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Rhino's Take - Mental Game part 1

These last few years have brought a lot of change in my life as well as other PBA players. Changes in formats, amount of tournaments and so forth have forced most players to have other sources of revenue during these tough times. Of course there are many tournaments to compete in overseas, but with the formats, prize structures, and the rising airline costs, it has made things very difficult for players to go all in and rely on just their earnings to put food on the table.

For myself, when I am not bowling, I have gotten the opportunity to do a lot of coaching. I have always liked helping people, especially when it comes to the sport I love. During the recovery time from wrist surgery, coaching was the one thing that kept me involved in the sport of bowling. Getting to work with Jr. Team Storm players and doing clinics with Next Level Bowling has sparked a new love and passion that I really enjoy.

In this 3 segment discussion, I will discuss some things I’ve learned through not only coaching, but as a player that I know will be extremely beneficial to every player. Over the course of my career, the mental game has always been the toughest for me. I have always been extremely competitive in everything I do, but learning to control my emotions has been a long process. If you ask my coach Ron Hatfield, who has been with me since my late teen years, he will tell you I am responsible for all of the grey hair on his head. I credit him as well as my former coach Jeri Edwards greatly for the help they have given me to help me be the player I am today. It has certainly been an incredible journey.

I want to start with a concept that is taken from Storm’s Quiet Mind Bowling DVD that I was a part of; BURY THE DNA GOAL. In order to understand what exactly this means, we must first break the statement down. DNA is what is engrained in all of us. It is what makes us who we are. If we relate this to bowling, then what would be the engrained goal for the sport of bowling? Very simply put, TO STRIKE! You know when you walk into a bowling center, this is exactly what you want to do. It would be silly to remind yourself that this would be a good idea. Yet how many times when you are in the 10th frame or any other frame do you have a tendency to say, “I really need this strike” or “If I get this strike I can get my high game” or “I need this, I don’t want to let my team down” etc. Once this happens, and I know you all can think back to the many times it has, how many times have you been able to execute the shot you desired? My guess from not only my experience, but working with others is not very often.

When I worked with Steven Yellin (author of Quiet Mind Bowling), he always described the DNA goal as a young baby. Sometimes they are really well behaved while others they may be screaming and no matter what you do they just aren’t having a good day. I am sure if you think back to your past performances, this statement is spot on. The key is we must BURY this goal deep in our brains. When you feel it all over you and right on your mind, I encourage you to step off the approach, clear it off of your mind, and start over. If you can do this with diligence, I know you will throw many more quality shots in times of nervous tension.

Apr 2nd 2014 Rhino Page

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