The 1-2-4-Bowling Spare

The 1-2-4 bowling spare. When the ball finishes late or does not hook enough, the bowler very often leaves the 1-2-4 bowling spare.

This action of the ball can be likened to a curving baseball which misses the inside corner of the plate. The key pin is the 1-pin, of course.

I try to get a solid "Brooklyn" hit—squarely in the 1-2 pocket. One might make this spare with a 1-3 pocket hit, too, but unless it is accurate, the bowler is in for trouble, for if he misses the 1-pin on the right, he has missed all three pins.

On the other hand, if the bowler aims at the "Brooklyn" side, or 1-2 pocket, and misses the 1-pin, he can still get the other two, unless his delivery has gone completely out of control.

It's an axiom in bowling that the difference between two pins and none at all may mean the difference between victory and defeat.

This angle of approach is also used when the bowler is confronted with the 1-2-4-7 bowling spare and the 1-2-8 bowling spare.

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