The BTM Book Report: ‘One Frame at a Time’

Tyrel Rose and Bill Sempsrott have teamed up to publish Bowling This Month’s first book, One Frame at a Time, which is a collection of tips and advice for bowlers at any skill level. While we typically focus this article series on books from outside of the bowling industry, we wanted to take this opportunity to share with our readers some information about One Frame at a Time and how it can be used to improve your bowling.

The book, which is organized into five categories, presents bowling advice in bite-sized chunks, with each page containing a single tip. Many of the book’s tips were originally shared in our popular Quick Tip Tuesday email and social media campaign over the past several years, but it also contains new tips written exclusively for the book.

The “Physical Game” chapter provides technical corrections, such as how to fix timing or change ball speeds. It also includes instructions on how to perform certain drills, such as the crossover step drill and the slide drill.

In the section about “Equipment, Layouts, and Fitting,” bowlers can learn more about bowling balls, their cores, coverstocks, and surfaces, as well as the importance of a good fit. There’s also advice on what to look for in selecting a pro shop professional, how to know when it’s time to check your fit, and tips for improving your thumb exit.

The “Lane Play” chapter is a robust collection of tips to take away the mystery of bowling tactical strategies. Covering everything from oil pattern variables and strategies for playing different patterns to the importance of topography, this section has everything bowlers need to improve their lane play skills.

The “Mental Game” section provides actionable tips and instructions on how to practice different mental skills that bowlers can apply almost right away.

Finally, the “Practice and Spare Shooting” chapter offers advice to improve the effectiveness of training sessions, as well as some sample practice plans and advice on how to best warm up for competition. Spare shooting strategy is also included in this section to help bowlers improve their spare conversion percentage.

Not every page will apply to every bowler, but there’s enough actionable content that bowlers of any level can improve their practice habits and their performance on the lanes.

Application

Many elite athletes will refer back to a favorite book or section of a book when preparing for competition. With this in mind, One Frame at a Time compiles some of the best and most popular advice for bowlers to improve their games and also to use as reminders, when needed.

Looking at one example from the book, “The Slide Drill” is a tip that focuses on a specific drill for bowlers to use in practice. It describes how to perform the drill and details what elements of your game can be improved by using it. On the other hand, “Performing Under Pressure” is a tip from the mental game section that you can rehearse and practice away from the lanes, but you can also review this tip before a big competition in order to remind yourself of the key points.

In some cases, a bowler might practice and work on a specific tip for several weeks, such as improving their swing plane. Other tips can be incorporated almost immediately upon reading. It’s not a book that’s necessarily meant to be read cover-to-cover. Readers are encouraged to skip to the section they’re most interested in, find a tip on a subject where they’re struggling, and work on improving it. Then, go to another tip when they feel ready.

Better practice habits

Every bowler has probably heard that they should practice with a purpose. Unfortunately, this can be easier said than done when you’re not really sure how to attack a certain problem. In many cases, bowlers simply aren’t sure what to do during their practice sessions, and this is especially true if they don’t have anything particular to work on that day. With a variety of practice plans that include mental training and skill development, bowlers can refer to this book when they feel stuck on what to do during practice, or when they feel the need to add some variety into the mix.

Actionable mental game tips

Sport psychology can feel complicated. The goal of the book’s mental game section is to offer actionable advice and tips that bowlers can incorporate immediately into their practices and competitions. From understanding the value of a deep breath to advice on how to practice your pre-shot routine, this book offers more than just a description of what the mental game is. Instead, it also tells you how to use it.

Bowlers could easily keep this book in their bowling bag and review the tips that are most important and most relevant to their games each time they go out on the lanes.