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Bo-Fish Bowling News
the Positive Source for Bowling Worldwide |
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Bowling Better by Brian Dodds |
Article Archive #5
Be Aware and Factual to Improve Sooner Rather Than Later
Let’s “suppose” for a couple of minutes that
you are back in grade school with your classmates. And let’s suppose your
teacher gives you the opportunity to work together on an assignment with whomever
you choose for the next several weeks. Once everyone has agreed on what group
they are going to belong to, the teacher then tells you that each group can
complete work at its own pace but that project accomplishments must be turned
in once a week. Your group’s completed weekly work will be judged along
with all of the other groups’ reports and results will be posted outside
her office at the end of each week.
After a few weeks, maybe only one or two, you and your friends note that in
comparison to the other groups’ results, you are at or near the bottom
of each week’s posting. And, you never show improvement in comparison to
the rest of the class. You thought you were doing okay, making some progress,
and realized maybe you could do better but here you are still behind almost
everyone. But you do enjoy the groups’ encounters together and can live
with your efforts.
Suddenly it’s the end of the semester and you realize you are right where
you started. The teacher says “so long; see you soon for another semester.”
You could have done better but how, what went wrong? And was it really so bad
to have enjoyed the company of your friends working on a project together an
entire semester?
This scenario sounds kind of, well…blah doesn’t it? Now imagine that
your class work-group is your bowling team. Every week it’s show up, have
some laughs together, talk about missing the 10-pin or 7-pin, and how you think
Bill or Mary is getting better and then go home. The next week you look at the
standing sheet and whoa! Same ‘ol same ‘ol. Still mired in umpteenth
place.
Many of us who think we are improving hide the truth from ourselves. We want
to fit in, we claim it’s all about having a good time, but are disappointed
when we don’t see any results. Truth be known, we avoid keeping close track
of actual results and we are not getting any better. We only remember the night
when we had that big game or got hot for all three games or picked “most”
of the 7 or 10-pins. And even the two teammates who go out once a week together
and practice are not getting any better.
Why do we do this to ourselves when, in the end, we are going to be the team
or one of the two or three teams that drop out of league play every two or three
years? Studies by the industry show that one of the main reasons people quit
our sport is they are not competitive and/or having fun.
Practice by itself is only going to help you up to a point. Why? Because you
are only getting more consistent at what you already do incorrectly. Eventually,
without improving your fundamentals, you will reach a plateau and probably go
into a decline.
Don’t let yourself get to the point where you no longer enjoy our great
sport. You have several choices to stay active in bowling and have a great time.
There are “low impact” leagues that are more recreational than competitive.
There are also social leagues that may only meet occasionally and place little
or no emphasis on rankings. And most centers do offer leagues for the challenged
bowler who wants to get better but would prefer to bowl with others who are
also less-skilled.
If however, you want to get better, see your center manager for advice. He/she
can help you either get into a league offering a different environment or to
find a competent instructor who will help you work to achieve whatever your
goals are in bowling. And whatever your goals, know that you cannot reach them
if you do not take action. Einstein’s famous quote “the definition
of insanity is repeating the same process but expecting a different result”
will always hold true. One more thought; don’t judge yourself by whether
you reach your goals or not. Your bowling score does not define who or what
you are. Take stock of where you want to be and then plan to get there. There
is a league for everyone.
Resolved: "Don’t Just Buy the Sports Car, Learn to Drive It"
How many of us have purchased a new ball and thought we had
the “magic pill” to raise our scores? Most of us have done it and
we have probably done it more than once. And, just like the golfer with a new
driver or putter, we soon find out that we have not solved the real issue; our
form.
If we step away from looking at that ball we think will solve our current scoring
issue and take off our rose-colored glasses we will see the real issue. We need
some basic help with our physical game and perhaps our mental game as well.
Much like the person who wanted to look sporty for improved self-esteem, we
buy the latest sports car. After owning the car for a few weeks we realize nothing
has changed except we now have a bigger car payment. We are the same person
who pictured ourselves as being Danica Patrick or Michael Campbell or Jeff Gordon.
Our wanna be psyche let us down again because we approached our fundamental
problem as many doctors do our health issues by treating the symptom and instead
of the cause.
And so it is that I weave my way once again to the point of my New Year’s
Resolution Story: team up with your new ball and explain your real issue to
your friendly pro shop operator. Make sure that whatever ball you have purchased,
or intend to purchase, is drilled to fit the style of play you prefer and, more
importantly, that your current physical game demands that you play. If you are
a typical down and in player your pro shop driller needs to know this. Better
yet, ask her/him to watch you bowl so she/he understands your style and its
limitations.
Secondly, with newly drilled ball in hand, roll a few shots with the ball technician
watching. If you have the “look” that you want all is good. If not,
discuss with the technician what can be done to achieve it. Perhaps a modification
in the drilling or the surface finish can help. Understand that sometimes it
takes a couple of modifications to achieve the ball reaction you prefer.
Your next step may well be to attack the fundamental issue of the “driver”.
If it is not the ball, contact a certified instructor to give your game a professional
look-over and some guided instruction for improvement. Just because we own a
powerful ball doesn’t mean we posses the fundamental skills to get the
most out of its potential. Write down your thoughts and take them with you to
your lesson. Be realistic in your desires. Some of us are crankers and some
strokers and yes, there remain among us a few full-rollers. Be realistic in
your goals and take realistic steps to improve and any ball in your arsenal
can be that “sports car” you saw when you first walked in the pro
shop. Good luck and good bowling.
Emulate a Standout - for the Right Reasons
We’ve all had that unusual style of bowling catch our eye haven’t we? You know the one I mean, the “articulated giraffe” or the bowler who is bent over as if picking up pennies in the parking lot or the person who flies to the line and then delivers the ball as if dropping a hot potato. But they only stand out in our mind because of the uncoordinated form that they have. But what reaction do we have when we witness someone with exceptionally good, even great form?
Recently I had the pleasure of watching a bowler perform in a manner seldom seen. It was on a local house shot in a competitive event, another day of bowling in any city in our country. I didn’t pick up on the bowler’s form immediately because he was so habitual in repeating his process every time. Over a few frames the reality of his form suddenly hit me; a “pro-like” sequence preceded his well-timed approach and consistent release. Yes, he possessed a sound fundamental game and had good speed and a powerful ball but it was much more than that.
What this person owns is a presence that I’ve only seen once in a young bowler. He was not cocky, but he did comport himself in a confident way. His pre-shot routine was consistent, unhurried, and reflected great focus. Assuming his stance he was careful in his setup and never hurried. Each approach start was exactly as the previous start, steady, slowly paced and in perfect time.
Having a great physical game is a common trait to many a bowler who is neither consistent nor great. We look at those bowlers and say “if only he/she relaxed through the release, or waited on their arm-swing”, or whatever one flaw we see. Some bowlers with sound physical games psych themselves out in a tight match or cannot seem to conquer the mental game of staying in focus throughout a contest. Not so the bowler I am telling you about.
At the end of the contest, the bowler had thrown only one poor shot and averaged almost 250. Almost too common in today’s game but the difference was his deportment, his focus, and being able to focus totally on one shot at a time and finish every shot just as he had started it; relaxed, confident, in good timing and maintaining his balance.
You will see many bowlers every day capable of throwing huge scores but for most it’s like the stock market; they’ll have lots of ups and downs. What the bowler I saw, and I hope you will see him or another like some day soon, had thee whole package at a very young age. We will not see this type of bowler very often and I hope that when you do you are aware of what it is you see in the persona; potential greatness because of the ability to focus, repeat the entire process from the “think circle” through the completion of each and every shot and a confidence that their process is solid. Make mental notes and compare your process to a truly standout form and then emulate persona. You will be a better bowler and roll better scores – more consistently.
Be Aware of Your RX for Improvement
Prompted by an e-mail from a reader, I realized that many bowlers don’t follow-up with their instructors after taking a lesson. Conversely, I suspect many instructors do not follow-up with their students. One process change I recommend is to establish a three-lesson plan. Reserve at least three dates, each approximately two weeks apart to allow time for practice and competition, to enable time to adjust and get some feedback for your instructor. Why do I suggest this approach? Sometimes a seemingly small change is really a major one and can either be difficult to accomplish in and of itself, or the change will trigger something else to go awry. A “checkup” visit is required before your whole game is thrown off.
But back to my reader’s message. He was having some difficulty and was inconsistent. Being a dedicated individual who is into all aspects of the game including exercise and nutrition I was curious to know more about his game and what could have led to his woes. He responded with some important information that produced that magic “aha” moment. My reader had a lesson from a well-known instructor and had made a ball position change. Moving the ball approximately half-way between his shoulder and navel in the address position had been done to provide him with better balance and a better leverage position at release. This change requires the bowler to have a slight cross-over step with the first ball-side foot step to enable a path for the arm-swing to stay straight. I don’t recommend this for the average player but my reader is not the average player.
The catch with this “pro” move is that it can easily alter some other facet of the bowler’s approach and soon throw one’s physical game totally out of kilter. Not too long after having initial success, that is exactly what happened. Perhaps the instructor did not explain what to watch for, good and bad. I have no way of knowing. But if the results do not show either steady improvement or a new level of success over several weeks, it is incumbent upon the athlete to re-visit the instructor, at the very least with a phone call.
Often times even a small change provides an athlete with information overload and that may have happened in this case. I have give you a synopsis of the events but there is much more detail that I would have provided had I instructed this bowler makeover move. I suspect that may have been the case with my reader and his instructor. The brain, as we come to know more and more about it, needs reinforcing messages to solidify new information. If you are learning something new from your instructor, be sure to call, write or better yet, set up follow-up appointments to make sure you ingrain your latest change.
The end result of our e-mails was success for my reader when he realized from my diagnosis what the missing element was in his change and the issues it had caused. If you don’t make the crossover step correctly you will likely end up with a back-swing outside your body and the result will be a release left of your target line. You will still be off-balance and, worse yet, see your scores be very inconsistent instead of improving. For the best RX for improvement; see your “bowling doctor” for an initial diagnosis and schedule a couple of checkups at the same time.
Start Living A New Story
How many stories have you heard about someone getting a new
ball and shooting a good score? Has it happened to you as well? How many of
us are filled with enthusiasm, optimism and confidence when we buy new equipment?
And, more often than not, in the first few sessions with our “latest and
greatest” ball we do score well. It’s often a direct result of our
newly purchased confidence, the hope that we finally did buy a “score in
a box”. Why is this?
One direct result of using a new ball is certainly the fact that the ball surface
is fresh and the ball reacts the way it was made to. Today’s balls are
designed to be aggressive, however the chemical makeup also means that they
are soaking up oil from the lane, lots of oil. The more oil that the ball soaks
up, the less aggressive the ball will be. Your equipment, even with proper care,
gets old and tired quickly. A new ball is going to react differently simple
because it is new.
So having a new ball on the lane means a reaction you may not have seen in awhile.
Along with your new equipment, there’s also usually a new you. Think about
how you feel with a new ball. You have renewed confidence, and that means you
now take a different attitude with you when you bowl. You probably are more
relaxed, have better posture and more energy. You are willing to let the ball
show you how it’s going to react instead of you trying to make the ball
react the way you think it should. You pay more attention to the ball’s
reaction and are aware now that you may have to change speed or angle or hand
position to get the ball into the pocket. Hey, it’s new, you paid good
money for it and you accept this change to your equipment inventory.
Soon enough however, we don’t have the big scores, the easy nights and
we return to the same old story. Quickly again it becomes I had a big score,
I shot lights out, etc. when I…well, you know the mantra. The enthusiasm
has waned and we talk about what was instead of maintaining our optimistic,
positive outlook the new ball gave us. Before we know it we are repeating the
same story we’ve had in the past.
The present is not for living in the past. It is given to us to do better, to
plan ahead for future stories and as a chance to improve. The past is just that,
the past, but our next ball, even if not new, is an opportunity to look forward
to, a chance to create our next “story”.
This game is so huge mentally that any negative, any stagnation with an “old
story” is going to hold us back. If we can continue to learn from every
ball, good and bad, we will continue to grow and improve. Instead of being satisfied
with your old story, look ahead to creating new ones.
Your next session, practice as if you are learning something new about yourself,
about your ball, about the lanes. Pay attention to everything as if you have
a new ball in your hand. Relax and see what reaction you have with this ball
today and react to it accordingly. Make your next experience, the next ball
off your hand a new ball. If you can do this every time you bowl I know you’ll
start enjoying lots of new stories instead of just re-living old ones.
Emulate the Best, For Your “Mental Best”
A letter from a reader in Texas, interested in elevating his mental game, prompts this week’s short but very important topic; mental adjustments. Making an adjustment is often thought of as a change to Loft, Angle, Speed, Equipment and/or Release (LASER). Another quick way of adjusting is to look for a competitor who is scoring well and study what he/she is doing different from you. Making quality adjustments not only applies to lane play but also applies to your approach style and mental game.
David writes “…I tend to get in my (own) way when bowling well; I start out strong and then, my conscious mind tries to help out…, if I could just stay in the zone, I could easily shoot 800+”. Does this sound like something we all could have said at one time or another?
In a follow-up e-mail the reader reports that one night he had “…practiced two quick games prior to the league and was throwing the ball well – not really paying attention to the score, but the scorer was on – 236, 254.” However the tables quickly turned when the “lights were turned on” for league bowling. Does this sound familiar to you? After a less than par start @ 183, he took a walk to calm down and focus his thoughts and began watching one of the top league players. He noticed his “…smooth and consistent release”. David realized he was not allowing time for his release like he did when he practiced and was just trying to roll the ball well. After making the correction he finishes with 664 for the night.
In a previous article some time ago I wrote that the release must be unforced and this may take most of your focus for many practices and competitions until you learn it. I quote our reader again; “Lessons make so much more sense when experiences forces you to learn them again!” Be patient with yourself but also remember that if you are trying to learn you have to be conscious of what you are doing and focused on improving. If you are open to improvement your next lesson may just be on the lane next to you!
This week, try our contributor’s mantra to improve your game: Quality Practice; Quality Release; Mental Game!
Create Your Own “Sport Shot” for Improvement
Most bowlers know practice can help improve their game and adding a level of focus and/or difficulty will usually enable one to forge ahead of their competition. That’s why many bowlers join USBC sanctioned Sport Shot leagues. A sport shot league brings accuracy and consistency requirements that a house shot does not require. But many who want to improve do not want to join another league. And most centers still do not have a sport shot league nor do they offer a sport shot for practice sessions. Even those centers that do offer a sport shot often do not regularly have sport shot open bowling. What’s a bowler to do when she/he wants a challenging shot to practice improving their game?
The answer is something I do on occasion and that Rochester bowler Russ Vallone Jr. recently spoke with me about. Look in your bag, or more likely your closet, for a non-dynamic (by today’s standards) bowling ball. I typically use my plastic spare ball while Russ uses a urethane ball. Lacking either of those you can use a relatively non-aggressive resin ball or an older resin ball that is oil-soaked and has seen much better days.
The fact that you need to make better shots, be more consistent and think more about angle, speed, leverage position, etc. will force you to focus on your process during your practice sessions. Using a “Blue Dot” as I do may be an extreme but, as Russ said to me, he knows he has made a good shot when he carries with his old Hammer ball.
The added benefits of this approach is you will not be striking as easily or as often as you normally do when you practice, you will have to turn your brain on instead of just stepping up and throwing shot after shot and you will have many more spares to shoot at. (Our practices often leave out the importance of spare-making.)
So this week take out your spare ball or look around the basement or garage and get out that old urethane ball and step up to your own personal “challenge shot” and improve your practice sessions and improve your game.
Point Toward Your Target
This week’s coaching lesson is brought to you courtesy
of my friend USBC Silver Coach Chris Searchfield. Instructing a skills program
for a group of students at AMF Fairview Lanes we were teaching the class about
how to improve consistency. Coach Chris made a point of teaching the difference
between aiming and pointing.
When you get yourself set in your stance you must have some target in mind that
you want to roll the ball over or hit. Some of us use the pins, some a board
or spot on the lanes and others of us line or path bowl. Whatever you use, it
is important not to focus to the point where you actually dis-enable your ability
to be successful in achieving your goal of hitting that target. Coach Chris’s
lesson explained the difference between pointing and aiming.
If I ask bowlers to show me (rather than tell me) where their target is most
will point and say something like “down there at the …..” and
tell me the second arrow or on line with the third arrow and the breakpoint
marker, etc. Pointing gets one’s “point” across but does not
focus in on an exact spot. It is more general than specific. If we aim, we generally
try to zone in on an exact spot, trying to be perfect.
A good analogy is when one is pointing a gun or arrow toward a target versus
trying to hit the small bullseye. If we try to do the same thing in bowling
most bowlers start to tighten up the very muscles that need to be relaxed. We
over-grip the ball and will try to control the direction of the swing and the
release instead of trusting that our swing path will be on line to our target
area.
Many years ago there was a great hall of fame bowler who provided commentary
on the weekly PBA telecast of Saturday afternoons. His name was Billy Welu.
His knowledge of and experience in the game was vast and he provided timely
insight as matches progressed. Billy often used a phrase that is still used
by many a bowler today; “trust is a must or your game is a bust”.
The next time you bowl try to look at your target and just point the ball toward
it in your ball start and then trust your swing. Let it go, let it flow.
Breathe, Just Breathe
Watching this week’s PBA match with Jason Couch against
Norm Duke was classic drama with two Hall-of-Famers each doing what they have
done so well for years. The pressure of the situation was intense and the game
a memorable one with Jason striking out to tie and taking the win in a roll-off.
What struck me was Jason’s obvious exhale just prior to every pressure
shot. If you are looking for a model for your mental game, Jason has been an
excellent example of proper focus and attitude for years.
A few years ago, I believe it was the Brunswick World Championship in ’99,
Jason and Chris Barnes were in a match for the title and both were having problems
with carry. Each was “miked’ and each bowler was talking to himself
out loud. Both repeated positive phrases to themselves over and over. Couch
kept saying to himself “good shot, keep making good shots” and Barnes
once said something like ‘make this the best shot of your life’.
Too often when bowling we over-think. Keeping your thoughts focused on your
process, making good shots and being relaxed will help you with your consistency.
Breathing, especially breathing diaphragmatically, helps us to control our emotional
state and focus better.
Also important is beginning your approach immediately after exhaling. In fact,
this might be a good trigger for us all to use to start our approach. The body
performs best when it is in an athletic but somewhat relaxed state. Breathing
deeply while standing with good posture enables our larger muscles to obtain
some additional flexibility and temporarily wash away some tightness.
The main thing all of us need to learn better, or at least remind ourselves
of, that it’s supposed to be fun. Enjoy your game at all times. Yes, it
can be frustrating when you are not bowling your best but even when you are
having a challenging match, relax, enjoy the moment, be aware of what is happening
and…breathe.
Stretch Your Body to Improve Performance
There’s a good reason that today’s fitness centers are offering more and more stretching and core conditioning programs. They are popular. And they are popular because they work. Even the low impact programs help with conditioning and toning and extend quality of life benefits to everyone.
The TV programming is rife with the latest and greatest this tool and that DVD but I think it’s no coincidence that even the “King” himself, golfing great Arnold Palmer, lends his persona and has made live appearances extolling the benefits of the stretching program sold by fitness guru Roger Fredricks. Palmer’s stance and swing is much improved and it looks and he looks more physically fit than he has in several years (he’s 77).
I am not endorsing any product but to make a point that when it comes to successfully performing our approach we need to have flexibility and a basic stretching routine would benefit us all.
The first step is for each of us to recognize the specific body traits we posses based on our daily life. For example, a Navy medic in the middle east probably leans over and bends her/his body forward a lot and therefore is going to have a particular muscle set that is very strong. When stretching, this person should pay particular attention to their back, shoulders and legs. Similarly a person who works at a computer all day will have areas of their body that are stronger than others. Perhaps they will be slightly hunched and need to stretch their chest, shoulders and upper back to become more flexible and relaxed.
I won't go into detail here but I will suggest some simple exercises that will not take you long to perform prior to beginning your practice session or league. At the very least you should always warm up even if you don't stretch or exercise in some other way. Getting blood flowing to your muscles will help you perform better and help prevent tissue tears.
Stretching should be done only after warming up your muscles and then done slowly and never “bouncing” as this could tear a muscle. Dr. Jeff Briggs has published a bowling-specific manual on exercises for the serious athlete-bowler. The title of his manual is “Bowling Specific Training Manual”.
Following are a few exercises recommended by USBC Coaching for us all to perform after we have warmed up. Check out the web, an exercise book at the library or visit your local fitness instructor for more details and other appropriate exercises. As always, if you have not exercised for some time, or have any physical limitations, it is recommended you consult with your physician and start your program slowly; 1) quadriceps, 2) triceps, 3) forearm extenders, 4) forearm flexors, 5) neck/shoulder stretch, 6) neck stretch, 7) calf stretch, 8) side stretch, 9) knee/thigh stretch, 10) Achilles stretch and 11) toe touch.
Lastly, here’s a simple one that can help us all and requires us to do no more than include it in our pre-shot routine. Begin by standing up straight, arching your back slightly and pulling your shoulders back. Next, imagine you are “barrel-chested”, having a deep, wide and large, barrel-like chest. Now slowly fill this large air container by breathing slowly through your nose, hold your breath a couple of seconds and then exhale slowly and completely through your mouth. Allow your shoulders to sag at the end of your complete exhale. Then, assume the posture again and get into your stance. Breath deeply again and let out the air. As you complete this exercise a second time begin your approach and let your arm-swing in a relaxed manner. You will be surprised at how much easier it is to stay in balance and have a better arm-swing and release when you are performing with better posture and are more relaxed.
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