The PBA - A closer look

The PBA Tour is the last hurdle in any ones bowling career. It’s the place where legends of the game are made and it’s where I want to be.
Something that ‘rookies’ of the PBA must first except and then understand is that bowling on tour is unlike any thing else.
The transitions are so much different, the people you are crossing with are so much different and the most important aspect that is completely different is the talent levels.
In Europe and Asia, the talent I bowl against is of a very high standard but the depth of that talent pool is quite shallow compared to that on tour.
Everything you can do on the lane can be done by some one else out here and 9 out 10 times, that person can probably do it better than you
You are constantly fighting the lanes and are constantly thinking about your next moves. In Europe/Asia you do get a period of time to ‘just bowl’ and not worry about anything.
I have played in a few PBA events before, but they have all been majors, where the lanes transition more like ‘normal’ because of the large number of amateur participants.
I have had great success in these events but what i experienced the last 2 weeks taught me a quick and firm lesson about how the tour is really played.
The Scorpion Championship actually was an OK event. I bowled really well. The scoring pace was extremely high and it basically came down to who could knock over the pins the most based on carry. Normally this is something i would like, I mean, being a 2 handed player one of the biggest advantages is being able to strike more….. NOT THIS TIME.
I had just too much power. For the entire week I had 1 game where I had more than 5 strikes in a row. I did shoot 280, but 1 of those games just wasn’t enough.
I think i finished in 29th and to be honest was happy with that start.
The following week, the Cheetah Championship, showed me a thing or 2 about what happens when you play poorly.
It’s been a long time since I have bowled 14 games and could honestly say that I never bowled 14 full games where every shot was different.
I was a mess, missing left and right at my target and my speed control (which is something i pride myself on) was dis-graceful.
I was extremely upset with my performance but Kimberly (my wife) offered her wisdom and made me feel a little better about myself. Basically she told me that even the best have awful weeks, and the important thing is not to dwell about the past so much and work hard to improve the future.
Good advice right.
I watched the Pro’s make a difficult pattern look easy and how they did was amazing. It’s the little tricks (that a rookie needs to learn) that these guys have mastered. The ability to change a breakpoint (like from 40 ft to 36 ft) at will and the ability to generate angles into the pocket that amateurs can’t see is awesome to watch.
These are the tricks i need to learn and trust me when i say that I will learn them and i will be able to keep up.
The next time I ’shoe up’ will be in QATAR, next week to play in one of the biggest events (dollars wise) in the world. Hopefully i’ll be able to turn my form around and finish the 3 week tour off with a BANG.

Cheers and be good
Belmo