Missing parts in your game? A summertime assessment that lists your bowling strengths and weaknesses will reward you in the fall - Lane Logic - Cover Story - Column

Bowling Digest, August, 2003 by Kim Adler

THIS PAST OFF SEASON STRETCHED from November 11 to May 28 for me. During this period, I had one tournament to bowl and lots of free time on my hands.

What do you do with your time off from league play? Your free time is considerably less than mine was, but you may be able to implement some of my suggestions to make it worth a great deal to both your bowling and your life. Because bowling is life ... right?

MAKE A LIST

If you are not a writer or a keeper of lists, become one. You can help your bowling by taking some time to identify and review both your positive and negative bowling habits. Don't worry--it's not a novel, just a list. What this list is not is a place to destroy your confidence and put yourself down. Your list should just be words to put in front of you to make yourself aware of what you have done well in your past bowling season (or seasons, if it has been a while since your last personal bowling inventory).

The two categories you should use for your bowling inventory are strengths and weaknesses. Be generous when listing strengths, as we're often our own worst enemies. Examples of strengths could include "making all of my spares except 10-pins," "striking out in the 10th frame," or "handling pressure."

Even if you are new to bowling and still learning the game, there are things you are already good at. You might realize you had a more open mind than you expected, or that you improved more quickly than other bowlers.

If it is difficult for you to come up with anything that you're good at, you're not being as easy on yourself as you could. You can be "easy" on yourself and still set realistic improvement goals and push yourself.

Making a list of your weaknesses will tell you, obviously, what you aren't so good at. But more importantly, it will tell you how you see yourself.

As a professional bowler, my goals are different than those of a recreational bowler, but if you are in the middle of the road, bowling weekend tournaments on occasion, and aren't doing as well as you would like, you need to compile your list by looking at people you admire in and out of the sport. What traits do you admire about them (traits, not accomplishments)?

Let me give you some of my personal examples, some of my observations from last December: I feel that my spare shooting has declined in the past few years, Part of the reason is related to lane condition. Part of my lower spare-making percentage is mental ... there are just a few spares, of a few lane-condition scenarios, which have just made me feel uncomfortable. This mindset, like all mindsets, is not "just how I am," because "I" am always evolving, and that mindset would stick me into excuse-land for who knows how long!

So as you can see, "spares" played a prominent role on my list of weaknesses. On the other hand, my strengths included the fact that I feel I can do more with a bowling ball than most lady bowlers. I can change my rotation, speed, and tilt by consciously deciding what to do and by then doing it.

CHECK IT TWICE

Review your list many times. Walk away from it, come back and add to it, and revise it. This is not an hourlong lesson, but an ongoing, lengthy observation of your life. Face it without any excuses. And work some caring time into your list because, after all, it is about you.

After that, what do you do? Upon the "completion" of your list, observe the most important items--usually the ones you were either quick to write down or the ones you really struggled to write--because those are the most important items to you. For the moment, don't focus on the middle items.

Ask yourself some questions at this point. What will you have to do to improve upon your most prominent weaknesses? List some answers, then go to your coach, pro shop operator, or anyone whose opinion you respect, and ask them for solutions or directions to follow to find a solution. I reviewed my lists with my coach.

Don't have a coach? Well, that might be a weakness to add to your list!

DECIDE ON A PLAN OF ACTION

It won't matter how many lists you write or how many people you talk to if you do not plan a course of action and follow through with it. Make an outline of practice plans or some type of schedule that will help get you to your goal. Don't make excuses and bail out. Do it!

For my spare-making, I used several methods over the six-month break to improve, including days of practice in which I did not keep score and worked on certain spares, days when I did keep score, shooting at all spares, days when I incorporated various lane conditions into my spare-making, and working with my coach on improving my angles on the common sport patterns we use on tour with a new plastic ball drilled differently than my original plastic.

I don't spend every day working on weaknesses. I have found that it is equally important to remember to practice bowling my "A" game as well. My personal fist has both strengths and weaknesses, so I practice within both.

DON'T GIVE UP

It is important to note that if you want to improve your bowling game, you must bowl. During the summer it can be challenging to get inside and bowl. I saw a T-shirt the other day that said, THE MORE YOU SWEAT IN PRACTICE, THE LESS YOU BLEED IN WAR.