There are about three-to-four months left in the season, and many thoughts and goals of bowlers fall into the areas of winning their respective league, raising averages, keeping themselves or their team near the top of their leagues (or tournaments), and/or making money in the various sidepots and brackets. In this article, I want to focus on an aspect a lot of bowlers can relate to: trusting the shot and having faith in your ability.

What it comes down to is that, unlike football, baseball, basketball, and hockey, which all have a defensive aspect, there is no "defense" in bowling—only offense. Trying to "play it safe" will work only for so long. In the long run, the bowler who wants it the most normally gets to his/her goals and aspirations quicker and stays there longer.

There truly is no way, at least legally or ethically, to stop someone from stepping up on the approach and making a shot. You are helpless when that individual is up on the approach while you watch. I have yet to find anyone who consistently wins tournaments or leagues who has told me that he let himself be put into the awkward position of hoping the opposition has a miscue.

Those who win on a consistent basis go out and take the prize and never look back. They lock up matches before their opposition has a chance to make the big shots or even finish their game by being aggressive and firm.

In competition, the prize often goes to the bold. Please keep in mind that those who say, "I wish...." or "If…." after the match is over probably are the ones who did not win.

I, like many others, have been guilty of not having enough faith in both my abilities and my bowling ball. Notice that I said "my abilities" before "my bowling ball" because the ball does not go down the lane by itself—it requires external assistance from someone.

If you have confidence in yourself and your bowling ball for the current lane condition, then by all means stay as firm and aggressive as you can with the shot. This does not mean throw the ball with even more speed or try to overdo it with extra rotation; it means get through the shot and follow through completely.

Keep in mind that proper timing, a solid starting and finishing position, and good rotation are important; they allow you to believe that you did all you could do, and you should have no regrets.

I am not saying that the right ball-to-lane match is not important because it is. What I mean is that your physical motion to the line occurs before the ball ever hits the lane. Bad timing, a poor release, or overcompensation can negate/change the ball’s responsive nature towards the surface of the lane.

Those who win on a consistent basis
go out and take the prize
and never look back.

With all of that stated, here are some ideas that can make a difference:

· Try following through toward the direction of where you look on the lane. By doing so, you allow the ball to meet its intended path and maintain the proper momentum down the lane. By following through "upwards," you run the risk of cutting the ball short, thus taking away some of its momentum.

A good follow-through is almost always accompanied by solid posture at the line. Falling off balance or raising up at the line negates momentum and lev- erage, and it can change the ball’s proper path or direction.

· If you should miss your strike line target on the first shot, by all means let it be to the outside of the target and not the inside. Missing to the inside can be worse because of the severity of the spare combination or split that remains.

Example: A right-handed bowler who hooks the ball and misses his target to the outside may only leave a 2-pin, the 1-2-4 combination, or a washout. The odds on making these spares are better than converting the 4-6 split or the 1-3-6 or 3-6-10 combinations.

The reason I say the 1-2-4 is easier than the 1-3-6 for that style of bowler is because his ball hooks in the (right-to-left) direction of how those pins are positioned on the lane. The headpin can easily be chopped off the 3 and 6, while hitting the 1-pin flush or solid can almost guarantee getting the 2-pin and potentially the 4 as well. Additionally, the 3-pin easily can be picked off the 6 and 10 with that type of hooking motion.

This aspect means that even if you are a little too firm with the shot, which can happen, the spare combinations remaining often are not as difficult, thus letting you be as aggressive as you feel comfortable.

· Regarding the spare shooting aspect, missing to the right in the same sense as mentioned above also can increase your ability to convert spares or improve your overall pin count in a frame.

For example, the 2-8 "sleeper" combination can be made by either hitting the 2-pin fairly flush or just to the right of center. However, a right-hander’s hook that hits the 2-pin left of center almost never allows the 8-pin to get converted.

The bowling balls of today, which have such tremendous movement potential, can provide compensation for minor mistakes outside your target; mistakes inside the target often meet with unwanted results. This not only means that the ball can make up the ground lost should you miss outside of your intended target; it also means that this "making-up" ability worsens the effect of missing inside.

· Get the ball out on the lane; a little loft never hurt anyone. However, there is the matter of knowing how much loft is right for your game or the shot you are trying to play. This can be learned through practice and/or getting instructional assistance.

Getting the ball out on the lane is attainable by maintaining a strong finishing position and not allowing your upper body to lean too far forward. Leaning over too far normally results in the armswing becoming weak and cramped, which likely will not allow for a good follow-through.

In addition, keeping the arm as straight as possible allows for good extension onto the lane, which can be done in a fluid, effortless motion without having a quick or jerky movement.

My intent with this article is to show that staying true to the shot and never being afraid of giving your all with each and every shot eventually can lead to not having regrets about what might have been. Many times I have heard bowlers say, "I wish I could have that shot back," and they seem to say it as if they already knew the answer as to what happened.

This is not to say that you always will have the right ball-to-lane match, but it does mean that a full, firm, and aggressive follow-through can help provide the best reading possible on whether the ball you’re using is the right one. I tell my students that should they face pressure situations in a close match to get the ball out on the lane and stay firm with it.

Bowling is a game of inches, which basically is the difference between leaving a single pin and a difficult split. An offensive-minded, aggressive bowler who stays firm with the shot almost always achieves better results than those who try to play it safe.

As in other sports where the pitcher follows through in baseball, the basketball player extends for the jump shot, or the quarterback comes through firm and aggressive with a pass, bowling is the same: Nothing takes the place of a well-executed, firm shot. If you believe that the line you are playing is correct, then by all means hit your target and you will know for sure.

Since a lot of what I mention here is based on feeling and consistency, proper practice is the best way to polish your skills. Remember, there is a process in bowling that starts with the proper grip, a sound physical game, and the right ball-to-lane match. The best place to get assistance with this process is with your local International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA) pro shop professional.

Until next time, take bowling one shot at a time, make the best shot you can each time, and keep thinking.

Lewis Twine Jr., NCABA’s 1992 scratch all events champion, is a USA Bowling Silver Level certified coach. He conducts instructional sessions at AMF Waldorf.