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

Be confident in your approach and in your swing. You must commit to your choices in order to have confidence. Tiger takes practice swings that are smooth (not slow) until he feels a sensation of where his hand is located during the swing and release.

We can do the same with our bowling balls. Many bowlers take a practice swing to make sure their fits are proper and the thumb hole is tight enough--but take that to the next level of feel and concentrate on more than finger tightness. Feel the location of the fingers or the thumb through the swing. How tight are your arm muscles? How does your upper body feel? The aim is a more relaxed, confident swing, and to achieve one you cannot feel stress in your shoulder blades.

I have seen people fight with their ball-placement shape during an entire round of bowling. Think positively, using positive images of what is working. Adjust to what is happening out on the lanes and use it as much to your advantage as you can by going with the flow.

I watched Lance Armstrong avoid a major mishap in Stage 9 of the 2003 Tour de France when Joseba Beloki fell just in front of him at about 50 mph after skidding on melting pavement. Armstrong also skidded and veered off track, which would have been the end for most riders. Instead of stopping, Armstrong actually continued riding off track to the bottom of a switchback, like a mountain biker, to meet back up with a small group of riders to finish the stage. Yes, he lost time, and it certainly wasn't a condition he had planned on encountering, but he went with the flow and created a successful outcome.

Many bowlers ask me how to read lanes. There is now more knowledge about equipment and physical game improvements than ever, but there's not a great deal of emphasis on lane play. In fact, some people consider lane play an art instead of a science.

But it's not about reading lanes--it's about reading your ball. It's about watching your ball, and seeing how it behaves, just like Tiger does in golf. Watch where your ball goes, how it rolls in the front, middle, and back end of the lane. See how much rotation the ball starts with and how much it still has at the end. When the ball leaves your hand, don't praise your ego for how much you got on the ball or how accurate you were. By the time your brain has had a chance to get caught up in emotion, valuable information-gathering time has passed. See how the ball enters the pocket and analyze your pin leave.

Once again, Dorin-Ballard is one of the best at keeping an eye on her ball. With approximately 10 current balls in her company's line, and four favorite drillings per ball, she needs to analyze each shot so that she can create a plan for equipment management--which ball to switch to once the one she is using doesn't work any longer. She can also change her speed, rotation, loft, and angle, "all based upon the information she gathers.

There's one motif Andrisani uses that resonates most deeply with me. Basically, he says that if you're not in good shape physically and spiritually, you'll have trouble executing your shots. The lesson I take from this? Create a balance in your life, and your bowling will improve.