A Bigger Sport Shot - Tips for Dealing with the Pandemic

A Bigger Sport Shot

By

Dean Hinitz, Ph.D.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation,

we are challenged to change ourselves.”

                                                                                                Victor Frankl, Author

To Our Kegel Family, Friends, and Team:

Bowling has taught us everything we need to learn in order to get through this challenging time. The oil has been changed. The line has moved. This sport shot is called the World Pattern. We are going to play it exactly like we play a difficult pattern that we haven’t yet experienced or mastered. You have what you need to succeed on this “shot. “

We are going to use this time to get better at life, and every single lesson you learn is going to work for you when the lights come on. All bowling is change. This includes strike lines, energy levels, emotional ups and downs, hits, misses, and resilience. Similarly, life is change.

As in bowling, we don’t want to spend one calorie of energy resisting inevitable change. If you can learn to embrace and adapt to change, you will be on the fast track to easing anxiety and concerns, and your relationships with everyone around you will be strengthened. You will certainly feel much stronger inside!

Translate the following to apply to bowling, competition, and to life—particularly in the present day:

1)     Focus on the part of the game that you control. You only control what you focus on, what you visualize, and what you execute in bowling. This is true for every shot. Similarly, these days, you can plan your day. You will decide what to read, how to do home drills, what exercises to do, who to connect with on facetime, and what you can do in school or work.

That’s it. If you focus on what has been lost, circumstances that cannot be changed, or blaming people, you will feel powerless and uncomfortable. Look for ways to be responsible for things you can put into action. Take positive action in any way that you can. You will like the result.

2)    Monitor your thought habits. When the lights come on your mind can race. You can think in catastrophic terms when things don’t go well. You can fear what might happen next.

Stop for a moment. Take a breath. Will yourself to be in the present moment. It doesn’t mean that you are being an ostrich with its head in the sand when you remember that you have already survived difficulties, hurts, disappointments, and scary times.

Remember that you are resilient, that you are capable of dealing with unknown circumstances, and that you have great connections and resources. You have strengths. You just probably haven’t been focusing on those strengths. 

3)    Maintain your connections. Don’t go at it alone. No one gets to the hall of fame on their own. Life demands that we have teammates, mentors, coaches, and a support crew.

Competing can be overwhelming, especially if you make the finals. We are in a sort of society game now. Changes in behavior, different rules, and closed bowling centers, can be overwhelming as well. Yes, this is big.

There may be no bigger purpose, or way to get through life, than with significant others. This is a time to deepen, fortify, and enrich, the special relationships we have. Your family, friends, and bowling mates are what will be your most important coping and growth mechanism.

It is true that this is a time of challenge and stress. You are being tested. You have what you need. You are supposed to come out of this better. You will focus on the moment and the day. You will take effective actions, and you can let the parts that are out of your control go. You are training for bowling, and you are training for life.

And we are with you.

The very best regards,

Dr. Dean Hinitz, and the entire team here at Kegel

“You have the power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”  Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor and Stoic Philosopher

Development Pyramid

Bowling is a challenging sport.  No matter how long you have been bowling there is always something you can improve.  The hardest part of getting better is knowing what to improve.  By understanding what areas need development, and where to find help, your chances of improvement increase dramatically.

There are three stages of development for a bowler: physical game, lane play, and mental game. Each stage has different areas to concentrate on, with different people that can help you.

The first thing any bowler learns is the physical game.  The physical game consists of two parts. The first part is developing consistency.  Consistency is being able to throw the ball the same speed, with a similar release, and in the desired target range from shot to shot.  The second part is versatility which is being able to use different releases, ball speeds, and targets without sacrificing consistency.  Most bowlers first develop consistency then learn to make changes to better match up to different lane conditions.  When seeking help with physical game good places to look are your local pro shop or a USA bowling certified coach.  Another good tool to use is Computer Aided Tracking System (C.A.T.S.®).  C.A.T.S. uses sensors placed on the lane that measure your ball speed and location on every shot.  By practicing with C.A.T.S. you can analyze your accuracy over a range of shots.

The second stage for development is lane play.  Lane play ties closely in with the 2nd part of the physical game.  As a bowler becomes more versatile he/she then begins to learn what changes are possible.  One of the most important keys to lane play is understanding the differences between your equipment. Lane play is understanding which of these changes have the highest chance for success.  It is usually learned in three primary ways: trial and error, watching others, and training. This stage can be one of the most frustrating because there is not one definitive answer for every situation.  The best people to help you in this stage are pro shop operators with an advanced understanding of lane patterns and ball motion.  Another avenue for help is finding other higher average bowlers that have similar styles as you.  By watching what part of the lane and what type of bowling ball they are using you can find ways to match up similarly with your own bowling.

The last and hardest stage, that ultimately means maturity as a bowler, is developing a competent mental game.  The mental game consists of being able to tie in the other two stages with a thought pattern and self awareness that helps to lead to higher scores.  What our body does is highly affected by what we are thinking.  Why is the 11th strike in a row harder than the first 10?  Did we change anything physically? No, the only changes are the perception of changes that we put into the picture.  The more you find yourself in pressure situations the easier it becomes to deal with it. It is the hardest stage to teach.  The best way is to develop self awareness to the point that you recognize not only your physical feel but also recognize the types of thought patterns that are present.  The more you develop this awareness the more confidently you will execute each shot leading to a better chance of success.  You can also seek help through professional sports psychologists such as Dr. Dean Hinitz.

One of the other great things about bowling is just when you think you have figured it out, they create a new conditioner, a new lane pattern, and new equipment that requires you to make new changes and new adjustments.

Finding the right help at the right time makes it much easier to develop your game to the next level. Another avenue of help that is available for any bowler is the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, FL. For more information go to www.kegeltrainingcenter.com or email

brent.sims@kegel.net