Who Is Your Bowling Mentor?

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 1/3/2014; Updated: 1/1/2023

Who is your bowling mentor? If you have someone to consult when you are not bowling as well as you wish, you can address almost any phase of your game and your strategies with your mentor.
Sometimes a mentor can simply be a teammate who knows your game well enough to make a comment here and there which can help get you back on track.
If your mentor is an experienced bowling instructor, you can schedule time together to discuss aspects of your game which may need some work.
It helps to articulate your feelings and thoughts about your game to someone who understands and who can share useful feedback.
If you have no mentor and are one who tries to rely on your own knowledge and experience to get you through minor slumps, it is important to make sure you do not over analyze your game. Simplify your process by working on just a couple of keys which are proven to get you back moving in the right direction.
If you are a good bowler and have a respectable average, you know what your capabilities are and you know some of your shortcomings will pop up here and there.
The key here is what you do about it and how you set out to get things going well again.
If you are having physical game issues, then get back to basics in practice.
Establish your pace and direction of your steps until they are repeatable and consistent.
Get your bowling ball into your swing soon enough so you are not late with your timing and have to force your delivery.
Keep your forward swing path close to your body. Avoid turning the ball too early by reducing your amount of finger rotation slightly as your thumb exits the ball.
Maintain good balance while you make practice deliveries so the keys to your game you work on are contained in a well balanced approach.

If you think you are struggling with making good adjustments on the lanes when you get a poor ball reaction, practice a couple of items in your personal “bag of tricks.” Such as double checking your delivery angle to your target, using consistent ball speed, getting the ball over the foul line the same distance each shot, and remaining focused on your sighting target.
If you are still getting a poor ball reaction, you likely should change bowling balls and realign yourself on the given lane condition. A ball change is the only way you can recover from a poor ball reaction if none of your own little adjustments are working.
The strategy when you must rely solely on your own judgement is to develop a good routine when you practice. Rehearse the important keys you know must be in order during competition. Play the lanes so you use the oil pattern to your best advantage, and making adjustments as needed instead of ignoring them and stubbornly repeat errant shots.
Make certain you have your bowling ball equipment surfaces textured to match the given lane conditions.
It helps to have a mentor or coach to help you through rough times. If you do not have that luxury, get to know your own game well enough to have a practice strategy ready for use to get your game back into shape.