“The pre-shot routine will become second nature, which will allow you to shift your focus to making decisions on how to execute the shot.”


HITTING FOR THE CYCLE: Click on the play button (above) to view USBC Coaching Specialist Stephen Padilla explain the benefits of the Shot Cycle.


to take the moisture away from your hand? If you do, incorporate that into every shot. How many times have you seen Walter Ray Williams Jr. step onto the ap- proach and NOT blow into the thumb hole of his bowling ball? This also goes to your step onto


the approach. How do you line up with the dots? Do you use the slide foot as the starting point, or the non-slide foot? Use that as a reference for your toes on every shot. The pre-shot routine will be-


come second nature, which will allow you to shift your focus to making decisions on how to ex- ecute the shot. Again, we’re not


getting into the details of how to execute. We’re going through the mental process of “everything is in place, now let my body take over.” You also have some responsibil-


ity during the shot. Observe and absorb what’s happening. Did the shot do what you expected it to? Did it follow the target you in- tended it to follow? At the com- bine we weren’t concerned with ball reaction, just shot repetition. But for a bowler in competition, you’re going to need to pro- cess how the ball reacted to the lanes as well. Did it break where you expected? If not, what adjustments


16 USBOWLER SEPTEMBER 2011


need to be made? Watching the shot and processing what you see will allow you to make proper ad- justments decision-wise when you get back into the think cycle. This has to be separate from


the physical reaction you have after throwing a shot. You don’t want emotion to get in the way of performance. Again, watch the elite players. When they get back on the approach and get ready to execute again, they’ve moved past whatever emotion the previous shot elicited. You need to get past your physical reaction quickly and start processing the information in order to restart the cycle. The pre-shot routine and


post-shot processing are there to help you keep your decisions in perspective. The takeaway is that you should


understand what a shot cycle is and how it helps you prepare for each and every shot. Whether you’re throwing shots just to ex- ecute and repeat, or throwing shots in competition, understand- ing the process and knowing how the pieces of that process fit into the shot is what makes good play- ers great players, and great players elite players.


— Stephen Padilla is Coaching Special- ist at the United States Bowling Congress


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