Are You Prepared to Be at Your Best?

Take this self-assessment to find out how competition-ready you are as a player or coach

Are You Prepared to Be At Your Best?

As a coach who visits different countries, I encounter bowlers from beginners to elite national team players. At all levels, few bowlers are prepared to be their best for competition play. The objective of this month’s article is to raise awareness and provide an opportunity to self-assess your preparations as a player or coach. You must be both aware and actually do the work before the tournament. Greatness is in the details. Don’t forget to change your inserts periodically as well!

One of the most frequent issues I encounter on the coaching road is a bowler who has not changed their tape. As dirt, residue, and oil build up on the tape, a player will increase their thumb pressure without awareness. This leads to unnecessary tension not only when the ball moves into the swing, but throughout the swing, impacting the fluidity of the physical game and negatively affecting biomechanical efficiency. Due to this strain, the exit of the thumb will be slowed, leading to reduced ball motion.

Recommendation: Change the layer of tape touching your thumb every three games. If you sweat a lot, change it every one to two games.

The rate of oil absorbency of today’s cover materials is one of the fundamental reasons bowling balls hook more. This added value becomes a liability when the cover becomes saturated and oil-soaked. This is one of the reasons a ball loses reaction. According to a study by Brunswick, after 60 games a ball will lose reaction, requiring a 1-and-0 or a 2-and-1 adjustment to the outside. After 90 games, it took as much as a 3-and-1 move to hit the ...



Joe Slowinski

About Joe Slowinski

Joe Slowinski, a USBC Gold Coach, is a freelance bowling coach who works with bowlers around the globe. He is currently on assignment with the Philippines. Slowinski is the former Director of Bowling at Lincoln Memorial University, where he served as Program Administrator and Head USBC Collegiate Men’s and NCAA Women’s Coach. The Portland, Maine native has served as the Administrative and Men's Head Coach at Webber International University and served for four years as a Master Teaching Professional at the Kegel Training Center. Slowinski is also the former Director of Coaching and Coach Certification for the National Sports Council of Malaysia. He has coached international teams at the World Championships, Pan American Games, South American Games, and European Championships, helping Belgium win a Gold medal at the 2022 EBF Championship of Champions and coaching Brazil to Gold medals at the 2015 Pam American Games and the 2014 South American Games. He was the 2018 NTCA DII/III Coach of the Year and the 2010 NCBCA Men’s College Coach of the Year.