New to the game

[LBL]

Hello to all you crazy bowlers!! I just picked up bowling in aug jumped right in to a league that goes to vegas in the end of the season. when i started i was just over a 100. I think my book avg is a 110 with a handicap of 90 something pins. With a little practice and utube i am up to 130 book and HC is low 80s. I even started to another night during the week which is a football league this league is making my game better too. i never thought i would like bowling this much thats what i get for knocking on the sport.
Now to my question i throw the ball with no hook at all!!!! is that good or bad ? Either way i found my spot on the lane that works for my straight ball. last night i went over my avg all three games. 168-152-147. oh and i cant pick up my spares to save my life i do the board counting and it was going okay and all of the sudden it wasnt working for me. then someone told me to point my toes to the pin or pins i want to pick up also worked for a bit and now nothing. any info on this would be great thank you

[StormGirl]

A guy in my league bowls straight, and he averages 210. It's just about what you're comfortable with.

[10-in-the-pit]

A good way to learn how to bowl is to first start off with a straight shot. It is important to learn good technique. After bringing up your average and being able to pick up spares, you can make a switch to a fingertip grip and then go from there. The important things are to have a good form and timing when you release the ball with your slide.

[vgw]

There is a lot to learn. Take it slow and Practice!

[littlelegs]

Regarding spares it really is just a matter of practice once you have the basics. Again a lot comes down to muscle memory. To throw the ball in the same direction each time (obviously with small adjustments each time for different spares) you need to move, swing and release the same. Until you build up some muscle memory it's hard to do that and so much easier to miss. Although probably more important for hook bowlers it still applies to conventional grip, straight bowling too.