Learning From Kelly Kulick's Mental Attitude

Kelly Kulick made history. There were many of you who had the opportunity to watch this momentous event last week on ESPN. That broadcast was the subject of the week and while I was not able to watch the live broadcast, I was able to watch videos of it within days after. I always knew that the day would occur; it was not a matter of "if," but rather, "when." The "who" was a toss-up because there are some pretty terrific ladies bowling on not only the national, but international scene as well.

In one of the first articles I ever published here (April, 2007), I stated, "Indeed, there are now some top female bowling athletes bringing down the barriers at the professional level and it will not be very long before many of them will make it to the television broadcasts on a regular basis. This is a welcome phenomenon that can only serve to help the image of the sport of bowling and help to increase the popularity of the game."

I hope that many of you did not miss one of the most important aspects of that occasion and that was the talk of Kelly's "Mental Game." Not only did Randy Pederson make a comment about it toward the end of the show when he remarked about her mental attitude and toughness to have accomplished the victory; but, if you watched the interviews and commentary throughout the broadcast, people were constantly speaking about the mental game, in general.

When asked how she felt about bowling against men, she answered, "I have nothing to lose." Mika Koivuniemi and Chris Barnes were asked what their opinions were about bowling against a female and they both said (in so many words) that it wasn't about gender because at their level, it is "bowler against bowler." There was a key comment that Kelly made and that was that she was only bowling against the pins. Can you imagine the pressure that was on her to have been the only woman in the qualifying field of a prestigious major tournament and 48 games later she is seeded 2nd? What a tremendous outlook, "I am only bowling against the pins."

And that brings me again to my "Choc-List" of things to consider for your mental attitude and game:

1) Bowl for yourself. What do you want out of our sport? What is your "why?" Sit down and write down what your goals are with regards to bowling. Set out how you are going to reach those goals.

2) You can't control outside occurrences, you can only control your reaction to them. Why do all the elite bowlers turn their eyes away when their opponent is rolling their frames? If your competition throws a lucky strike, remember, "the rule book says how many, not how." You get upset only if you allow yourself to. Bowl your own game.

3) Take deep breaths. Slow yourself down. How many times did you see Kelly take deep breaths? I can tell you that it was many times. She never allowed herself to lose focus. Follow your -re-shot routine. If you go back and review the videos of the broadcast, watch for each bowlers routine. It is part of their game and should be part of yours.

4) Make a list of all your positive accomplishments and commend yourself for having achieved them. Keep adding to the list as you go through your daily life. Keep reading the list over and over again in order that they stay fresh in your mind and you constantly give yourself a positive boost.

There is a commercial that airs regularly and it makes the comment that, "...he lives vicariously, through himself." It is not conceit, it is having a positive mental attitude. It is the mental attitude that you need to take your bowling to the next level.

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)