Testing Pre-Shot and Post-Shot Routine Effectiveness – Part 2

Psychological benefits of pre- and post-shot routines

Testing Pre-Shot and Post-Shot Routine Effectiveness - Part 2

Last time in BTM, I discussed a study that investigated pre- and post-shot routines. The results indicated that using pre-shot routines is beneficial to both accuracy and average.

Participants who used a pre-shot routine (alone or combined with a post-shot routine) were more accurate after the routine training than before, which also equated to, on average, a ten pin increase in league scores. The post-shot routine and control group (i.e., did not receive training of any kind) did not improve in accuracy after the training period, although the post-shot routine group improved their league scores by a few pins while the control group did not improve at all.

I concluded that different routines could help improve league averages if practiced over a four week period and that developing a consistent pre-shot routine will lead to a substantial increase.

After the study was conducted, the participants were asked about whether the pre- or post-shot routine interventions were beneficial to their accuracy and scores. This article will explain the interview results for the training groups, specifically focused on the outcomes of the pre- and post-shot routines together and the additional benefits of the pre-shot routine group.

It should be noted that these results are a combination of the pre-shot routine, post-shot routine, and combined routine groups, which made up a total of 22 participants. This equated to approximately 200 pages of interview text to analyze. I provide a general overview of the ...



Chris Mesagno

About Chris Mesagno

Dr. Chris Mesagno is a senior lecturer in Exercise and Sport Psychology at Federation University Australia and received his Ph.D. from Victoria University (Australia), specializing in Sport Psychology and Motor Learning. Dr. Chris is a competitive bowler of 30 years, he was a member and assistant coach of the University of Florida bowling team from 1998-2001, and he is both a Tenpin Bowling Australia Level 1 Certified Coach and a USBC Bronze Level Coach.