Four Things Professional Bowlers Do

World champions and professional bowlers are not normal. They do things that most bowlers can’t. And that’s because, during their development and preparation over many years, they do things most people won’t.

It’s not just the hours of training and personal sacrifice. It’s also the less obvious things they do that help them master their craft. The good news is that several of these activities are things that any bowler can do.

No matter where you are in your development, these four things can help you improve and develop your skills:

• Reflect on failures (and victories).
• Ask for help (and listen to it).
• Find their peak state (and what gets them there).
• Trust the process (not the result).

Reflecting on failure

A key piece of the coaching and development process for athletes is the debrief. After a competition (and even after training), elite athletes will reflect on how things went. Generally, the process includes:

• Objectively rating the performance (not the result).
• Evaluating what went well.
• Looking at what could have been improved.
• Discussing context and environmental factors (i.e., oil pattern, sleep quality, competition format).

The goal of these debriefs is to draw the important lessons from what happened. A common expression these days is “I don’t lose. I win, or I learn.” Respectfully, that’s not a very helpful way to look at things.

This attitude has two big problems. First, it explicitly denies loss or failure, which implicitly admits there’s still fear. By denying you’ve failed, you’re ignoring an important part of the development process. At best, you’re stunting emotional growth; at worst, you’re avoiding accountability.

Second, and more subtly, the implication is that you don’t learn from your wins. Of course you do. You learn just as much from your successes. They’re just different lessons.

From failures, you learn what didn’t work and what you can improve. From victories, you learn what worked and what you want to repeat. The best athletes process their emotions, ...