Common Questions About Reaching Breakthroughs

In March, I answered a few of the questions I’ve commonly dealt with and based on the response to that article, I thought I’d do it again. These questions and conversations have all come up recently with national team athletes or those looking to break through to that elite group.

“I’ve been having a hard time staying motivated and focused in some situations.”

Often, bowlers will have lulls in their intensity and focus relating directly to the level of competition. Going to an intense, high-level, high-priority event one weekend and following it up with a tournament against a weaker field the next weekend will often result in a lack of intensity for some bowlers. Often, the performance suffers and results are worse against a field that should be easier to beat. The same can sometimes be said for league play when compared to tournament play.

The key to this is managing our mental energy level or, as some call it, arousal. One of the best discussions of this topic can be found in Dr. Peter Jensen’s book, The Inside Edge.

“For the purpose of this discussion, we are going to use the word arousal to describe all forms of mental energy, positive or negative, be it enthusiasm, competitiveness, anger, anxiety, excitedness.”

The point is that whether the feelings are positive or negative, they can serve to heighten or reduce your energy level. The important part here is the relationship between your mental energy level and your ability to focus. The ...