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First and foremost, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a belated Happy New Year. In many respects, 2020 probably won’t go down as a year that I look back fondly upon. It was a rough year. The...

Bowling is a game of risk; it is a game of decisions; it is a game of character; and it is a game that expresses your personality. Every shot offers you choices. As you well know, every single choice you...

The USBC Open Championships is one of the most exciting events of the year for anyone that gets the chance to participate. With its prestigious history, the stadium or convention center setting, the demanding lane pattern, and the fact that...

About a month ago, the USBC published the results of a recent research project that examined bowling balls and their impact on the bowling environment. This project, which they are calling the Bowling Technology Study, primarily examined bowling ball RGs,...

Having just finished bowling in the 2019 USBC Open Championships, I thought it might be helpful to share my experiences. However, I'd like to start with a few important disclaimers: I was only able to bowl twice in the month...

With the new year comes many resolutions, most of which are abandoned within six weeks. The reason for this, in my opinion, is that more often than not a resolution is not treated as a goal; it is usually more...

One of the biggest challenges a coach or player faces is making a physical game change. Over time, all repetitions have led to a more automated execution, whether these movements are biomechanically efficient or not. Specifically, physical movements become increasingly...

During his ten year career on the PBA National Tour, Mark Baker (“Bakes” as he was known to his friends) won four PBA titles. Since retiring from the Tour in 1991, he has become one of the most sought-after coaches...

Historically, the study and teaching of bowling's physical game has neglected the trunk/torso relative to other influences of cause and effect. Due to this, there remains a lack of a thorough understanding of how upper body positions influence efficient movements...

It’s still a busy time here in Reno during Nationals. Thanks to all the BTM readers who have stopped by to say hello or to take a lesson with me. This edition of the Round Table features questions that are...

Welcome back to the Round Table. As I write this I’m gearing up for the USBC Open Championships in Reno. I hope you will stop in and say hello while you’re there. This month, our expert panel of coaches discuss...

By now the new league season is well underway. After Bowl Expo ended in June, ball manufacturers came out with their new equipment for the 2013-2014 season. Many of these new balls were reviewed in the August and September issues...

In my last article, I discussed a practical method for coaches to decrease the amount of information they provide during coaching sessions. This method is known as learner-generated feedback. To recap, I urged coaches to consider allowing their students to...

Let’s start with a quick question: Have you ever heard a fellow bowler say any of the following statements? “I just don’t like balls with balance holes. They don’t roll well for me.” “I’m going to have a weight hole...

It used to be so easy: there was dull and there was shiny. Dull balls were for oily lanes; shiny balls were for dry lanes. These days? Surface roughness is a key component to ball reaction and with the variety...

Bowling isn’t ballet, but alignment, step cadence, knee bend, and balance are critical physical factors that determine a player’s performance on the lanes. The bowling approach can be compared to the movements of a ballet dancer: smooth, effortless, graceful, and,...

Canada, like the United States, is building its Olympic bowling coaching program. Frank Buffa, the head man at Buffa Distribution, is one of only three coaches in that country to achieve Level Three status, the equivalent of what will become...

The chemical composition of today’s bowling ball covers paired with flare leads to a weighty amount of oil being removed from the lane at a fast rate. In order to make proactive lane play decisions throughout a block, players must...

The primary fundamental component of proper bowling execution is the armswing. It is crucial for attaining rhythm, accuracy, and balance. Armswings can be categorized in three ways: free, semi-controlled, and fully controlled. Each swing has been practiced and implemented with...

Welcome a new contributor to the Round Table, PBA Champion and Silver coach Jeff Carter. He’s one of the successful coaches who will be leading us through a discussion on two interesting questions. Our first topic deals with the best...

Gutter play, in its various forms, has become a necessity with the advent of designer “sport” oil patterns. Many bowlers lack the knowledge or the skills needed to know when to play the gutter or even how to play the...

Determining the most useful data to assess player performance has been a particular interest of mine for some time. Nearly a decade ago, I first published an article on evaluating a player’s performance through a thorough review of tournament data....

There are lots of different oil patterns. In fact, there are millions of combinations of oil distance, volume, and placement that will multiply when factors like lane surface, viscosity, and weather are added to the equation. You will likely see...

For the 2022-2023 league season, Bowling This Month is introducing a new weekly blog from our Director of Content, Tyrel Rose. This blog is meant to offer insights into the mind of a top-level coach and former competitive bowler out...

Over the next few months, I'm going to answer some questions I've been getting recently about how best to video. You can apply the principles here whether you are a coach filming a client or you just want a friend...

Sometimes when bowlers are in a slump or they just need something to get them to the next level, it only takes a small adjustment or change to make a big difference. In this article, I am continuing from the...

As we embark into 2015 with enthusiasm, hope, and aspirations, the transition from 2014 to 2015 presents an opportunity to reflect on our actions, achievements, and disappointments from last year. Formally making a list of resolutions may have become cliché...

Before going on, I want to apologize for the lateness of this issue, but sometimes when you try to improve service, step one is to reduce it. This is the case this time as we move toward magazine-rate postage which...

Every four years, when the summer Olympics rolls around, I swear that this time I won’t watch this spectacle that has done so much to cheapen sport in the name of the almighty dollar. Of course, from the moment that...

Recently, I did something I never do. I watched sports on TV. I found myself captivated by the NBA playoffs. Then I spent a few hours watching golf - the U.S. Open. As Yogi Berra would say, I saw a...

It's time again for the Senior Master's. That's the ABC-sponsored event where the powers-that-be in Greendale openly admit that "good" bowlers over the age of fifty have no chance against the elite bowling kids, an admission they refuse to make...

Editor's note The following editorial was written by Bowling This Month's founder, Bob Summerville. It was originally published in our March 1997 edition and then subsequently reprinted in our May 2001 memorial issue shortly after Mr. Summerville's untimely passing. In...

I grew up Navy. That means that every few months, I moved to a new town in a new state with new friends and a completely new environment. Culture shock for me became the norm, but the thing I never...

Recently, I had the pleasure of talking to Jim Pestello. Most of you probably have never heard of Jim, but he is the owner of Astro Bowling Center in San Antonio, Texas and the promoter behind the Track Texas Masters...

This month, Paul Horvick's College Report is different than in past issues. Paul holds an old fashioned roundtable discussion with five of the leading bowlers from the college ranks - past and present - headlined by the PBA's Justin Hromek,...

Not long ago I had the memorable experience of bowling in a league situation next to top senior bowler Ron Mohr. Aside from marveling at the incredible score of 1085 that he shot that day (when you watch a top...

Many of you are preparing for a trip to the USBC Open Championships, the BTM, and the 1-2-3 tournaments. This year, for the first time, there will be two different lane patterns used for the USBC event. Our first question...

You’ve heard people talk about not being matched up; that’s why they lost or didn’t score well or whatever. They are very likely telling the truth. Matching up is paramount to success in bowling. It's the transference of energy from...

By far the most response I have ever gotten to anything I’ve written has been in reference to the article that Mark Hammel and I wrote last December on becoming a Transitional bowler. Most of the questions I get involve...

Bowling is currently benefiting from a growing number of highly qualified instructors. Proper coaching and instruction have been the catalyst for the growth of golf and tennis. These two sports, along with bowling, are not instinctively natural. They can only...

Serious bowlers seek all avenues to remain competitive. They stay abreast of all new equipment and pursue all means of elevating their games. During the past 15 to 20 years, the bowling game has undergone a big technological boom. Coverstocks...

Almost every time I coach a bowler, I’m reminded of the expression relating to chewing gum and walking at the same time. Inevitably, bowlers are able to perform an effective armswing while standing still and are able to walk efficiently...

The final chapter in the From the Ground Up series, for obvious reasons, is the head. For the most part, when bowlers and coaches talk about the head in bowling, we are referring to the mental or tactical game. In...

When Storm introduced the PSA Drilling Guide in 2005, drilling instructions for balls with a strong preferred spin axis, it was met with a variety of reactions, ranging from “What is a pin buffer?” to “Ah, this explains it!” This...

Here are the last few No Matter Whats...at least until I learn some more. “No matter Whats”,—if you’re just tuning in to the series—are what I call universal bowling applications. The pay attention NMW I’m always surprised at the number...

The PWBA burst back onto the scene in 2015 thanks to a three-year funding commitment from the USBC and BPAA, giving a generation of female bowlers a new platform to show off their abilities. The 2018 PWBA season consists of...

Do you prep the surface of your bowling ball? Do you use abrasive pads to change ball motion? Do you try to manipulate the most important factor in ball motion? I certainly do. All of the information I have read...

Now, more than ever, bowling is a thinking person’s game. To achieve the highest level in this sport, you need to not only be able to out-play the field, you need to be able to out-think them. With dynamic balls,...

It is an amazing time to be a bowler. New high-tech bowling balls are introduced each month. Bowling shoes with interchangeable soles and heels are commonplace. Everywhere you look you see mobile devices. While many bowlers use them to check...

This is the first in a series of articles on new technology for bowlers and others in the bowling industry. There is an old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times”. For bowlers these are definitely interesting times. Never...

As promised, here are more games you can use to liven up your training sessions. There are challenges for your high school, college, league, or tournament team practicing together. Approach Dots This is a game I learned through Mark Roth....

Bowling is classified as a non-cyclical sport, because the repetition of movements are dispersed and varied, unlike rowing or running or cycling. That said, the sport is much more repetitive than team sports like basketball or baseball and there is...

About the Book Title: One Frame at a Time Authors: Tyrel Rose and Bill Sempsrott Length: 166 pages (paperback) Publisher: BTM Digital Media, LLC Copyright Year: 2023 Tyrel Rose and Bill Sempsrott have teamed up to publish Bowling This Month's...

Several years ago I wrote an article in this magazine about adjustments. Essentially it said that everything you know, every adjustment, every nuance, every trick of bowling knowledge you have can be placed in one of four categories: Angle, Rotation,...

One of the questions we ask over and over is, “How do we know that?” It doesn’t matter whether someone is pontificating on some aspect of bowling ball motion or whether they are talking about the proper way to execute...

Historically, the anatomical nature of the human thumb has presented an enigma for pro shop operators, coaches, and players. With orthodox drilling methods, it is difficult to obtain a fit which prevents the bending of the thumb at the bottom...

Versatile, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is multifaceted and adaptable. In the bowling world, it is a term reserved for players who have the innate ability to conform to any and all lane conditions. It sets apart stars from average bowlers...

I need your help. I have been trying to think of a sport which involves either kicking a ball or hitting a ball or throwing a ball or rolling a ball in which the athlete does NOT have to follow...

Many of the professional bowlers on both the PWBA Tour and PBA Tour have begun to take their health and fitness goals seriously, for various reasons. The sport has evolved over the years, and so have the tournament formats. Some...

Every bowler at every level goes through a slump now and then. A slump is not just having a bad night at the lanes or a bad tournament, but several bad nights or tournaments. It’s not unusual to hear a...