You’re bowling on a 38-foot pattern. You use the “Rule of 31” to establish that your ball should come out of the pattern on board 7, giving you a breakpoint around board 6. You take out your benchmark ball, but... [Read More]
The first two parts of my troubleshooting series focused on physical issues, such as missing your target and release and balance problems. It’s time to approach things in a different way with another troubleshooting article. Rather than focusing on specific... [Read More]
In the first part of this series, we discussed evaluating and tracking your mental game, the importance of routines, and the foundational skill of visualization. The final two tips related to the mental game in this series are developing resilience... [Read More]
While working on my Anger Management article, I was naturally thinking of other mental game concepts. Given that so much of the mental game is connected by foundational skills, and how much of it is applicable regardless of your level... [Read More]
When I was 18, I attended the Coca-Cola Youth Championships, the precursor to Junior Gold. On Saturday night, the guest speaker was Parker Bohn III, who regaled us with a story about his method of anger management. When feeling frustrated,... [Read More]
American entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., once said, "You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear." While he certainly wasn't talking about what a bowler faces as they step onto the approach, it’s very applicable. More than almost anything... [Read More]
It’s the gold medal match of the doubles event at the 2017 World Games in Poland. I’m coaching two of Canada’s best players: 2014 world champion Dan MacLelland and rising PBA star Francois Lavoie. In the final match against Venezuela,... [Read More]
Developing a good “feel” for the lanes is not about feel at all. It’s about allowing your unconscious mind—your gut—to make decisions based on all of the sensory input you are receiving, primarily from what you are seeing. Before bowlers... [Read More]
In my coaching work at international competitions, my job many times came down to presenting options to players. As a coach, it’s rarely a good idea to make decisions for your players, so the goal is to help guide them... [Read More]
Every bowler wants to improve their decision-making on the lanes, from the beginning bowler just learning about oil patterns to the professional who is looking for those extra hits that make the difference between a check and a missed cut.... [Read More]