on my Strike Ball. 🙂 But now having the backup ball gives me a better entry angle on the 6 or 10, and splits like the 5-10 or 2-10 or 3-10.

  5. Nothing gets into a lefties head more than going backup ball on them. For even greater effect I can pull out my purple hammer and urethane up their line. It’s also a great tool when the right gets cliffed or becomes a sahara and I can just switch to bowling the other side like it’s a different line. I have gotten really lazy on spares where I just backup ball across the lane at the 10 in league like I hook at my 7 pins.

  6. That was the best backup ball I’ve ever seen! Very interesting to think about. Thanks for another great video!

  7. Nice video, but no instruction on how to throw a backup ball for those of us that are average bowlers, other than it’s good to use at times.

  8. I tried doing this once and almost snapped my finger off. Needless to say I never tried it again 🤣

    1. My friends call this the wrist breaker. I started throwing this way solely to get that 10 pin easier and now I can throw strikes. I still throw normal too

    1. Normally, a right handed bowler will throw it to the right and it curve back left. A backup will curve the opposite direction. Throw to the left and it curves back right.

  9. Due to how I hold the ball a back up ball would be very awkward, see if you can tell how I hold the ball, 12 shorts to look at.

  10. I throw a back up ball. I like to think I throw a “Fade” instead of a “Hook” .

  11. Just started getting into bowling and somehow ended up bowling backup. Been a couple months and finally getting okay. Still haven’t hit 200 yet but I’m close.

  12. May I know the appropriate weight for the back up ball. I mean lbs weight for ball. Sorry I’m still new to bowling

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