Article Contents
- 1. Building your pillars
- 2. The direction spot
- 2.1. Versatility
- 2.2. Precision
- 2.3. Repeatability
- 3. Why alignment isn’t always enough
- 4. What is the direction spot?
- 4.1. Looping inside-out
- 4.2. Shouldn’t everything be in line?
- 5. Improving the direction spot
- 6. Final thoughts
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Over my next several articles, I will introduce the concept of the Five Pillars of Bowling Excellence. These pillars represent the key areas in which a bowler must gain proficiency to achieve a high level of success in this sport.
Whenever you work on the physical aspect of your game, you want to improve at least one of these pillars. For example, correcting your footwork to arrive at the line more consistently would improve both your precision and repetition.
Each of these five areas is necessary for a bowler to perform well in competition:
- Versatility: The ability of the athlete to play in any part of the lane, controlling their speed, axis rotation, and alignment to make the required adjustments.
- Precision: The ability to make the ball go where you intend for it to go.
- Repetition: The physical consistency in your execution, enabling precise and versatile performance shot after shot.
- Power: The combination of ball speed and revolutions to deliver energy to the ball to maximize hitting power.
- Knowledge: Understanding when and how to use each of your skills. Information plus experience equals knowledge.
Building your pillars
It’s important to understand the balance and requirements of each of these pillars. Too much emphasis on one area can leave you missing out in other areas. Bowlers must also understand that growth can be slow and it will be a long-term process.
Traditional coaching emphasizes the fundamentals and focuses on the repetition aspect of the game, with less importance placed on power.
In this situation, growth tends to be slow and often sporadic, with success only occurring in specific circumstances. The modern game, however, is much more fluid. It demands power, versatility, and a deep knowledge of the game.
On the other hand, some bowlers and coaches focus on technical information and try to build a knowledge base without the requisite experience. The athlete focuses on the fine details, finding excuses in intricate, nuanced data, and struggles …