Split (bowling)

Situation in ten pin bowling

A split is a situation in ten pin bowling in which the first ball of a frame knocks down the headpin ("number 1 bowling pin") but leaves standing two or more non adjacent groups of one or more pins. Scoring a spare in this situation is often referred to as a "killer shot".

One of the most infamous of splits is the 7–10 split, often called "goal posts", "bedposts", or "snake eyes", where the bowler is left with the leftmost and the rightmost pin in the back row (the number 7 and number 10) to knock down with a single ball to achieve a spare. This is also one of the most difficult splits to pick up. There are three ways to convert this split. The first is to strike either pin and have it bounce out of the pit area and strike the remaining pin. This not only requires substantial ball speed but the pin must be struck in the right spot. Additionally, a pin flying out from the pit is a fairly rare occurrence. This is made more difficult by variation of the pit design according to the pinsetter system, with the Brunswick A 2 being more prone to bounce outs than recent machines. Bouncing out on a Brunswick GS series pinsetter is exceedingly difficult due to a moving curtain at the back of the pit which absorbs the impact, while AMF pinsetters have a higher chance of bouncing out the pin facing away from the ball return of a lane pair. The second method is to strike either pin on the inside with enough velocity to bounce it off the side wall (kickback plate) and rebound onto and across the deck into the other pin. The third way is to slide one of the pins into the other. This is incredibly rare, but pro bowler Sean Rash did it by sliding the 10 pin into the 7 pin in 2019 during qualifying at the Tournament of Champions. Mark Roth was the first bowler to pick up the 7–10 split on television on January 5, 1980, at the ARC Alameda Open at Mel's Southshore Bowl in Alameda, California. The only other three professionals to convert this split on television are John Mazza and Jess Stayrook, both of whom did it in 1991, and Anthony Neuer, who accomplished it in April 2021. Roth and Mazza converted theirs on ABC broadcasts of the Professional Bowlers Tour, while Stayrook did his on an ESPN telecast. All three converted their splits by bouncing a pin out of the pit. Anthony Neuer converted the split during the U. S. Open Stepladder Finals when the 10 pin bounced off of his ball in the pit and kicked into the 7 pin.

With the use of six pound balls and/or very slow ball speeds, other splits not normally seen can be left due to that light weight ball either deflecting into the gutter or stopping on the pin deck after contacting the pins. An example of this is the 6 7 8 9 10.

As in the tenpin game, splits can also occur in the New England and Canadian Maritimes centered sport of candlepin bowling. As candlepin bowling uniquely allows the use of fallen "dead wood" pins to remain on the lane to be used in assisting the felling of standing pins for spare and split conversions, still the most notable split in the candlepin sport is the "spread eagle", the six pin leave made up of the 2 3 4 6 7 10 combination, that due to the aforementioned "fit split" status of the 2–3 split in tenpins (but, with the smaller candlepin ball, the 2 and 3 pin can't be hit together with it) and the "spread eagle" almost never occurs in tenpins, with the closest split to it being the 2 (or 3 )4 6 7 10. In contrast, even more difficult splits such as the infamous 7–10 split may be easier to convert in candlepin, since fallen pins are left on the lane after being knocked down; thus, if enough pins are spread across the lane, a strategically bowled ball could knock the fallen pins into both the 7 and 10 at the same time.