Dr. Chris Mesagno is a senior lecturer in Exercise and Sport Psychology at Federation University Australia and received his Ph.D. from Victoria University (Australia), specializing in Sport Psychology and Motor Learning. Dr. Chris is a competitive bowler of 30 years, he was a member and assistant coach of the University of Florida bowling team from 1998-2001, and he is both a Tenpin Bowling Australia Level 1 Certified Coach and a USBC Bronze Level Coach.
In the previous installment of this series, I introduced the idea of overthinking, I detailed the frequency of thoughts that should occur as people progress through learning a skill, and I covered when thinking too much may be both good... [Read More]
It has been a while since my last Bowling This Month article, but I think this will be an interesting topic for bowlers and coaches alike. The inspiration for writing this two-part series came to me after conducting a bowling psychology course... [Read More]
It always amazes me how some bowlers rely completely on new equipment to better their bowling games. From youth players, seniors, national champs, and bowlers I work with personally, I see social media posts every week about the new balls... [Read More]
Because of my work commitments and living arrangements, it has been roughly 10 years since I have bowled in any tournaments. Although I have continued my coaching and sport psychology consulting with bowlers during that time, I have only recently... [Read More]
As I sit and write this article, the 2016 Olympic Games are in full swing. Going into the second week, some athletes have won gold medals even when not expected to, but there have been other athletes who have succumbed... [Read More]
In my previous BTM article, I introduced situation-based commonalities I have experienced when working with athletes who are susceptible to choking under pressure. I also covered common personality characteristics identified in the research literature that are associated with choking. In... [Read More]
As a sport psychology consultant, one of the most common requests I receive is how to perform well when it counts the most. Many athletes tell me that they get nervous when under pressure and that they performance poorly (or... [Read More]
As I was writing my previous article about Facebook use in bowling, the prestigious USBC Masters was being contested in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The tournament's back-to-back champion, Jason Belmonte (“Belmo” as he is known in Australia), was looking to become... [Read More]
In my last article, I made the case for developing a stronger athlete, rather than bowler, image. I mentioned, “...much of my bowling research indicates bowlers have a lower athletic identity than other athletic sports.” I would like to share... [Read More]
Sport psychology researchers speculate that, at the elite level, psychological skills are important to athletic success. When athletic ability, training, and shot execution remain constant among athletes, psychological skills play a major factor in determining outcome. Bowling is no exception.... [Read More]