Bowling with Leverage
by David A. Leverage
David A. Leverage is a Former exempt PBA Player, Silver level certified coach,
an ASU Bowling Alumni member, A 6 time PBA titleist, has (40) 300 games
and owns 2 Phoenix area Pro Shops.
Don’t give up!!!
Why are great people great at what they do? Because they are talented and because they do not give up. My years of coaching experience has led me to realize it takes about 21 minutes to form a new bowling habit. It is common knowledge that it takes about 21 days to form a habit. Whetehr it be trying to get on a diet program, exercise program or even to simply cut caffeine out of your morning ritual. By the way the caffeine one is overrated. Don’t cut our that morning coffee!!!
The point here is that most people in theire daily routines give up on something too early. I see the very same thing happen with my more than 100 bowling students who I work with. They try to make a change in their games but give up too soon and do not continue to try and make the necessary changes to become a better bowler.
When I was 14 I had a terrible time making the 10 pin… who hasn’t right? Well I wouldn’t settle for this and found out very quickly that I had many many 10 pins in my future so I beter figure out how to make one. So what did I do? I practiced the 10 pin for 2 straight hours trying different tricks, techniques, releases until I got it right. I didn’t give up after 5 or 10 minutes.
Too often when a bowler is trying to make a change they attempt a new technique 3 or 4 shots. They realize though that it feels different or awkward. It feels very uncomfortable and so after only a few attempts of doing it the proper way revert back to the old incorrect way because it feels normal or comfortable. What these bowlers do not realize is that after about 20 minutes of the proper technique, the new way begins to feel more natural and it is easier to repeat. As a matter of fact I have changed bowlers to the proper way and after 15-20 minutes they cannot remember how they used to do it there way. So if you are working on something, stick with it!!!!! And don’t give up!
Get trained by a certified instructor
Whether it be by myself or another certified instructor, make sure you are getting tips by someone with a trained eye. Not just some person who may be a good bowler. Just because someone has a high average doesn’t mean they have the knowledge or know how to transfer that knowledge to you or your game. It takes a trained certified bowling instructor to transform your game and take it to a higher level. Also be careful as to not get too many opinions from your fellow bowlers because they more often than not will tell you how they bowl as opposed to what you need to do to improve. Bowling instruction is all about getting your muscles to do the right things. It is up to your instructor to figure out how to communicate with you and how to get those muscle to bowl the right way and to reinforce that muscle memory so that it replaces the old wrong way with the new proper technique.
Learn to throw a hook
I have taught bowlers from 8 years old up to 70 years old how to throw a hook ball and nothing can improve your score more than learning my spare system or developing a hook. By learning to hook the ball, your ball will have entry angle to the pocket thus causing less deflection when your ball hits the pocket. Do you leave a lot of 9 counts, leaving that one final pins that seems to be laughing at you as it remains on the pin deck? Learn a hook and you will be sure to knock down that 10th pin more frequently. Trust me….Its a lot more fun to throw strikes!!!
Thank you to all of the people who have been emailing in real questions and ideas for upcoming articles. We always appreciate any and all input as we are always aspiring to help and educate bowlers so they can knock down more pins. As always you may email me at: daveleverage@yahoo.com.
"TEXT the Coach" As a new feature if you are having a problem and need a quick answer to that problem, send me a text message during your next practice session, league session, or tournament and I will do my best to reply in a timely manner. Text to 6025505788.