Last summer, I stumbled across a book that immediately caught my attention. The cover was adorned with a close-up of a pair of rental bowling shoes with the backdrop of a wood lane surface. Obviously, I couldn’t just walk by and not take a closer look.

The book was entitled, “Bowling Across America” by Mike Walsh. After picking it up and reading the back, I vaguely remembered reading about Mike’s journey in an issue of US Bowler several years ago.

Mike Walsh chose to embark on a journey that included bowling in every U.S. state, a trip that began shortly after his father’s passing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the read and felt like I was being told a story by a friend over a few beers, rather than someone writing about a journey. Mike did a great job writing in a conversational tone and welcoming you into his life, struggles and triumphs. It so happened that I discovered this book shortly after my father passed, which probably magnified the impact the story had on me, but nevertheless, I encourage you to read it.

Not long after finishing the book, I decided to Google the title and stumbled across the website. I decided to fire Mike an email thanking him for the story and to let him know how much I enjoyed his work. He responded very quickly, and a few emails later, I can say he is the inspiration behind Living Lanes. I wanted a blog about bowling, but more about the people of bowling, the stories, the feelings and the family of bowling. Mike’s book proved this was possible, so I had to interview him. Enjoy!

While I know some of these questions are answered in your book, I would like to give the blog readers an overview of your story.

How long did it take you to travel to all 50 states to bowl?
Six months. I could’ve finished faster, but I had to double back to New Jersey after forgetting to bowl there.

What made you decide to bowl in all 50 states?
My father was a handball player, and he’d been gradually trying to play that game in every state over the course of business travel, vacations and side trips here and there. When he passed away, he’d made it to just over half. I saw it as my responsibility to finish the job in tribute to him. But handball really hurts your hands, and very few handball courts have adjoining bars. Bowling solved both of those problems.

As I understand it, you were not a competitive or league bowler prior to making this journey. What made you choose bowling as your vehicle to travel the United States?
The bowling alley (I refuse to call them “centers” for reasons I won’t bore you with here), more than the sport itself, is what really attracted me. Any given bowling alley is a reflection of the community around it, and much more than bowling transpires within its walls. People eat, drink and socialize at bowling alleys. They meet and fall in love there. They bond with their kids, gossip about their teammates and blow off steam there. Of all the possible lenses with which to take a snapshot of America with, the bowling alley, to me, was the perfect choice.

Have you become a league or competitive bowler since your journey?
I was in a summer drinking league where bowling occasionally broke out. I did finally buy a ball though, which has made my game more consistent, if not markedly better.

What were your perceptions about the sport of bowling prior to bowling in every state?
In the back of my mind, I knew there was much more to bowling than the less flattering stereotypes of the sport suggest. But to be honest, those stereotypes were both my primary perception, and my motivation for the trip. While obviously inaccurate, bowling’s reputation for being a beer-guzzling, blue-collar sport requiring little athleticism is part of its appeal. It’s partly about accessibility—anyone can do it and have fun at it—and partly about authenticity. Beer guzzling, middle-class people engaged in modest exercise is about as authentic as America can get, I thought. It was certainly a setting I thought I’d fit right into anyway. Along with that, was a certain nostalgic affection for the sport’s place in mid-American history. It was what our parents and grandparents did and was a reflection of civic involvement (a notion I acknowledge I’m borrowing from Robert Putnam’s “Bowling Alone”). That nostalgia component was driven by a perception that the sport was in decline.

What are your perceptions about bowling now?
They haven’t changed a great deal, though to say it’s purely a beer-guzzling, working-class game or setting is far too narrow a caricature. The bowling alleys I visited were really full of all stripes of people, country clubbers and line workers alike. The thing that changed the most was my understanding of the challenge of the sport and the athleticism required to be good at it. I met some very good bowlers along the way, who were successful in humbling me on the lanes. I also learned the hard way how sore you can get after prolonged periods of time on the lanes. I also found that, rather than being in a state of decline, the sport was amidst a transformation as it sought to meet the needs of a more time-stretched, disparate population with increasing affluence and entertainment options. A few years removed from the trip now, I’d say the sport has been making that transition well.

Did you find the people involved in bowling different than what you expected?
The people I met in bowling alleys were all as genuine and interesting as I’d hoped from my experiences prior to the trip, and in that regard, weren’t terribly different than I’d expected. Thankfully, they were typically much more willing to talk to a stranger with a notepad than I’d expected. Many of the more serious bowlers I came across had a very patient, non-defensive way of defusing the negative stereotypes and showing me something new about the sport.

How do you feel your bowling journey has impacted your life?
The trip gave me some much-needed perspective. I’d set out thinking that every bowling alley would be the same, and that the people inside would be different. It turned out to be almost the opposite. The people, while all were individuals and characters unto themselves, in aggregate had a lot in common with one another, and with me. They struggled with work, experienced loss, had great joys and triumphs. That made me a lot more comfortable with myself and matured me. I quit my job to take the trip with a feeling that the grass is always greener, and I returned with an understanding that it’s not necessarily the case. With the right perspective things are usually plenty green on the side of the fence you’re already on.

Have you ever had any professional coaching before or since your journey?
Not apart from informal interactions with good bowlers during the trip.

Have you ever met any professional bowlers? If so, whom?
Yes, I got to bowl at USBCs (then ABC) testing facility against Roger Dalkin, who buried me with great grace and little apparent effort. And I briefly met George Pappas and watched him give a group lesson on his namesake lanes in Charlotte. Both are great spirits and powerful advocates for the sport.

Please share a story of a person or place that had a lasting impression on you during your trip.
One of the most profound stories was that of a couple I met in the Southwest. They had a son who was an excellent collegiate bowler and who showed great promise of going pro. Seeing an opportunity to own a business and encourage his development, the couple purchased a bowling alley. Shortly thereafter, their son died in a car accident while returning from a bowling tournament. It was a terrible tragedy. In its wake, the regulars at their bowling alley really became a surrogate, extended family to them, offering support and embracing them in their loss. That reaction is completely unsurprising to me, given the closeness, generosity and friendship I encountered among bowlers everywhere.

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Want more? Go get the book, it’s awesome:

Posting your shot gives you the opportunity to stare the pins down, should they dare to stand, as well as get to see all those good shots you’re making! Regardless of how much you wish the approach would open up and swallow you, you threw it. Act as if you’re proud of it. That doesn’t even mention all you can learn from it – the not-so-great ones as well as the things of beauty.

Posting your shot can do a lot of things for you, actually. It emphasizes being still and stable at the line (everything but your bowling arm), and it encourages balance, since you can’t be stable unless you are balanced. If you’re not falling off the shot, it’s surely a lot easier to hit your target the way you intend to hit it.

In order to really finish a shot, you need to stay with it. If you’re at the ball return by the time the ball hits the pins, you’re not claiming your effort. Pretending you don’t know who threw that shot seldom works. If you accept that falling off or turning away quickly from a shot is OK, you’ll begin to do so earlier and earlier. Any excuse will do. You know you made it, you know you didn’t, you’re embarrassed, you don’t want to make anyone wait, you only need another jack for a straight flush, whatever.

Permission not to stay with the shot translates into cutting it off sooner and sooner until you are almost backing up before you even let the ball go. We’ve all seen pros run out a shot. However, they finish their shot before they fist pump, slap off or run six lanes.

The holding your position statement refers to your body being still and balanced at the line. This does NOT include your bowling arm. It is not still. It continues to swing back and forth as a result of your arm’s loose momentum. It’s not a pose or a Statue of Liberty, freeze frame look. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard does this extremely well as do all currently-exempt players. The pins always know when your arm is tight, so continuing to let it swing back and forth of its own volition while your delivery platform (your body) is sturdy and firm fosters a loose swing and knocks down more pins.

In this installment of Living Lanes, I will focus on the many positive things I see in bowling, specifically youth bowling. This is timed somewhat well in light of Gary Beck’s recent IAB blog. I must first stress that all of the facts and figures Gary posted are correct, and I agree with his opinions and recommended solutions. My angle on this issue will focus on the many things I have seen that are heading in the right direction.

I prefer to live by a quote I once read, “Promote what you love, and don’t trash what you hate.” I feel downward trending figures cannot be ignored, but I also feel they are promoted more than the positive things that occur. Yes, all certified bowling has declined, and youth bowling is no exception, but there are certain sectors of bowling that seem to be on the upswing. It seems to me that the trends I have research suggest the areas seeing growth are those that pose the greatest challenge and restore the integrity of bowling.

Humans always have thrived on working hard toward success, and those who reach the top of their craft are honored by those reaching toward that level. Bowling is no exception to this. When scores are gifted through easy house shots and lots of handicap, the need for effort and practice decreases. When effort and practice decrease, passion diminishes. When passion diminishes, participation decreases. When participation decreases, bowling suffers. The opposite of these events occurs when the challenge is restored and effort is required. I hope to support this idea by looking at the upward trends in bowling.

Sport Bowling memberships were introduced in 2001-2002 with only 5,535 memberships. In 2011, there were slightly over 20,000 Sport members. This is consistent with Gary Beck’s position that not only youth, but all people accept defeat when it is fair and seem to be eager for a challenge. There are many proprietors and bowlers who believe thousands will quit if we take away house shots and hinder the current scoring environment in any way. If this truly is the case, why do so many bowlers flock to the USBC Open Championships each season, where the scores are far lower than their “house average,” and the vast majority of bowlers struggle?

In 1992, 8,557 teams attended the Open Championships. In 2002, this number increased to 10,806, and this season, final numbers are expected around 12,000 teams. The 2009 Open Championships in Las Vegas brought more than 17,000 teams.

The USBC Youth Open also has grown dramatically since its first season. It is a fairly young event, so it is difficult to track trends, but the format is very similar to the Open Championships. There are average divisions, and each bowler and team bowls scratch within their divisions. Again, people will accept defeat when it’s fair.

High School bowling is another area of progress. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), in 2007-2008, there were high school bowlers in approximately 2,300 schools. By 2011-2012, this number increased to more than 2,400 participating schools. No high schools participate in handicap bowling. I did not compile exact numbers for collegiate participation growth, but I can say from a local perspective that Iowa has added seven collegiate programs in less than four years, and a couple of these programs are finding success at the national level already.

I was hoping to find upward trends in bowling when preparing this piece to possibly refute some of the things Gary Beck highlighted in his blog. I did find some upward trends, but the upward trends I found further support Gary’s points. Challenge needs to exist to sustain growth and the areas of bowling seeing growth are those that provide a challenge and breed passion. Just as the Teen Masters, Open Championships, Junior Gold and collegiate bowling do.

Maybe I am naïve, but I refuse to believe bowling will die. I believe it will continue to evolve, and those who have found the challenge and the passion will eventually change the scope of league bowling by demanding that challenge at the local level, thereby restoring bowling as the greatest participation sport in America and the world. I believe that the IAB family will always grow, and we will share the love and excitement for bowling with others. We, as passionate bowlers, just need to examine the positive sides of our sport and inject them into the areas that are suffering.

We need to stop being negative about bowling. Some of the most passionate bowlers spend more time focusing on the negative things in bowling rather than promoting and growing the positive. The same people who complain about how easy house shots are and the cheating our “steroid bowling balls” create, fail to join Sport leagues when offered. We need to scream from the mountaintops how great our sport is. We need to advertise and even brag about SMART fund that makes youth bowling the only sport that allows young athletes to build scholarship funds throughout their youth careers. We need to welcome new league players into our sport and share with them information and excitement, rather than becoming angry with them for being unaware of lane courtesy. We need to invite people to bowling competition and share with them the challenges and greatness of our sport. We cannot rely on a governing body to do all the work for us.

The next time you hear a negative comment about bowling from a teammate, competitor or friend, please take a step back and remember why you love this game. Then, rather than joining in the negative conversation, offer up a few positive things in bowling and ask him/her to offer constructive solutions to the problems they see. Remember, we always have a choice to be positive or negative. Attitude is everything.

I have had the honor of getting to know bowling’s best coaches. Ever. These USBC Gold coaches have a history of success (maybe I’m partial, since I have worked with them). They are good. Really good. So, I thought it would be interesting to find out what their favorite tips are. Like, ever. What’s the one tip they always go to? What’s the tip of all tips? So, ladies and gentlemen, here they are. The most important tips from some of the most important coaches. Word for word.

Lou Marquez
– more than 25 years experience in the bowling industry
– former pro shop owner and operator
– head coach Hong Kong’s national team

“My favorite tip is trying to make sure bowlers feel the synchronization of the swing to the speed of the steps moving to the finish. If synced correctly, they meet at a point where the highest point of the back swing is in step and timed with the push of the power step, helping to explode with power to the finish. Using your upper body muscles and lower body, back, shoulders, arms and legs together, combines to create 100 percent of a power transfer of energy. Almost all who have used this system have seen increases in revs and speed of the ball and a unique motion of the ball, which creates tremendous carry through the pins with much less deflection.”

Ron Hoppe
– head coach in six countries
– founder of International Bowling Pro Shop Instructor Association (IBPSIA).
– one of the first USBC Gold coaches to be certified.

“My favorite tip is simple: If it is not working, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so make a change. Also, ever feel like you have to aim at the line between boards or you will miss? That you have absolutely no room for error? Nothing will change unless you are willing to give up on results and go with process. Stop trying so hard to score. When I was young and competing, my dad could always tell when I was getting tense. He would put a hand on my shoulder and say, ‘son, the harder you go, the more behind you get.’ Remind yourself how easy it is to bowl strike after strike when you are practicing. In practice, it is OK if you are not perfect because the score does not count. Don’t let your mind trick you into thinking that, if you could just make that perfect shot, you will be OK.”

Del Warren
– PBA titlist
– Weber International head coach
– vice president of the Kegel Training Center

“My number one bowling tip is always be in alignment with your intended target line. A great physical game starts with proper body alignment, both in the starting potion, and the finishing position. Most bowlers today can drastically improve by just checking out where the ball is pointed in the starting position. The ball position, ball side hip, head and arm should all be pointed toward the focal point(pin) connected through the short or traditional target. This will drastically improve your overall direction on both your first ball and your spares. Using CATS, our research at the Kegel Training Center shows that every bowler improves when proper alignment occurs. Bowlers Map video software also shows the bowler’s overall bio mechanics improves as well just by getting into proper alignment.”

Susie Minshew
– first woman to be elected president of IBPSIA
– two time USOC Coach of the Year
– coached Team USA

“My favorite tip is: “Get a coach! My second favorite tip would be that you cannot out-execute a bad fit.”

Richard Shockley
– head coach and vice president of the Kegel Training Center (1997–2003)
– Team USA assistant coach (1998)
– USA Bowling Gold coach (Inaugural Class, 1999)

“My favorite bowling tip is this: success requires practice and dedication.”

Bill Spigner
– elected to USBC Hall of Fame, 2001
– PBA member since 1973 and touring pro from 1973-2001
– PBA titlist

“I tell my students to develop a mental library of sights and feels. This means an awareness of how the ball is traveling down the lane directionally and the rotation of the ball. From there, they will be able to learn the feels that produces that shot and eventually understand the mechanics of the shot that produced that feel. I tell them they have to evaluate every shot, good and bad.”

Those are all great thoughts from some terrific coaches. Now, here are my own ideas:

Follow through. Relax your grip. Keep your eyes down at your target. Those are just a few of my favorite tips. Every coach has them. For me, my favorite tips revolve around the less-is-more concept.

Another favorite tip I have has to do with ball weight. People who don’t bowl, don’t feel like they can handle a ball that is even 13 pounds (or more). Why? Because they are thinking about handling the ball. They aren’t thinking about the pendulum swing you want to achieve. I see it all time while hanging out in the pro shop with my ball driller, Lance. A woman comes into the pro shop looking for her first bowling ball. “How many pounds are you looking to throw?” Lance says. The average-built, 5-foot-7-inch woman responds, “Oh, I don’t know, maybe an eight pounder?” Huh!? Eight pounds! My 19-month old son can almost handle an eight-pound ball. OK, not really, but, if he could fit his little fingers into the holes, then maybe.

Women struggling with understanding they CAN handle a heavier ball. Most of the women I see for a first-time lesson are using bowling balls WAY too light for them. It’s because they don’t feel strong. They think they can’t handle it. Well, I’m here to tell you ladies, YOU CAN, as long as you have the proper fit! Next time you are wondering what pound ball to choose, I encourage you to remember you aren’t “throwing” the ball. You are allowing the ball to swing your arm. No muscle needed!

Watching your ball roll over your target is another tip I constantly preach. Many of us get lazy when we bowl. We know what we want to do, sort of. We are lined-up, we think. And, the ball is reacting as we would like it to. But, are we REALLY hitting our targets? It’s fun to work with beginners on this because they actually don’t realize you should be aiming at the actual boards. They just assume since the arrows out there are dark and big, that maybe those should be the focus. I love telling them that it’s a good idea to get comfortable aiming in between those arrows at the actual boards. They look at me like, “you can do that!?” Yes, you can. And, I would like you to start now.”

What is USBC Silver coach Jason Belmonte’s favorite tip?

“The best tip I have been given is to concentrate on the process or intention, rather than concern myself with the future result. If I execute the perfect process, the result will look after itself every time.”

Everyone has a favorite tip. Whether they coach, or are coached. The coaches at the International Art of Bowling focus heavily on keeping it simple. We encourage as little movement as possible during your approach. This is what I mean by “less is more.”

Now it’s your turn to tell us what YOUR favorite tip is.

I’ve been developing this list since I started bowling. It is based on some observations I made. If I did this more often, this happened. If I didn’t, good things happened less. I just didn’t know it would turn into a list of things to do NO MATTER WHAT (NMW). It was just stuff I knew I had to do to be successful. Then, I started teaching and figured out there was some universal application. So, over the course of the next couple of months, and even though it’s not complete and I’m learning all the time, I thought I’d share what I have so far. If I waited until I thought I’d found them all, it would never get out there.

The Follow Through NMW

When you watch bowling on television, you won’t see a bowler throw a shot that is not aggressive. They don’t baby the ball, throw it tentatively or fail to follow through. Ever. Neither should you. The shape and distance of that committed follow through rarely change, but the speed might.

Sometimes, we allow the lane condition to take our game away from us. We get a little cautious and think we need to aim/fit/steer the ball to the pocket. All of those spell disaster in terms of carry and confidence. It’s much easier to have a free armswing and a confident shot when you’ve got two boards to hit and they both have arrows on them. One of the things that will grow area and improve carry is your follow through. When you follow through, no matter what, good things happen to off-hits.

You always want to have a ball in your hand and play an area of the lane that allows you to be aggressive. A committed follow through is one that looks like no matter what the ball does – strikes, barely hits a spare, goes in the ditch – someone watching you would absolutely believe that was what you intended. You throw and follow through as if you mean it, no matter what.

A follow through is the extension of your intention. You should follow through no matter how badly you think you’ve thrown the ball, no matter how much you wish it had a bungee cord on it. Following through, NMW, can break up splits, increase your speed without any attempt to throw harder and will just plain ol’ knock down more pins than a tentative or abbreviated follow through. A follow through is the natural extension of a free-flowing backswing and outswing and requires a lot less effort than a follow through you try to manufacture, and bonus, the pins fear it!

I believe the word pendulum is supposed to do two things: a) help you draw a mental picture of an arcing swing and b) imply a swing that is not generated from the fulcrum. In other words, when you picture the pendulum of a grandfather clock, you see it swing back and forth, apparently of its own momentum. Once you tap it or push it a little to get it started, it just goes back and forth, back and forth, back and forth at the same pace with no involvement of the shoulder, I mean fulcrum, to keep it going. This is the same way the backyard swing attached to a tree works. The tree isn’t moving. A great follow through is not manufactured, nor is it abbreviated. It’s a natural extension of a long, relaxed “pendulum” swing. I ’m not really sure there is such a thing as a free swing, but if there is, this natural extension creates it.

I don’t believe in looking like the Statue of Liberty at the foul line. Although it may look pretty to some, it’s not very conducive to carry. Here’s what I mean. To stop your swing so you can pose, it’s not possible to come fully through the shot at the bottom of the swing, let go of the ball and then somehow in that brief amount of space between when the ball let go of you and when your arm stops, halt the momentum so you can hold your hand and arm up in the air. It’s like trying to stop an 18-wheeler going downhill. You’ll have to start stopping your arm just past your hip pocket, which will cause you to decelerate through the swing. The most critical part of the swing is through the bottom, prior to and during delivery. Deceleration here is disastrous.

Equally ineffective, is the follow through that has your elbow severely bent and up by your ear. That’s not to say that position can never happen, just that it if is does, it doesn’t STAY there. The momentum of your swing can often cause your elbow to bend. If it doesn’t, you’ll look like a fast pitch softball pitcher with a windmill delivery. (That certainly works, although it’s a bit unorthodox).

The issue with this pose is two-fold. Stopping it up by your ear is just as much a destroyer as the Statue of Liberty look. You have to stop the momentum of your swing early to keep your arm up there. What’s critical here is when the elbow bends. If it’s too early, you’re cutting off your shot and possibly wondering why your ball “hooks” more than everyone else’s.

The other bent-elbow follow through I see has the hand over the head and the elbow sticking out to the right, almost like a salute that got carried away. Many people think this is a way to hook the ball. It’s almost as if the bowler thinks, “if I hook my arm, the ball will hook.” It doesn’t exactly work that way. A committed follow through is a real boon to carry. You’ll leave only the 2 pin, instead of the bucket, have the 7 pin fall out of the 6-7-10 and trip the 4 pin a lot more often.

You Asked: What is a good speed to roll my ball, I see my speed on the scoring unit is usually around 12.50 mph.

We Answered:
Speed measurements at bowling centers always read low. To accurately measure speed, I use a sports radar gun and measure the speed at release. PBA bowlers at a tournament average around 19.50 mph.

In your case, what is important is to have a 2 to 3 mph range you can effectively use. Changing speed, either more or less, to control the break point is a good practice session. The speed on the monitor will help you check your consistency at changing speeds.