Keep your balance, inside and out: thinking like Tiger means having both your physical and mental game in top condition and putting yourself in position to achieve success - Lane Logic

Bowling Digest, Oct, 2003 by Kim Adler

I'M NOT AN AVID READER. I READ, but I don't have a book in my hand at every free moment. Most of my reading is work-related, nonfiction that covers topics to improve my life in some way. In fact, I've amassed quite a library at home, with the majority of the books being nonfiction.

I know you're probably not reading to learn about my book collection, but I have stumbled across one volume that will make a huge difference in your mental game on the lanes. I know it has mine.

Let me first say that I encourage you to seek out a variety of books to improve your bowling. But don't limit yourself strictly to bowling manuals; I have needed to step outside the traditional "bowling books" for instruction because there is just not enough within our sport dedicated to the mental side of the game.

Last year, while spending some free time in a local bookstore, I found "Think Like Tiger," by John Andrisani. I was not alone in this discovery, even among pro bowlers. Not long after that, I spotted Marianne DiRupo with the book while bowling match play, and she has obviously applied some of its information toward more successful seasons in late 2002 and 2003.

By sharing some of its information, and "translating" it from golf to bowling, I hope to help you sneak inside the minds of PWBA/PBA pros for some seldom-revealed tips on the mental game.

There has been a meticulously exercised game plan for Tiger Woods' success; nothing has been left to chance. "Team Tiger" includes Tiger's parents (Earl and Tida), Rudy Duran, Dr. Jay Brunza, John Anselmo, and Butch Harmon. Each person has added a part to help complete Tiger's mental and physical game puzzle. As a result, he has one of strongest mental games in his--or any--sport, ever.

Tiger's mental strength allows him to:

1. Stay confident from start to finish.

2. Remain in a cocoon of concentration when preparing for a shot.

3. Pick the right equipment a high percentage of the time.

4. Consistently set up square to the ball.

5. Focus intently on his target and stay focused under pressure.

6. Consistently picture, then repeat, a rhythmic and powerful swing.

7. Hit spectacular, on-target shots in almost every tournament he competes in.

8. Routinely stay in control of his emotions throughout the round.

9. Learn from his mistakes. (As good as Tiger is, he realizes what sport psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella preaches: "Golf is not a game of 'perfect.'" Consequently, Tiger knows how to keep himself in the game mentally after hitting a bad shot, getting a bad bounce, making the wrong choice of club or shot, or watching an opponent hit a miracle shot.)

10. Dominate the world of professional golf.

Change out "golf" for "bowling" and "club" for "ball" and you can understand why I was excited to read this book. Don't we all want to excel in the very same ways within our sport?

Earl and Tida set Tiger's path. As a babe, Earl sat Tiger in a highchair to watch him practice his own swing. Earl did not allow Tiger to swing a club right away--he emphasized mental rehearsal. As a result, at 10 months old Tiger jumped down and mimicked Earl's swing perfectly. Lesson: When teaching children the sport, use a professionals great swings and approaches as tools for their own mental rehearsals. Sometimes it is more important to watch than to act. Videotape PBA/PWBA TV shows for this purpose.

Earl also taught the basics of golf to Tiger, including the importance of a good setup, putting 100% mental effort into each shot in practice, and aiming at a target while practicing instead of worrying about the score. Lesson: Earl was teaching Tiger things when Tiger was just a child that we are still struggling to learn in the howling world as adults. Practice if you want to get better, and practice with 100% purpose. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard is an example of how purposeful practice can lead to success.

The basics of a green-, yellow-, and red-light strategy--in other words, when to be more aggressive and when to be more careful--were "also given to Tiger by Earl. Earl would purposely distract Tiger by, for example, coughing during Tiger's backswing to help him with his focus. Lesson: There are times on some conditions when we all could apply a stoplight strategy. Be aware of the difference between conditions that warrant a high-risk adjustment vs. times when you just need to look for a way to get nine pins.

Tida is a devout Buddhist. She taught Tiger one of the most important lessons for sport and life: that we are human and capable of making mistakes. Intense concentration through daily meditation has raised Tiger to another level.

In the book, Andrisani writes, "Meditation also helps you overcome doubt and focus on the moment, which explains why [Tiger] seems very cocky and aloof. In reality, he's just positive and in the zone, focusing one-pointedly with no distractions."

This passage hit home for me because people misunderstand my own focus on TV, or during match play comment that I am boring to watch or aloof. On TV, the only thing I am thinking about between shots is my breathing. I've seen how irregular the breathing patterns of others can be sometimes. If they were only more aware of the discipline of slowing and steadying their breathing, I wonder how much better they would bowl?