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Among the many folks who wish
to restore integrity to the sport of bowling, one of the most popular
issues I hear is the need to explain just how good the pros are
at what they do. The common complaint amongst these people is that
most laymen feel that the high-average league bowlers with whom
they compete (and perhaps even the high average league bowler himself)
are equally as good as the top PBA professionals or, that they could
be as good were they simply allowed unlimited access to equipment,
coaching and other resources (sponsorship, practice time, etc.)
that might allow them to pursue bowling as a career. And in the
spirit of sitting on the fence, I'm here to tell those people that
they are both right and wrong (but mostly wrong).
Of course, for any athlete to become successful and rise to the
highest levels of their profession, they must have massive time,
resources and a support network in order to help them reach their
fullest potential (which is usually required to compete at the highest
level unless the individual's talent is so enormous as to defy logic).
These things are indeed a requirement to becoming one of the best,
and it is within the capacity of nearly any ambitious bowler out
there to attain it, given a complete commitment and a large-scale
sacrifice of other goals, career opportunities, recreations (and
often a social life) that most of us who have succeeded in the sport
have chosen to make. But when an individual makes a claim that he
"coulda' been a contender," while it might be polite and helpful
to stroke that individual's ego in the short run, eventually the
best answer is, "shoe up or shut up."
And when they do shoe up, what they are likely to find out is that
all the asymmetrical cores and particle coverstocks and honor scores
and local tournament wins and ego stroking in the world cannot help
them win a seven-game match against Norm Duke or Walter Ray Williams
or Pete Weber. At least not for several hard-knock years of learning
the trade and getting your butt handed to you on a regular basis.
It is exceptionally rare for any bowler to have immediate success
at the PBA Tour level and the world is filled with stories of the
highly touted amateur and junior player who found the transition
rudely difficult to make. But why is it so hard and what makes the
players out on Tour so good?
I believe it boils down to four things, namely: confidence, experience,
focus and adaptability. Indeed, all of these qualities are things
that must be acquired over time. You'll notice that I excluded talent
(which is a quality that many attribute directly to success) and,
while important, is infinitely less important than these other four
qualities. I acknowledge that talent certainly has a way of making
things easier and is often a deciding factor, but usually only when
competitors are equally matched in the other four qualities. Of
course, in order to attain these qualities, there is another quality
that is required, and this may be the most important of all. That
quality is perseverance, without which none of us could achieve
any of our goals, especially the ones which will stand the test
of time and the criticism and reflection of the experts.
Next time, I will discuss the details of what I mean by these four
qualities and compare specific examples of how they are utilized
by the top professionals as a means for making them the great athletes
that they are today. Hopefully, this will shed some light on why
the pros are so good and maybe help those aspiring to those same
levels of achievement on their own journey to success. |
