Bo-Fish Bowling News: the Positive Source for Bowling Worldwide

Bowling Better
by Brian Dodds

Article Archive #4

“Track” Your Approach to Success
Adjust For Oil; Bowl “Downhill”
My Wish List For Christmas
Point To A Better Release
Ready, Set, Align, Relax
Keep Fun in Your Game
Too Old To Learn?
Are You Listening When Your Body “Talks” To You? Part 2
Are You Listening When Your Body “Talks” To You? Part 1
Are You Listening When Your Ball “Talks” To You?

“Track” Your Approach to Success

Bowling well requires us to be consistent with many physical and mental aspects of the game and I am constantly working on my balance. One of the many aspects of having good balance is to make sure our swing path is in line with the intended ball path and parallel to our body. I think of a balanced approach as requiring us to follow a set of railroad tracks to the line.

The set of tracks we must follow to release will have our body just inside the two tracks. One track will be on the slide-foot side of our body and parallel to our arm-swing. Our body should maintain a position that is 90º to our ball path at release (rather than 90° to the foul line). All of the pros do this very well but it is difficult for us to see this given the positioning of the camera for the televised PBA tour finals on Sunday afternoons. The best view of this would be directly behind their bowling shoulder and in-line with their approach angle at release. Our arm-swing should be on the other track which should be in line with the initial path of the ball upon release. Upon starting our ball in motion we guide the ball into our swing toward our initial ball path using our hand opposite the ball-side of our body, and allow gravity to swing our arm straight back on this line. After reaching the top of our back-swing gravity will then return the ball to our release point.

It might help to have a picture in your mind that your body’s core is inside a rectangular, plastic box. The box fits neatly just inside the two railroad tracks I mentioned and should, or can, only stay within the parallel confines of the two tracks. Outside the box on the ball-side is your arm being swung by the ball and outside the box on the opposite side is your extended, balance arm.

Relaxing and maintaining normal, good posture to the line and descending into your slide after pushing off on the previous step will help keep you inside the “plastic box” and in good balance. Remember to position your slide foot in line with your push-off step, keeping your center of balance in the middle of your body.

With good posture and a straight, relaxed arm-swing, using railroad tracks to the line can help your game progress to consistency.

A recent and rare need to adjust for two completely different lane conditions leads me to this week’s offering. With one lane dry and one lane oily I had to make several adjustments to finally get dialed in; different balls, releases, angles and speeds. It caused me to contemplate how to relate to my readers and private students a simple way to adjust speed without throwing off one’s rhythm and timing.

Too often when we try to slow down or speed up we add too many thoughts to the process. The brain is very efficient at focusing on one thing, but try two or more and you often add to your problems instead of finding a solution. Few bowlers today experience oily conditions and there are not many who are as confident on oil as they are on drier conditions. One reason is it is easier for most bowlers to speed up than it is to slow down.

One factor to help adjust to oilier than normal conditions is to always warm up very slowly. You should relax on your first few practice shots anyway. Every day your body is a bit different and you need to get a feel for your body’s natural rhythm and timing.

Assuming this doesn't quite get you to a good line let’s imagine first that you are bowling an arcade-type game wherein the object is to roll a ball down an incline such that it drops into a hole just slightly larger than the ball itself. Instinctively you know your tendency would be to carefully roll the ball off your fingertips on a direct line to the target hole. Gravity will provide all the speed you need for the ball to roll all the way to the hole. Your job is to roll the ball on the proper target line. You know you have to focus and relax because you can't just “make it happen”. Try this mental image when you encounter oily lanes. The target “hole” is the strike pocket and you need only to lay the ball down in a good roll and let the ball travel on a line to the pocket. The ball will roll earlier and may hook a bit more due to the slower speed. By thinking that you are rolling downhill, your body automatically adjusts itself to perform naturally at a different pace but maintain good timing and posture.

Conversely, if you need to add some speed, imagine the same arcade game but where the ball must roll uphill. Now you must extend your follow-through and make sure there is sufficient speed to get the ball all the way to the hole. Thinking only of this image your body will take on a different posture and add some energy and flow to your delivery by itself.

Of course you may still need to make some other changes and probably will move slightly up on the approach for oily conditions and back for dry but start your adjustment by mentally playing the arcade game bowling downhill and focus on how many times you can get the ball to drop in the “hole”.

The season of giving, and wishing, is here and boy do I have a list! At the top of my list I wish for all bowlers to have a relaxed arm-swing. Our game, at its simplest, can look so easy. No, I am not going to give you another of my drills to work on over the Christmas/New Year holiday but a couple of suggestions instead. Number one is find an adult/youth no-tap tournament and enjoy the fun and enjoyment of relaxed competition. There’s no pressure in these events as the winner is the youth who has the benefit of your companionship, friendship and mentoring while bowling and of course you get the joy of their company and smiles. Without thinking about it all of a sudden you may realize your arm-swing has loosened up and many times this leads to more natural strikes than no-taps. There is a great lesson here. Soak it in.

My second suggestion is to find a model bowler with a relaxed swing and consistently simple approach. If you don’t know who to watch ask around at your local bowling center. Personally I could watch left-hander Ken Muscato or right-hander Doug Kent bowl all day long. They represent two of many excellent examples of good form in our area. By simply focusing on their form the brain will help you learn to improve yours. Relax, the foul line is not going to move and power and consistency are not derived from muscling the ball.

I wish that every bowler who wants to improve would learn to count boards and adopt a simple spare system. These two improvements, coupled with a loose, relaxed swing would help improve 99% of the bowling population.

Also on my list this Christmas is for more states to add bowling as an official letter sport. We still do not have high school bowling in half of the states, yet our sport is not only the number one sport in the world in number of active participants but it reaches an entirely different demographic than most of the other sports. And, it requires competitors to focus more on their mental game than almost any other sport.

While I am on the subject of high school bowling, I would wish for high school athletic directors to screen their bowling coaches and require them to meet the same standards that other coaches must meet. Our sport’s competitors represent their school in the same manner that other sports’ athletes do and they deserve quality mentoring and skills training. Having a team baby-sitter does nothing to promote learning or improve scholarship resumes and opportunities. Most school systems have guidelines requiring this for all sports but they are too often ignored when it comes to bowling.

Next on my list is that more programs would be offered for all bowlers to learn to improve. There is coaching available at almost every golf course, driving range and golf store but the same is not true for bowling. In western/upstate New York we are blessed to have many centers on board with coaches who have achieved at least USBC Level I certification but more, many more are needed.

Speaking of coaching, while I am happy to see many centers growing their youth leagues as a direct result of providing coaching, I would like to see fewer leagues and more programs that are skill based without competition to win. Teach the fundamentals first and then offer occasional competitive opportunities as a way to judge progress against their peers. There are plenty of organized leagues and competitions to partake in when they get older. This is a very selfish request in some regard because I want to see classic leagues return and for bowling to gain the respect that it had back when people lined up to watch the local greats compete, let alone bowlers of national stature. If you want a taste of how exciting our sport can be stop by a youth tournament or watch a high school match when several teams are involved.

I also would like every bowler to have their own ball, bag and quality shoes. Being outfitted correctly is important for learning to bowl properly and to add enjoyment to our sport.

Last, but not least, if you enjoy our great sport, share it with someone. It’s a lot more fun and enjoyable to participate with a friend, co-worker or loved one.

This weeks discussion may be advanced for many of you but read through it and try my suggestions anyway. Reading through some past coaching articles I found one by “The Coach” Fred Borden that prompted me to work on my releases. You may surprise yourself by what you can learn if you take a practice session and focus on one of my three suggestions.

Most bowlers can only vary a maximum 30° in wrist or hand angle when trying to change from one release position to another. The good news is it doesn’t have to be that way. That is simply the physical habit most of us get into when we learn to hook the ball and have a delivery we can repeat. Note that I did not say a delivery we are necessarily happy with but one that we habitually employ. We all would like to become more skilled and versatile but, generally speaking, the first release we learn that enables us to hook the ball is pretty much what most of us stick with from then on. Ask most bowlers if they throw a straight ball at spares using resin equipment and it’s a small percentage that respond in the affirmative. The first release we forget is the first that most of us learn.

Before starting to make your release improvements I always have one caveat. It is important to remember all this is predicated on you having good timing and being in good balance at release. If this is not the case then any change will be that much more difficult for you to attain.

One way to add more release options to your game is to use three fingers on your bowling hand to point” the way. The first is to release the ball using your ring finger to point toward your target and to lead the ball in the arm-swing through release. This will result in the hand being behind the ball and releasing at approximately 10° to 15°. The ball will travel down the lane almost totally end-over-end. It will still hook but it will hook further down the lane and hook less since it is already very close to rolling on its preferred axis. This release is good for drier conditions or when the ball is breaking a bit earlier than you want.

Next, try using your middle finger to point your release toward your target. This should produce more of a right to left rotation of the ball, approximately 45°, and produces a very good reaction for most house conditions. It is a versatile roll that the average bowler with average speed can use under most circumstances. When a ball rolls at this angle it will create pocket entry angle “opportunity” providing a consistently reliable reaction and more strike opportunities, even on hits that are a bit high or a bit light.

The third release position can be enabled by using the index finger to lead your release or point to your target. This will likely take you some extra practice as it means you must achieve a very good leverage position at release. Your body absolutely needs to be solidly balanced and your arm-swing should be in almost perfect time, or even slightly late, in relation to your slide foot coming to a stop as your ball reaches your slide foot ankle. Today’s game does not demand this shot as much as just a few season past and the real key to any game is shot-making consistency anyway so don’t get too worked up if you don’t get this one. Even getting a small difference between this release and the one using your middle finger to point the way will add another shot to your arsenal. When achieved correctly the ball will rotate left to right, 90° to the ball’s initial path off your hand and obviously will react very strongly at the breakpoint area. This release, when done properly, will add some options to your game, either under oily conditions or when you are moving your angle in and trying to play the middle of the lane.

As with any improvement you try to learn, only work on one thing at a time. In the case of changing your release, keep your ball speed, loft, angle and ball choice the same until you can see and feel the change. Once you have a new release mastered then try it with a different ball, or more or less loft, etc. And, as always, seek out your coach for help whenever you work on physical game changes. It’s always a good idea to have an objective eye and knowledgeable mentor to guide you. Good luck and good bowling.

This week I have a request of my readers: If you had the chance to interview any professional bowler, man or woman, who would it be and what would you ask them?

The primary way each of us learns will often influence how quickly we can make a specific game improvement. This week’s improvement review focuses on reading your ball reaction and adjusting to what your ball path is telling you. If you are a bowler whose main way of learning is auditory or tactile, this lesson may require a concentrated effort.

In our sport, as in golf, we are taught to visualize our shot prior to the execution of it. The idea that the brain can guide our body based on a desired performance attribute is nothing new and golfer Jack Nicklaus mentions this often. What you want your next delivery to look like is important to how your body will respond to enable the process.

Many top bowlers do not spot bowl. Instead, they line or path bowl. This technique is one where the athlete lines up their body with their intended ball path. Obviously with this style, it is very important, as with any style, to have a loose, relaxed, repeatable arm-swing. Post your shot and follow the entire path of the ball from release to exit from the pin deck. Adjustments when needed are made according to the feedback your brain receives based on the ball’s reaction while traveling the length of the lane. Simply move your feet right or left to achieve the ball path that enables consistent pocket entry. As with any adjustment, you may find a need to change another element of your game as well but under most house conditions this and a slight speed change will likely be sufficient.

The adjustments you make are going to be with your body but not directly associated with any specific target point on the lane. You should look for a smooth path to the pocket with no over-reaction of the ball at any one point. With this type of ball path your adjustments should be parallel, that is one or two boards with your feet (miss left - move left, miss right - move right). If your body movement to the line remains consistent and parallel to your previous approach then your arm-swing and release will place the ball in play on a similar line that has changed one or two boards also.

When your ball reaction at the break-point is sharp and strong, your alignment will have to similarly change sharply. With this adjustment you will move your feet several boards but align your body slightly open, somewhere between your previous ball path starting point and a point that would be parallel with your new foot position. If you were spot bowling this would be something like a 5 and 1 or 5 and 2 move; 5 being the number of boards you move with your feet and a 1 or 2 board move with your initial target on the lanes. The key with path bowling is having a repeatable swing.

You must watch the ball travel the length of the lane and leave the pin deck. It is important to note when the ball hooks, where it hooks and how much it hooks. What is the ball path through the pins? Are you leaving corner pins? If so, the ball may be deflecting toward that corner pin and would indicate you didn’t hit high enough in the pocket, or that you didn’t have enough entry angle and had a lot of deflection or that your ball may not have had a good roll entering the pocket.

Want to try this out under “forced” conditions? Try moonlight or extreme bowling where you cannot see the spots or target arrows on the lanes. Relax and let your body do it’s thing naturally without you trying to guide it. Good luck and good bowling!

USBC certified coaches teach bowlers how to enjoy our great sport; keep the ball on the lanes, knock down more pins and have fun. I ask all my students why they bowl. The answer is always the same; it’s fun.

I may be preaching to the choir, but number one for most participants in bowling is the socialization it provides. It’s a great way to relax, bond with and enjoy others. And bowling is a form of exercise we can experience for life. Walk in to any center and you will find a cross-section of society bowling together and enjoying the game and each other’s company.

Let’s take a look at the way our sport provides additional fun opportunities. For some, it will not go further than being a social or recreational activity. For others it’s all about the camaraderie one has when engaged in the sport as a competitor. Again, there are several levels and obviously many compete at a social and/or recreational level. But what about those who take the game more seriously?

League bowling has been a standard for players who want to compete for years. While USBC sanctioned league play numbers are only one third what they were twenty-five or thirty years ago, league bowling still offers the fun, camaraderie and the added element of competition and awards.

For many bowlers there is an element that is missing and causes many to become disenchanted and dissatisfied with the game. It’s not fun when you don’t perform as well as you want to and when you don’t have an opportunity to learn and get better. Some centers now offer coaching to youth leagues and a few have skills programs for bowlers of all ages. Adults especially realize that learning and improving can be both challenging and fun.

Whether a student of the game, or a coach of the game, learning and practicing new techniques can bring its own form of enjoyment and personal satisfaction. Ask your local center management about opportunities to learn or how to become a coach and share our sport with others. With today’s coaching certification courses through USBC there is opportunity for anyone who would like to learn more about the game to progress and share their knowledge. In fact, I recommend you use the website at www.bowl.com to find tips and learn about coaching classes and the latest books on improving your game.

For the occasional or more “casual” league bowler a clinic or private lesson or two may be enough to satisfy the desire to improve. Others may want to join a scratch league or some tournaments. Those who are serious about competition at a higher level will likely choose a Sanctioned Sport Shot League. These leagues offer difficult lane conditions much different than the average house shot. The challenge one is confronted with is twofold. A bowler must be ready to face the physical flaws they have in their game and be prepared to have their mental game challenged as well. One begins to understand and appreciate the PBA player’s skills and ability to focus shot after tough shot and spare-making is a premium.

Many of you already know all this but my point is that within our great sport there is something for every level of player. Whatever is fun for you and your friends and family may not be for someone else but there are several levels of competition and skill to satisfy us all. A Sport Shot League may not be your cup of tea but if you want to become a higher level player there is no quicker way to find out for yourself how much skill you really have. Add some coaching and practice and you can possible become a higher level player.

For you high school bowlers who want to win scholarship money and have an opportunity to qualify for Junior Team USA, experience in a Sport Shot League will help you reach your goal. Adults who want to have a better chance of success when competing in some of our major tournament and money events will find that a Sport Shot League and coaching will help them get close to their goal.

There is only one caveat to higher and higher level s of competition and that is you need to find what suits you best. If you are not having fun then you are not going to stay in our sport. Try different competitions and get some coaching if you want to improve or just have fun learning. You may find you like the challenges. You may also find that your preference is right where you are today bowling occasionally with your friends and family. Whatever you discover your niche in our great sport is, don’t be afraid to ask for some coaching and stick around and have fun.

A remark made by a recent student prompted this week’s column. Bowling is often described as a “sport for life”. As long as we maintain reasonable health and agility we can enjoy our sport far beyond most others. We can also continue to learn how to bowl better. It bothers me that some people think there are learning barriers imposed by one’s age. A recent student related to me it was suggested he should accept his current physical game “given his age”. The gentleman, by the way, is not of an age most of us would consider old (mid 40’s) but that is irrelevant. “If you think you can or you think you can’t, you are probably right.” Had my student accepted someone else’s opinion he would not have been successful in improving his game.

My new student, whom I’ll refer to as Ralph, is remarkable in that he can do almost anything he is asked to do. I quickly found this person to be very intelligent and possessing a lot of technical knowledge about our sport. BTW, he began bowling within the last year. Many adults new to a sport tend to investigate more and learn faster. The mind is a wonderful thing if you use it!

Ralph had a lot of knowledge but lacked some technique to do what he aspired to, which is why he sought me out. Although our lesson lasted longer than most, little actual bowling was done. We talked about what he wanted to learn and why. After discussing what I wanted him to try, demonstrating it and then placing him into a position that would enable success he made an almost perfect delivery the very first try! I had discovered a gem. Ralph is one in a thousand, a person who can correctly perform a new technique the first time he attempts it.

Because of his “age”, some people had discounted Ralph’s goals. Fortunately, Ralph is young at heart (and in bowling years) and continues his quest with a positive outlook.

My most fun student over the years was a lady named Mrs. “G”. At 71, she signed up for a 6-week summer program and simply wanted to bowl better when competing with her peers. Her average as I recall was 91 at the time. Every week she would arrive early and pay attention to every detail of our classroom lesson and then enthusiastically pursue incorporating the lesson into her game. What I remember most is her remarkable questions.

One night, after asking a question about a “semi-fingertip” drilling, I followed her onto the lanes and asked where she was coming up with all her questions. She responded matter-of-factly that she regularly went on the internet in a tone of voice that almost sounded as if she was also saying “doesn’t everybody?”.

The best memory from Mrs. G was the night she came in to class with extra energy and seemed about to burst as we went over our weekly lesson. As soon as we started to bowl she looked at me and I knew there was something she wanted to ask or tell me. Mrs. G related how she had a 140+ game the previous week bowling with her friends. As I began to congratulate her she stopped me and said there was more. The next game she bowled was 191! Moments like that are very rewarding, for both student and coach.

Don’t sell yourself short no matter your age. Mrs. G wasn’t as agile as she used to be and had some arthritis. But her mind was younger than some twenty-year olds and because of her positive and inquisitive nature she made a great student. If you are a coach, don’t presume any student has barriers. You never know when a Ralph or Mrs. G will come your way and make your day.

It probably goes without saying that many of us “casual athletes” do not perform in a natural manner. Many times our unnatural approaches result in injury or aggravating an injury and we do not realize it. If you are aware of an injury or physical problem, please speak with your Dr. about the do’s and don’ts of activity prior to bowling or performing any sport. It’s not fun when bowling hurts and there is no sense making things worse.

In my last column we discussed the need to have our equipment properly fitted by a properly trained pro shop technician. Often times we are not aware that our lack of proper balance when delivering a ball may be the cause of our aches and pains or make a physical issue such as tendonitis worse.

Watching the pros on the tour you notice that almost to a bowler each athlete is in a solid balance position at the point of release. Ever wonder where your upper thigh or quadriceps pain comes from after a couple of games? Maybe you have a sore lower back or ball-side upper arm or shoulder. Does your “tennis elbow” bother you or forearm tendonitis flare up for a couple of days after you bowl?

Any of these conditions, and several other similar maladies, may be a direct result of your body trying to compensate for an out-of-balance condition during your approach and release. Thigh and quadriceps soreness may be from rushing the line then stopping quickly with too much weight over the ball of your slide foot and/or your forcing the release, pulling the ball through with your shoulder rather than waiting for gravity to work. The result is often a hop with your slide foot and falling off or stepping with the ball-side foot to prevent falling down.

Forcing the release may result in a pinched nerve in the neck or shoulder area or a fatigued hand, wrist or forearm may result from squeezing the ball and trying to control the timing of the release. Please take conscious note of these and other physical issues and report them to your Dr. and/or instructor.

Bowling, whether you do it for social activity, recreation or for sport, should be fun and pain free. There should be an athletic grace in its execution, similar to a ballet. You should be able to score without being sore. If you have pain all the time see your family physician. If you have pain when you bowl, at the very least seek a certified instructor.

My recent story about “Art”, the fellow who called asking for help with his game has an epilogue. During my original conversation with him he mentioned he had pain in his ball arm during and after bowling. As I wrote in the previous column most of Art’s issues appeared to be related to his release and the fact that he was too stressed. Pain however is always cause for serious concern.

Always pay attention to what your body action and reactions are versus what is normal for you. We often overlook aches and pains because we love to compete or just don’t want to be perceived as wimps. Pay attention to what your body is telling you. It’s nature’s way of saying, “hold on here, you need to adjust something or it’s going to get worse”.

After discussing with Art a need to relax and feel the ball more at release I inquired about his drillings. He said he had two favorite bowling balls but that indeed they were drilled differently. One had a relaxed grip and the other a slightly stretched span. We talked about how a stretched span could cause some of his scoring issues as well as, and more importantly, some physical issues.

A few months ago I had conversations about ball fit with some of the best pro shop technicians and coaches in the world, Gold Coach Richard Shockley, formerly of the famed Kegel Institute in Florida and ball guru and columnist Denny Torgerson. Both told me that despite industry teaching programs from the professional pro shop organization IBPSIA, and other well-known industry experts, fully 70% of ball drillings today have too wide a span.

While I do not expect many bowlers to recognize a bad fit in their equipment, we should recognize that pain is not natural. After I had already sent in my column on Art’s “phone lesson” and subsequent turnaround, Art called me to say he forgot to mention something. He had switched from the ball with a long span to his ball with a relaxed grip. His first couple of outings the pain continued but to a lesser extent. Within a few days of switching, his pain completely abated.

The lesson to be learned here is “listen” to your body. First, have your grip checked to find out if it is relaxed or not. You can do a quick check yourself. For a fingertip grip begin by taking a pen or Sharpie® and marking a point halfway between the first crease nearest your fingernail and the second crease and for a conventional grip place the line halfway between the second crease and the third. Do this on both middle and ring fingers. Next, insert your thumb in the ball and place your fingers over the finger holes. The marks you made should be even with the edge of the thumb side of your finger holes. If they are short of the edge then you have a stretch span. Similarly, if they extend closer to the far edge you will also have issues with a short span.

There is a saying that you “cannot out-coach a bad fit” and it is true. If your equipment does not fit properly you will be challenged just trying to hang onto and then releasing your ball. With a span that is too long you will be over-gripping, straining your hand, lose any chance of having a relaxed arm swing or a relaxed, well-timed, powerful, effective and consistent release. Improper drillings can also directly lead to hand pain and/or arm pain. In some more extreme cases a visit to the Dr. may be a result of your not responding to what your body is telling you. “Listen” to your body, react immediately to anything you notice is not the norm and you’ll have less pain and better scores.

A reader recently phoned me asking for help with his scoring slump. Most students seeking help only know they have a desire to improve but do not have sufficient skills knowledge to quickly get to the root cause of their issue. This reader, whom I will refer to as Art, is normally a very good bowler whose scores have recently taken quite a tumble. Art had an idea of the source of his troubles and told me what he had observed.

Whenever you are trying to locate an answer to a game issue you have, you must first identify what is going on compared to what normally happens when you are bowling well. Keep a logbook or bowling journal of your observations. It does not have to be technical, just an observation of what you see and feel.

Art told me the pins he was leaving, his spare game consistency (which has improved) but reported his sudden lack of striking. We also discussed his ball choices and grip differences.

I do not expect most students will call or write me with a lot of information. Art had already thought his situation out for some time and had compiled a logical set of data to provide me with an understanding of his situation. By the way, I have never seen Art bowl, but have talked bowling with him on several occasions. Asking for information, interviewing a student to find out important data regarding scoring influences such as the student’s physical condition, her/his mental approach, typical issues with speed or adjustments on synthetic lanes versus wood are just some of the questions I want answers to.

Next we talked about the adjustments he had already tried and what his results were. I then asked him what he thought his issues were. Many bowlers who have had instruction or bowled at a higher than average level of competency know that they have certain tendencies which recur.

Often your past experience will point to current problems and their cures. My scoring challenges are usually related to starting the ball too early or rushing the line, for example. It only takes a couple of high hits or a couple of balls not finishing to let me know which.

Art’s understanding of much of this process had led him to a couple of logical answers but he had not been able to overcome his problems. As I have often said, a good student makes a good coach and he was a willing listener to what I had to say. Understanding what he had experienced I knew at this point there were a couple of answers to his slump. Although there was a physical game change he had to make, he had tried it already to no success. The root cause had now become a mental game flaw.

Many times we get so stressed in trying to make things happen, we get so worked up over a barrier that we have trouble conquering, that we end up forcing the change we need to make. This is the exact opposite action we need to implement. The mental game is huge in our sport because it often causes an overreaction on our part. We get tight, we squeeze the ball, we hit the ball, pull through with our shoulder, “hit” the ball on release, etc. It is at this point that we need to back off, not practice at all, take some time off and change our focus. Talk with someone (like Art did), get some reassurance and confidence that you do know what to do next and then go back to your game after a few days off.

Here’s a suggestion for everyone who has access to a video camera. When you are bowling well, have your best friend, your teammates and/or your coach observe you. Ask one of them to videotape a few approaches. Make sure they film you from directly behind your bowling shoulder, from the side and if possible from the front. A good close-up of your release is also desirable. The next time you are in a slump, find someone who knows your “good” game to observe you and give you his or her observations. If possible ask your coach to do it. Better yet, have someone videotape you again and compare the “good” you to the slumping you and focus your efforts on the difference. If you have problems doing it yourself, ask a certified coach to help you with the root cause of your issues.

I am happy to report a successful end to the story. Art turned to a more measured approach to get his timing back by focusing on “heel-toe” footwork and relaxed his grip, holding the ball as if he had a bird in it. Hi teammates noticed the difference, his consistent speed and ball reaction returned, as did his scoring. Art’s last two outings resulted in an average of over 232 for 6 games. Rather than practice bad habits and become more frustrated, pay attention to what your ball is already telling you and get some help. You’ll be glad you did.

All articles are copyrighted material of Bo-Fish Bowling News, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, distribution, or alteration without written permission of Bo-Fish Bowling News, Inc. and its writers is strictly prohibited.

Please send any questions or comments about this web site to webmaster@bofish.net.