YET
This is one of my favorite words to use with players and even myself when I am trying to execute a mission/goal. I remind many of my players that I get to coach to use the word "yet" when discussing their present situation.
Example: "I can't repeat adjusting my slower ball speed"
Change it to: I can't repeat adjusting my slower ball speed YET"
Example: "I can't bowl well in the Team event at the USBC Nationals"
Change it to: "I can't bowl well in the Team event at the USBC Nationals YET"
"YET" is a very powerful word for the mind when challenged with anything in sports and/or life. Start using it daily and you will notice how your mindset goes from negative to positive immediately.
Win the Day!
Coach
Don't Get Pipped
Team Bowlers - Act Differently
Wally Pipp may be the only baseball player famous for sitting the bench. As the legend goes, Pipp was the New York Yankees longtime 1st baseman when, on June 2, 1925, he called in sick with a headache. Yanks manager Miller Huggins rested Pipp, recommended he pop an aspirin, and penciled in fresh talent. That “fresh talent” was a little known slugger name Lou Gehrig who became one of the greatest baseball players of all time! This is a healthy reminder to act differently than how you feel. Don’t Get Pipped! 
What a great reminder to show up everyday for work regardless of how we feel. If you only feel 75% of your best, your mindset is still to give 100% of your 75%. (Don't waste energy on the 25% you don't have today)
Win the Day!
Coach
The Art of Breathing
Your breathing is your greatest friend. Return to it in all your challenges and you will find comfort and guidance. I think Meditation is vital in life and your bowling career. Start breathing!
"If you know the art of breathing you have the strength, wisdom and courage of 10 Tigers."
Exercise: (do this daily outside of practice)
1) Begin breathing from your stomach, breathing naturally but slowly
2) Slowly inhale through your nostrils for a count of 5
3) Hold for a count of 5 & then exhale slowly for another count of 5
4) Imagine & feel the warm energy flowing through your body
Now Go Win the Day!
Coach
Get To
Too often we complain and focus on what we have to do. We say things like “I have to go to practice.” “I have to go to school today.” “I have to do this or that.” Instead, shift your perspective and realize it’s not about having to do anything. You get to do things. You get to live this life. You get to go to practice while so many are unable to play the sport of bowling. You get to go to school while so many in the world don’t even have schools or are too sick to attend school. Focus on what you get to do.
Focus on feeling blessed instead of stressed. Focus on gratitude.
Now Go Win the Day,
Coach
BUT
The But Strategy
The “BUT” positive technique strategy helps you turn your complaints into positive thoughts, solutions and actions. It works like this. When you realize you are complaining, you simply add the word but and then add a positive thought or positive action. Examples:
“I don’t like having to practice everyday for two hours but I’m thankful I have the health and opportunity to bowl."
“I don’t like that I’m out of shape but I love feeling great so I’m going to focus on exercising and eating right.”
Now Go Win the Day!
Coach
The Mental Brick
Stay Present - FLUSH IT!
Don't carry the mental brick around with you. When things go bad, FLUSH IT! Then refocus on the next task.
How Do Athletes Deal With Nerves?
Things Mental Skills Coaches Train Athletes To Do
As bowlers we all get nervous from time to time. But when your job is based on performing extreme feats in front of hundreds or millions on television, it is fair to say that you may be more familiar with that nervous feeling than most. I remember my first television show as a Rookie on Tour. It felt like slow motion as I was going through my approach to release the ball. I don’t think I have ever been that nervous since that shot. In addition to physical training, elite athletes often undergo what’s called mental skills coaching in order to harness their anxiety around performing to become better athletes. “Once athletes get to [elite] levels, the difference between winning and losing is often times not a physical difference,” Ben Oliva, a Mental Performance Coach at Sports Strata in New York City, tells Bustle. Certain techniques can help athletes hone their skills for consistent success, but as these sports psychologists tell Bustle, these are strategies that you can use even if you’re not an elite athlete.
There are tons of mental skills that these professionals teach their clients, but these are eight that literally anyone can benefit from, athlete or not. All it takes is an open mind, and, as with any new sport, lots and lots of practice.
Increasing Your Awareness
In order to effectively manage your nerves, you need to be aware of the situations where you're stressed in the first place. This goes back to the RED-YELLOW-GREEN Light system. You must know when you have lost control (Red); when you are about to lose control (Yellow) and when you are in control (Green). Basically knowing when things are going well and when things aren’t going well. Ask yourself: “What does it look like when I’m truly at my best, and how can I do that as often as possible?”
Reset Your Goals
Instead of stressing out about the outcome of your goals, try focusing on your process instead. That way you won’t get stressed out about things you can’t control. Control your Controllables. Focus on your effort, attitude, breathing, self-talk, etc. Set your goals with what you have control over.
Practice Mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness is a wonderful way to pull your brain back into the present moment and refocus your energy. Take an action that you routinely repeat every day, and pay close attention to what you're doing. Singling out a mindless action (honing in on brushing your teeth) every day can help strengthn your overall awareness. Apps like Headspace and Insight Timer are great places to start guided meditations and instruction. Meditation focuses on your breath, which is always present.
Adjust Your Self-Talk
A pep talk directly affects your confidence and the we you perform on the field and literally everywhere else. The athlete must focus on the right thing at the right time every time. Self-talk is a great way to execute this but it must be an everyday thing.
Use Your Breath
The breath is the PILLAR in mindset training. It relaxes your body and mind so you can get back under control (Green) and stay present. Breath six seconds in through your nose (inhale), hold for two seconds and exhale for eight seconds. Again, you must practice this every day.
Visualize Your Success
Your imagination is an incredible tool when it comes to picturing your success. Look at where you want to go and what you want to happen. This is called mental rehearsal. The more vivid the imagery, the better. When you are visualizing, you are using some of the same neural pathways you would be using if you were actually engaging in the activity. Your body doesn’t know the difference whether it actually happened or if you imagined it. When I won the Earl Anthony PBA Open in 1992, I rehearsed this for months. In fact I guttered on my very first shot on television but it never affected my performance because I rehearsed the entire match before it happened. It’s powerful!
Practice
The only way to be able to reap the benefits of these techniques is to practice them again and again. You have to practice so that you will be able to use the skill in a moment when you really need it. People are not born confident, self-assured, or motivated. These characteristics are acquired through practice and perseverance. It is only when we treat our minds as we do muscle that we can truly begin to flex our mental prowess. Practice – practice – practice…
Win the Day,
Coach
Awareness
Self Awareness
Knowing yourself in bowling gives you your best chance of getting 100% of what you’ve got right now to win the next shot. Doing your best doesn’t guarantee successful outcomes, but it does give you what the great basketball coach John Wooden defined as the success he sought for his players:
“Success is peace of mind, which is direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
Now Go Win the Day!
Coach
Team > You
Team is ALWAYS Greater than You
You can compete shot to shot even if you’re not in the starting lineup for your team. The process is the same: Feel as good as you can (Control), commit to a target or goal (Commit), and let go (Compete). Be in the moment on the bench by sending out the best vibe to your teammates that you possibly can. This not only helps your team much more than if you have a negative attitude, but it also gets you ready to play your best when your time comes.
Now Go Win the Day!
Coach
Process > Outcome
Process Greather Than Outcome
Make sure you’re choosing to think and act in ways that prepare you to play as well as you can today and not accidently focusing on your difficulties, which will only prepare you for more failure.
Process is a Controllable
Outcomes are Uncontrollable
Now Go Win the Day!
Coach