Tip of the Month

My tip for this month is a universal and most important tip for every bowler to follow when they are practicing.

Practice is probably the most important part of bowling improvement and should be done in a manner, which fits the item or situation the bowler wishes to accomplish. To simply bowl and say that it is practice does nothing but make the individuals bowling prowess, improve ever so slightly.  However, the improvement factor if any, only slightly improves, accomplishing the good and the bad habits the bowler has.

If the bowler has a problem accomplishing something and they try to practice to improve their ability to make it happen; without the proper instruction of how they should go about making it happen, based on their manner of bowling, they are just  shoveling sand against the tide.

After the bowler is given the proper way to accomplish their endeavor, why that is the way, and what to do to make it happen; then and only then should they practice.  

Practice must be directed towards a specific item that the bowler wishes to improve and to make its improvement a part of the individuals muscle memory so that the path to end the result the bowler seeks, will happen automatically.  One must not have to think of what to do in a specific instance but rather do it as second nature.

The way to practice is to direct your efforts 100% to the item you wish to learn to do.  Such as if a ten pin is a problem for you!  You have the correction needed to make it.  Then you continuously roll your ball at the ten pin attempting to make it as you have been told to do it and continue until it is incepted in your muscle memory and you no longer have to; think of what to do; how to do it; then try to do it.  Now what is Muscle memory?

Have you seen a Golfer get ready to putt a ball on the green to the hole then after putting it the ball just about reaches the hole or if off line the pace is so that it reaches just slightly past the hole?  Well! The part of how far back to move the club and strike the ball, to move it to that particular distance is muscle memory. 

Have you wondered how a baseball player can throw a ball and it will reach the intended target, whether it is 20 feet; 60feet; or 100feet.  That is muscle memory.

I can go on and on but you can prove it to yourself by simply trying to toss an item into a basket or pail from six feet away.  Then move the pail to twelve feet away and try it a few more times.  The amount of effort you place into throwing the obstacle to get it to the pail at the two different distances is muscle memory.  If you fall short a few more tosses will give you the amount of effort needed to reach the pail that is called adjusting your muscle memory to reach the target.  After that your tosses will close to the pail; then you have a good chance of them going in.

Apply this to your practicing of how to remove a bad habit; install a good habit or simply learn how to accomplish something you find difficult to do.

Thank you, The Bowling Professor, Ed Signoretti