MY RETIREMENT FROM BOWLING...

It's been more than 8 years since I started my bowling 'career' from zero (if I may call it a career.. haha) playing plenty of external graded events and company's tournaments, with hardly leaving any significant names behind among the top graded players in Malaysia, but I did have my days and satisfactions.

Listed belows are the key chronologies that I can recall as a graded bowler.

2001
- First serious interest began after I started working with this oil & gas refinery, joining some bowling groups after several months working with the company.

2002
- Bought my first bowling ball, bags and bowling shoes
- Playing straight ball... a total beginner to the old timers.

2003
- Still playing straight ball with serious learning on techniques and basics
- Finding my ways towards mastery

2004
- Already built some solid technical foundation
- Convert to Spinner/Helicopter style of playing with Jimmy Lee & Uncle Woo's (Melaka Head Coach) guidance.
- Spend thousands on buying books and dvd's from Amazon.com

2005
- 1st time selected for Oil Business Team, but kept as reserved.
- 1st significant victory winning the Electrical Dept yearly bowling tournament.
- 10th place in the Company's Masters Event.

2006
- Appointed as Asst Convener for the company's bowling team
- Change to hook style, unsuccessful after 6 months and revert back to Spinner
- Did not qualify for Oil Business
- Selected to play for Melaka under the Sukan Gemaputra organized by PKNM

- Team won 1st & 2nd for Melaka Industrial Championship

- 3rd in Company's Masters Event
- 5th in Melaka State Selection Qualifying for the Interstate Event in KL

2007
- The best year ever for me as a Bowling Player
- Selected as Captain for Oil Business - Team won 2nd.
- Appointed as Convener/Captain for the Company's Team - 1st & 2nd for Melaka Industrial Championship.
- Selected for ASCOPE Game in Manilla - team won 3rd place
- Champion 9 pin tap at Seremban Monthly Graded Event on April - won RM500
- Champion 9 pin tap at Extreme Bowl Melaka in May - won RM300
- Champion Piala Puteri UMNO Alor Gajah... haha
- 4th in Piala Ketua Polis Melaka Event
- 8th in Piala Datuk Bandar Single Event
- 5th in OLE Event Daiman Bowl in Johor winning RM600
- 12th in 369 Final Event @ Seremban Parade

2008
- Played for Oil Business - Team Champion
- Resigned from both Company & Oil Business Team Captain position due to work demand
- 2nd in Company's Masters Event

- Team maintained 1st, 2nd & 3rd in Melaka Industrial Championship

- Hardly top 20 in most external graded events.

2009
- Didn't qualify for Oil Business, came as supporter on the last day of tournament, team Champion in style, retaining last year's title.
- Melaka Industrial Championship, Team won 1st, 2nd & 3rd... for 4 years in a row now
- Found new interest & commitment...
- Fully retire from Bowling in November 2009

2010
- I am sure no more...

Return on Investment (ROI)

- Total spent excluding game fees (more than RM20,000)

- Total return ( less than RM10,000)

- Summary - Loss in terms of monetary value, but great on the satisfaction side.

I believe it is time to say goodbye to the rest of the team, though definitely I will keep on supporting them.

So, what's next? Perhaps it's a good time to start my long awaited golf career... Yet to start but perhaps not so soon as there are too little time for me at the moment...

All the best to you guys...

TOO SOON TO CALL IT A DAY... ?

I went to Sunway Pyramid last Thursday watching the singles game (bowling) among all the competing contingents during our company's yearly sport's carnival.

Proud to say, the team managed to retain their championship title.... CONGRATULATIONS!

Though I wasn't part of the team this year, but I can still feel the excitement watching my buddies fighting for their championship. They didn't win million dollars but the feeling of satisfaction is beyond explaination.

The fighting spirits were awesome and kudos to all the players who fought hard for the game.

Not forgetting my colleagues from Gas Team who got 1st & 2nd for the Singles with average beyond 220 pinfalls from 10 games. Superb I call it... and they thoroughly deserved their wins.

But, looking back at the game and myself, I feel like my desire to play is still there in the game. I guess I should make a comeback and give it another shot and see how far can I go.

Of all my targets in Bowling, there is only one left that hasn't been achieved yet... which is to win the Graded Tournaments with prizes of RM5000 and beyond. It is not really about the money though, it is about the feeling of you being able to beat the KL and other states established players that counts.

Can I achieve it?

Well, even if I make a comeback, there is definitely certain areas of my game that needs further improvement or else I will maintain the same level like before, or even worse.

We'll see...

p/s: I really miss the competitive spirit during big tournaments...

SLUMDOG BOWLER...

The result speaks for itself... 134, 130, 162, 153, 147, 135... Avg 144... What happened?

Lately my pinfalls have suffered severely due to lack of focus, heart and mental commitment to the game. For the past 3 years, I used to play beyond the 180 average for any game or tournament and so far the best 12 games average was 215 pinfalls (w/o handicap) in one of the graded tournament held in Johor 2 years ago. I even made a few 220 average for a 4 games tournament. It wasn't too good but good enough for my own satisfaction.

Even without a good-form, normally it has never gone below 170 average pinfalls. My normal respectable average was always at 180 to 200 range which is acceptable (& respectable) though I can hardly be in Top 5 with that average.

But now, I am back to a slumdog status. My strike ball constantly missed the pocket and my spares are no longer consistent. At times, I even miss the pin 5 spare, the easiest spare on earth. I guess it's time to call it a day as my passions are no longer there for the game. I believe there is a way back but for now, I just couldn't find the key anymore.

Some of the possible factors are due to:

1. Work stress. The mind wasn't there during the games.

2. Zero fighting spirit. I felt no desire to win at all.

3. No more fun in the game. The game has lost its sex-appeal to me.

4. Practise. I just don't have enough time to play as usual as before.

5. Competitive Sports to Recreational bowling. I can no longer take the game seriously.

6. Not enough rest. I was rushing from office before the game in KL.

7. Multiple personal factors. Perhaps so many agenda in the head.

Rather than physical, I strongly believe the mental part of the game has seriously fallen apart. Once you lose the focus in doing anything, performance will suffer, not only in bowling.

And focus is not something that you can simply do. You have to have a clear mind, get enough rest and play with a mission. Otherwise it is like driving a car without a final destination. You could end up in the river...

Well, who cares right? Some of my true bowling colleagues did express their concern and willingness to help me in bringing back my game. Some even recommended me to change the ball as my all-time-favorite ball has reached its retirement age (5 years already), and so on... personally I believe there's nothing wrong with the ball as I guess the main problem is with me.

Thinking about it over and over again, I believe the best is to STOP (until further notice) as lately performance has suffered signifcantly. If I continue playing, things will get even worse rather than better. This could be temporary or this could be for good, I just don't know.

Whether I'll be back or not, bowling will always be one of the game that I watch and support.

To my bowling colleagues especially the Oil Business Team... trust your game, stay united and we shall retain our last year's championship title....

All the best to you guys!

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR BOWLING GAME

Bowling is a game that requires execution finess & consistent practise for you to maintain good muscle memory & performance. As a spinner myself, the 5 keys to my good performance are always due to:

1. Consistent Scheduled Practise (minimum 3 times a week as a part time bowler)

2. Always do post-Game Analysis (analyse your game and decide which area requires further improvement i.e. sparing, shoulder squareness, release etc)

3. Spare shootings practise ( i.e work on perfecting pin 7 and pin 10 sparing)

4. 1st shot execution accuracy practise (ie. learn to adjust and adapt accordingly to lane condition)

5. Participate in various local tournaments (ie Local and Graded tournaments are good platforms for experience enhancement)

There are many other factors as well but those listed above are always the keys. Neglecting any one of the listed elements above will surely jeopardize my chances in performing well for tournaments.

Unlike spinners, playing hook is even more challenging as hook players must also focus on 5 other elements of adjustment inclusive:

1. Angle adjustments (ie which board to play)

2. Balls selection (ie dry, medium, oily)

3. Lofting & Lifting (ie where your ball should land on the lane)

4. Speed (ie your throw and steps)

5. Release (ie broken wrist, cup or natural)

Ultimately, in any game that you are playing, listed below are the master keys that will determine whether you can be a winner or otherwise:

•Convert your SPARES since STRIKE is actually a bonus. You MUST LEARN to convert your spare consistently for high average games.

•Don’t know how ? Learn.. The best is through trial error as there is no specific rule… BUT

•Using 3-6-9 method is one of the simplest method

•Remember where your stance and target is, and adjust accordingly during tournaments.

•Spare is really simple once you know how.. It’s just your mind that telling you otherwise.

•Focus on each throw. Ignore the scoreboards…

•It’s not over until it’s over… Don’t worry if you open frames, just focus on the next shot.

•Bowling is all about repeating a good shot over and over again.

•Always Practice Practise Practise !!!

Last but not least, you do need luck at times since no matter how good your execution is, there is always 1% possibility for you not to strike.

All the best to your bowling games !

HOW TO BUILD YOUR BOWLING SKILLS FROM ZERO

Yesterday I had a chat with one of my junior officemates in KL. One of his interest and target is to play bowling well and he just started the game with a new bowling set (ie bowling ball, bag and shoe), and still throwing a straight ball.

Well, I did tell him that I will write something on my blog so I hope he is reading this. By the way I am not a certified coach at the moment, but I do have numerous experiences and technical knowledge of the games obtained from books, state's coach, being a team captain as well as my own experiences in playing various graded tournaments throughout the country since 2002. The best experience gained when I was representing the company in the ASCOPE Games held in Manila 2 years ago.

Instead of articles type of writing. I would prefer do it in point forms. Of course I could not cover everything, but I will share the 7 gists of the game that you really need to understand in order for you to progress to the next level.

1. First thing first. To become a STAR player, you need to remember S-T-A-R. You need to understand the basics of where to Stand, Timing of your steps (3, 4 or 5 steps), Free Armswing concept like clock pendulum and smooth Release.

2. Learn the basic targetting system by either referring to the boards (39 boards altogether) or the 7 arrows. These are places where your ball should land. Use the center arrow (board 20) as your primary target when playing straight ball. You don't have to look at the pins. I personally use the boards as my target instead of arrows.

3. Do not fancy about getting strikes if you really want to learn how to play. Most important is make sure that your first throw hit only either 1-2 or 1-3 pocket of the pins. For right-hander 1-3 is the aim whereas for southpaw 1-2 should be the pocket.

4. Consider strike as bonus. The key to playing consistently is to be proficient in your spare shooting, especially the single pin spare. Learn the basics of spare conversion from various sources. I am using a 3-6-9 system and the key spares that you need to master are the pin 5, 7 and 10. The rest is a matter of slight adjustments.

5. Always practise. There is no better place to learn than the bowling lane itself. Video your game if you have a camcorder.

6. To enhance your skill faster, you need to find someone who is good at the game to coach you on buddy system. But beware, most self-proclaimed trainers do not even know what they are talking about. So be selective.

7. Last but not least, in order for you to fully tap your potential in bowling, you must learn as much as possible BUT... to apply those techniques that are ONLY comfortable for you to play. Do not force yourself as bowling execution should be based on smooth and unmuscled execution. Only do the things that you are capable to do, but of course if practised dilligently, anything can become easy afterwards.

Try these 7 items first and I shall give you another tips on my later bowling posts.

Happy Bowling !