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 problems, this article will detail a hypothetical timeline from a typical league night. We’ll cover some of the physical, mental, and tactical bumps in the road that can derail bowlers of any level, along with how to troubleshoot these issues.
Remember that troubleshooting is the process of giving a quick fix to problems in the moment, in particular for things that aren’t necessarily recurring in the long term. If the issues listed below are things that you struggle with all the time, then some of the fixes presented will help, but I’d recommend working one-on-one with a qualified coach to address the root causes that might go beyond the scope of this article.
For the purpose of simplifying the mental aspects of this article, we’ll ignore any possible outside factors that might affect your mental state before going to the lanes, such as a stressful day at work or the well-being of a loved one. These are not necessarily things you can troubleshoot, as they instead require some specific mental skills and routines to help clear your mind and stay focused on bowling.
With that in mind, let’s start with you, the bowler, arriving at the lanes in good spirits, saying hello to fellow bowlers, unpacking your equipment, and shoeing up for the night. What happens next is entirely up to you.
Testing the approaches
If you aren’t yet in the habit of doing a test slide or two before practice starts, it is definitely a good habit to get into. Even if you don’t test the approaches, you might throw your first ball while warming up and find that ...
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