I think its all about preference...alot of bowling is mental...ive tried goin cross lane and i NEVER can pick it up that way it either goes in the gutter or no where near the ten, i back-up ball it, i get griped at for doin it but i have way better accuracy doing it that way...i bowl with a bunch of people that carry 200+ averages and ill pick up the 10 pin more often than they do!

If you hit it, and you do it consistantly then its all good.

If u miss it from time to time due to varying oil patterns from week to week (assuming house shot), then it is well worth the time to go straight at it cross lane. It just takes time, and a fair bit of it from my exp.. After 8 years of bowling, over the last 2 years I go hard and straight, and I am more consistant by far, take the oil out of the equation.. I think, well at least with me, it was just a mental/confidence problem with picking it up..I now think I am going to get it all the time, its amazing what confidence can do to your game.
Just my 2c worth here. Good luck mate

beaniesbabie, throwing a backup at the ten is a good way to pick it up. Find a mark and a place to stand cross-lane where you can hit consistently and stay with it. This way you take advantage of the whole lane. Practice this and see if you can get it down:)

Actually, throwing a backup ball at the 10 pin is like hooking at the 7-pin, which is not recommended.

I'm a lefty and I've thrown backup balls at 7's, so a righty can throw backup at the ten. Doesn't work for everybody, but imo you're still better off going cross lane at corner pins.

Throwing a hook (or backup) at spares is okay as long as you're always on a THS. If you play in tournaments or on sport patterns, not so much...

Norm Duke throws a backup ball at the 10 pin. It's all about creating the most miss room.

I don't think he does. If you look closely at his ball roll it still has a little bit of side rotation.

So, does hooking at the 7-pin give more miss room?

Possibly on the house shot but definitely not on a sport pattern.

Not only that but each sport pattern plays different so you would have to really pay attention because each pattern you would be shooting the 7 pin differently. Some patterns hook more in the middle and skate on the outside, some play the opposite so how you shoot that 7 will be different and a "mystery" week to week.

Going cross lane at spares also sets you up to make the 7-10 someday. This is the second week in a row for me that a regular shot at a corner pin jammed the pin up onto the deck, where it rolled to the other corner. This time it was the 7 pin rolling over to where a 10 pin could have been - just a thought.

By the way, how many watch the pin reaction of single and double pin pickups. It gives information on picking up splits, washouts and such.

~ John