A “Wise Man” once said, “Except for those unfortunate souls that were born with a terribly debilitating handicap or disease, the AVERAGE PERSON puts himself/herself IN the POSITION that they are currently IN.”

Think about that.

Was that “WISE MAN” talking about YOU? More than likely he was. The overwhelming majority of us have done just “THAT”.

We are ALL in charge of ourselves.

Our brain controls us and WE put all of the information in it. The brain doesn’t care what you put in there, for it only STORES that information for US to use, as we see fit. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of us make the Right Decisions with that information.

Do you? Hopefully, your answer is “YES” !!!

Think of your brain as a VCR. It displays the VIDEO TAPE (or information) that you insert. If you want to watch the movie: Lassie, and you insert the ‘Lassie’ video tape, you’ll see Lassie. On the other hand, if you want to watch the movie ‘Rocky’ and you insert the ‘Lassie’ tape, guess what: YOU WILL SEE: ‘Lassie’ !!!

Do you get where I am going with this? I hope so.

Bowling is a simple, yet, complex Sport. Yes, it can be played by almost everyone, at almost any age. That is why it is such a wonderful game for the masses.

IF you work on the RIGHT THINGS you CAN improve. There are many, many ways that you can improve. You can buy new equipment, get coaching, practice, get in better shape, learn from watching the Pro’s and a host of other ways.

Beginning this year, I suggest that you train both your PHYSICAL and MENTAL “GAMES”

The PHYSICAL GAME is by far the easiest. Why do I say that? Because, you can get instant feedback with the results of what you are doing physically. You can SEE if you are “making more 10-pins”. You can SEE if your average is going up. You can SEE a better “pocket” and “strike” percentage.

You CAN NOT see what a person is actually THINKING.

This months “TIP” is going to be on the MENTAL GAME.

Just as there are many facets and training involved with the Physical Game, the Mental Game is also very complex and must be trained. YOU MUST TRAIN “IT”.

Based on what area of the brain you are intending to train, you must first isolate “THAT” part. Similarly, if you want to build up your biceps, then you must do a lot of weight-lifting with an exercise called: “curls”. If you want to increase your “WIND”, then you do some running.

THE BRAIN CAN ALSO BE TRAINED AND STRENGTHENED.

There are many, many ways to do this.

For example if you want to improve your focus and concentration, you must do a lot of reading. Reading forces you to concentrate on the material at hand.

Success just doesn’t happen. You have to work at it. AND, you have to work hard. Most people do not set realistic goals for themselves. Most people do not plan properly; therefore they do not achieve the success that they desire.

Starting TODAY, it is up to YOU to change whatever YOU want to change.

My suggestion is that you can start by ACCOMPLISHING something each and every day. There are a multitude of “things” that you can do. Think about it; what have you put off doing?

ACCOMPLISHING “things” is a wonderful thing and it gives “that” sense of accomplishment.

SUGGESTIONS:
Clean out your attic. Do your windows. Wash your car. Clean up your yard. Shampoo your carpets. Do the mirrors in your bathroom. Windex all of your pictures. Clean out your closet. Completely clean-up your office. Go meet one of your neighbors. Make 10 spares in-a-row. Give a dollar to a homeless person. Get a new hair-do. Replace all of your old underwear.

(Those are merely some suggestions. ACCOMPLISH “one-thing” everyday that you wouldn’t ordinarily do. THINK of some things on your own, and ACCOMPLISH them.)

There are many, many things that you can do to acquire (and train) your mind to this all important exercise of ACCOMPLISHING “things”.

Then, when you bowl in a tournament (or league), you will be accustomed to this wonderful ability of ACCOMPLISHMENT.

But remember, just like your biceps, it will take some time to train that wonderful thing that we all have; The Brain. YOU CAN DO IT.

It doesn’t matter how many or how few steps a bowler takes. It only matters that the number gets the athlete to the line with the proper timing to execute the best shot that bowler can make. Here are some hints about helping an athlete get to the line in ‘their own good time’.

GOING FROM FOUR STEPS TO FIVE

This can be done for several reasons: to generate more speed; to aid timing; to force smaller steps; or just because the bowler wants to do it. It could also be a weapon in the arsenal of the person who is really versatile and wants to do both four and five steps depending on what the lane wants. Many athletes have a real fear of adding a step you’ve got to sell the mind first.

There is sometimes great fear about going to five steps. Keep in mind that it really doesn’t matter if the athlete takes 16 steps; it’s only the last four that count. We are not really going to take five steps; it’s more like 4.3. The first ’step’ is with the left foot and it is just a small shuffling move forward. The heel doesn’t even need to leave the floor. It’s just a get started move. When approached like this the fear is reduced. A small shuffling baby step isn’t a real step; it’s just the ignition for a great start!

This get-started step is generally very short. Emphasize that the whole body moves forward, not just the left foot. The entire body is involved. In a five-step delivery, the left foot moves first. Usually the weight in the stance of this type of delivery is on the right heel. This allows the free movement of the left foot to initiate the start and negates the need for any weight transfer since the weight is already where it needs to be.

Another note here about the start and five steps: ‘textbook’ timing says that the ball and foot move together. At the end of the second step the ball is usually over the right calf or wherever it needs to be to achieve good timing for that bowler. When teaching five steps, ‘textbook’ would be that the ball doesn’t move until the right foot does.

I believe the goal is to get that ‘perfect’ timing position. It doesn’t matter if the ball moves with the first step or the second of a five-step delivery as long as whatever promotes good timing. In fact, sometimes it’s easier to teach a five-step delivery if you move the ball on the first step. That way the bowler doesn’t have to think “Step, push. No, that isn’t it. It’s sttteeeeppppp, push. No, that isn’t it. It’s steppush.” If everything is supposed to move at the same time, a much more smooth and fluid start can be accomplished. The only caution is that if the ball is moved on the first step it shouldn’t be moved as far or as fast as it would be if it were moved on the second step. Remember, it just needs to help achieve whatever timing is best.

GOING FROM FIVE TO FOUR

This might occur for several reasons. Let’s say that timing is adversely affected by five steps. For instance, your right-handed, five-step athlete takes a huge first step which destroys timing and cadence and everything you’ve tried has failed. Well, let’s try eliminating it all together! There could be fear.

To make either of the changes discussed in this article, you might have to get physical! By that I mean you’ll have to become involved in helping the athlete feel the cadence of rhythm of four-to-five or five-to-four. Whether you are going from five-to-four or teaching a four-step delivery to a newcomer, this method works quite well.

Move up on the approach and go through the four steps many times without the ball using this protocol: Start with just walking. Have the bowlers hands on there hips and walk to foul line. Walk beside them saying “Right, left, right, slide.” Be content with the first few attempts being tentative. After you get the distance from the foul line worked out and the cadence feels comfortable,remind them to bend there knees and slide. Because the bowler is concentrating on the new feel of these steps, and is likely to forget to slide. That’s okay for the first few times but not sliding will give them a different feel and certainly is not something they will do for real when the ball in there hand so they might as well start now to do it right.

With your left arm, put the bowlers right arm wherever they normally hold the ball in the stance, palm up and elbow wherever it normally is. Be sure the left hand is also involved in this pretend game by helping hold the imaginary ball. Put your left hand in the palm of the bowling hand with your left forearm paralleling ther right forearm.

If you feel the slightest resistance or they try to move there arm them-self, stop. Urge them to give up control and let you have it. It usually only takes one time for this to happen. The next time there is no resistance or so little you only need to stop the process one more time before they understand walking to the foul line attached to you is not only doable but is a smoother and free-flowing feeling. Move there arm with the steps as the two of you walk together to the foul line. Be sure and bring there arm all the way out simulating a great follow through. You might not get all the way to the foul line the first few times. Do not be concerned.

Do this as many times as necessary. You are trying to build FEEL since that is what they fear - “How will this feel?” When they realizes it not only doesn’t feel too bad, it’s pretty easy, you’ll both be very happy.

Well there you have a simple method for teaching a four-step delivery to an inexperienced bowler and a fear-reducing way to go from four-to-five or five-to-four for the more experienced player. Have a great time with it!

Oh, those precious minutes of practice before league! There are so many things you need to do with it. Sometimes it’s long enough and sometimes it’s not. You’ve got to get your drink, fight for your table, shuffle the cards, greet everybody, and oh yeah, find the shot.

I am, of course, assuming here that you are being treated like the athlete you are and bowling in a place which recognizes that bowling is a sport and therefore you have adequate time to warm up your body and prepare for competition. This truly is not the time to do all those things in the first paragraph. That should have happened long before you hear the call, “Greetings and welcome to the members of the Splits Happen League. Your lanes are coming on for your practice session.”

Before that announcement, you have checked all of your balls to be sure they fit and placed the ones you intend to try first on the rack. The others are close by so when you need to go to them in practice, they are available and not in a bag far away (like in the trunk or the garage). You have your shoes on and have checked the approaches properly, your towel is in place, your drinking water is ready. You have stretched your body and allowed one of those well-fitting balls to swing your arm several times.

Let’s talk about that ‘checked all of your balls to be sure they fit’ comment. Just like you are wise enough to know that you must go with whatever game you brought with you tonight, you also should know that whatever adjustments you have made to the fit by taking tape out or adding tape must be done to ALL your equipment, not just the ones on the rack. What if those balls on the rack fit you but not the lane? You cannot afford to watch other people warm up while you have to make a ball (that you left in your bag because you didn’t think you’d need it) fit your hand.

I can hear some of you saying you wouldn’t take that time. You’re thinking “Oh, my thumb will swell/shrink in a minute and then I can throw it better”. In the meantime, you are getting bad reads because you are compensating for a ball that doesn’t fit by not putting your thumb or fingers all the way in or squeezing to hold on. Either way, you can’t throw the ball like you will when it fits, therefore whatever information you obtain is tainted. You have cleared your mind of work clutter and traffic trash from the day. You have decided to make the best shots you can make and take your chances. You wait patiently by the monitor, as physically and mentally ready as you can be.

IT’S PRACTICE TIME
There are several things you need to find out as quickly as possible. Use your practice time wisely. Even if you don’t have time to try everything on the list before the arrows come up, be sure that you try them early in the competition to see what the lane really wants you to do. It is not in your best scoring interest to assume that searching for the right match-up ends when practice does.

1. Choose the line.
2. Choose the ball.
3. Try different axis rotations.
4. If one of them works, try another. It might be even better!
5. Lay the ball down early.
6. Try a little loft. Either laying the ball down early or lofting it will be the most effective to a) get to the pocket or b) carry. There is a distinction there. Getting to the pocket and pinging back row is comforting (”Well, I am in the pocket every time”) and frustrating (”but I just can’t carry”). Change something, particularly if other people are carrying. The best way to know if the lane wants early laydown or a little loft is to try both. What’s going to happen, you might not carry?
7. If you have found a shot, move. Try to find another one. I don’t mean a two board move. I mean go to a totally different area of the lane. If you can play down 8, can you swing 15? That’s like having a savings account. You’ll have somewhere to go if the shot you thought you found goes away or is not scoring well.

How do you decide which shot to use? There are several considerations:

Which one will carry best?
Pay attention to your how your strikes fall. Does this house carry better light? If so, you’ll want to be a little left of perfect. If high hits carry and your most common error is to pull it, don’t move. That would mean when you make your most common error, you have a good chance of striking. If you hit flush do you leave back row? Then don’t hit flush. Line up to hit the pocket at the highest carry percentage for that house.

Which one will last the longest?
It depends on how many people are playing there, what type of equipment they are using, and something you might not be able to know, what type of oil is being used. You can know, however, that temperature affects the behavior of oil dramatically. If it’s cold the oil won’t move as much or as quickly as it does when it’s hot. Don’t judge the temperature of the center by how hot you are while you’re bowling. A more accurate assessment of what temperature the oil is responding to is if the hundreds of fans watching you bowl are in parkas.

Which one will everyone else play?
That would depend on what type of bowler they are. If you are crossing with crankers, they’ll choose a different line than a tweener. Just pay attention during practice and prepare some options. Sometimes in practice you can’t tell where someone intends to play. If you have made a decision based on what you have seen in practice and they change lines, you could be surprised instead of prepared.

Who’s on the pair with you?
If the folks on your pair are cranker types, they’ll be swinging the ball a lot or a little and probably playing inside. If you want to play inside, you’ll be in there with them and the shot might change very quickly and a lot. If you choose to play outside of them, when you get ready to move, you might have to make a big move left and go around them. Keep in mind that men usually break the lane down diagonally and women generally break the lane down north and south.

If you are playing with straighties or tweeners and have something inside, you might want to start there and then stay ahead of them moving in on top of you. If you have to play where they are playing, be aware of quick or drastic lane transition. If folks are playing all over the lane, stay alert.

Please note your comfort zone was not a consideration about where to play.

If you only have time in your abbreviated practice session to try forward roll, don’t bowl defensively. “Well, I sort of found a shot with forward roll. What if it’s worse with side roll? Better not change anything.” Use the early frames to try all the options. Experimenting to find a better line is worth the low count or open you might encounter. Remember, you can’t start over but you can start right here and make a new beginning. You do not want to drive home wondering what would have happened if…