Patience

"Hey, Choc, this is just not working, man. You keep telling me to move and make adjustments but I still can't get the strikes or spares." I'll give you three guesses as to how many times that happens and the first two guesses don't count - 1) rarely, 2) occasionally, 3) frequently.

Many people nowadays think that their game will improve "during the next 20-second commercial break." We have developed into a society that believes that anything can be accomplished overnight and we don't have to wait for any solutions. Instant everything. I have come to realize that one of my tasks as a coach is to teach people patience.

What I have learned about the sport of bowling is a result of over 40 years of studying, observing, practicing, and participating. And honestly, if I want to keep improving my game, I don't feel that I can stop studying, observing, practicing, and participating. The game is ever-evolving and there are just too many subtleties to it. Like everything else worth doing, the more you learn, the more difficult it becomes.

Let's take a look, then, at the S.O.P.P. "Choc-List" that I will expand on here:

1) Study. Read, watch videos, and listen to audios about bowling. Old stuff, outdated stuff, new stuff. Go to the library, visit bookstores, go online. Buy them, borrow them, download them. Become the expert.

2) Observe. Watch lower average bowlers. Pretend you are coaching them. Ask yourself what you would tell them about their game that could help them improve. (Be careful here as you don't want to give uncalled for or unwanted advice.).Watch higher average bowlers. Watch their style, their approach, how they release their ball. Ask yourself, "why are they averaging better than me?" Watch the Pros on TV. Listen to the tips given. Don't just count the strikes and spares, you want to know how they happened.

3) Practice. In the absence of a coach you can work with, set a course of action for yourself. Set goals and milestones. What do you want to improve? How will you get there? What are the problems? What are the proposed solutions? What do you need to get to your goals? Practice with a purpose.

4) Participate. Join leagues. Enter tournaments. Singles events, doubles events, team events. Just go. Don't think of all the "what-ifs" from a negative point of view. "What will happen if I embarrass myself?" Instead, ask yourself, "what if I don't embarrass myself?" "What's the worst thing that could happen?" Most people are more concerned with not embarrassing themselves; they don't have time to see if you are embarrassing yourself.

"There was a time when Patience ceased to be a virtue. It was long ago." -Charlotte Perkins Gilman-

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)