What a backup ball is
A normal hook from a right-hander curves from right to left into the 1-3 pocket. A backup ball rotates the other way, so a right-hander’s ball curves to the right, the way a left-hander’s hook does. Left-handers mirror all of this. Storm describes the release for a right-hander: the palm slightly shifted “to the right of center,” so the ball can “roll off your index finger” and spin the opposite way.
By accident: a release worth fixing
When the ball backs up while you are trying to throw a hook or a straight ball, the hand has turned the wrong way at release. It makes the ball hard to predict, because it no longer goes where your target says it should. If that is you, start with our release page and the hook page, and if it keeps happening, a coach watching a few shots can help.
On purpose: a pro tactic
In August 2018, two-handed bowler Anthony Simonsen won his fourth PBA Tour title after he, in USBC’s words, “resorted to a reverse hook, bowling like a left-hander and targeting the 1-2 pocket.” His explanation: “These guys are the best bowlers in the world, and to beat them, sometimes you’ve got to be creative.” Storm, writing about PBA two-hander Chris Sloan, calls it “One controversial technique gaining traction,” used when the right side of the lane breaks down, to reach “fresher parts of the lane on the left side.” Its advice on the release: “smooth control is key, not force.”
Note what those are: strike-ball tactics, used by players who already control a normal hook, on lanes where the usual line has stopped working. They are not a starting point.
Should you throw a backup at the 10 pin?
It is a natural idea: the 10 pin is on the right, a right-hander’s backup curves right. But we found no coach who recommends it. A ball that curves is a ball whose curve can change with the lane, and the 10 pin is a single pin at the edge of the deck. The method USBC and the National Bowling Academy teach is the opposite: take the curve away. USBC’s spare clinic: “For the 10-pin, stand on approximately board 35, keeping your target between the third and fourth arrows,” with a plastic ball, because “The plastic ball does not hook, so you are throwing it directly at the pin.” Those numbers are for right-handers; left-handers mirror them for the 7 pin.
There is one place a backup motion does show up in good spare shooting. Coach Susie Minshew, in Bowling This Month, describes “killing” a strike ball for spares: “Keep your hand behind the ball at release,” bend the wrist back, and if needed “roll a bit of a backup ball.” She notes “Norm Duke uses it quite successfully.” The point there is to make the ball go straighter, not to curve it into the pin, and she says it takes practice. Simonsen has also said he threw a backup at a 2-8-10 split in competition. For most bowlers, a plastic ball thrown straight is simpler and more reliable.
For two-handers
The best-known deliberate backup balls in the pro game come from two-handers: Simonsen, and the players Storm describes. If you are a two-hander struggling with the 10 pin, our two-handed bowling page covers the spare ball, cutting revs, and the starting boards coaches give.
Common questions
What is a backup ball in bowling?
A backup ball rotates the opposite way to a normal hook. A right-hander's backup curves to the right, like a left-hander's hook, and a left-hander's backup curves to the left.
Is throwing a backup ball bad?
Not in itself. Two-handed pro Anthony Simonsen won a PBA Tour title in 2018 throwing a reverse hook, and Storm describes it as a controversial technique that is gaining traction among two-handers. What matters is whether you choose it. If your ball backs up when you are trying to hook it, that is a release problem worth working on with a coach.
Should I throw a backup ball at the 10 pin?
We found no coach who recommends curving a backup ball into the 10 pin. The standard method from USBC and the National Bowling Academy is a plastic ball thrown straight at the pin. Some coaches do teach a slight backup roll to kill the hook on a spare, which makes the ball go straighter rather than curve.
Do pros throw backup balls?
It is used in top-level competition: Anthony Simonsen won a PBA Tour title throwing one in 2018.
Does throwing a backup ball cause injury?
We could not find a credible coaching or medical source that links backup releases to injury, so we make no claim either way. If any release hurts your wrist, elbow or shoulder, stop and get it checked.
Sources: Bill Vint (PBA), “Simonsen uses backup ball to win fourth PBA Tour title”, bowl.com, 20 August 2018; Lucas Wiseman, “Anthony Simonsen breaks down his decision to throw a back-up ball”, FloBowling, 21 August 2018; Nichole Thomas, Storm, “Tips for two-handed bowlers” (Chris Sloan); Susie Minshew, “Sparemeister, part 2”, Bowling This Month, June 2011; Michelle Mullen, “Why your spare game is broken”, bowl.com, 16 January 2019; Jason McEwen, National Bowling Academy, “Level up with better spare shooting”, 29 December 2023. Checked 29 October 2026.