"My goodness, Choc; but, you look awful calm for having just shot that lousy 150 game after that 249." Well, as I always say, "c'est la vie." Another expression from a long time ago is, "Que Sera Sera." (I believe the latter is Italian and the former is French.) Whatever the case, they both mean essentially the same thing: "That's the way things are," or, "Whatever will be, will be."

This is the sort of quandary that us bowlers are in all the time. Our games move along quickly and we don't have a lot of time between frames to do all that we have to do so that we are prepared and ready for our next frame. I always teach that it is a frame-by-frame game. You can't think about what happened LAST frame because it's gone and you can't worry about NEXT frame because it hasn't come yet. You can only concentrate on THIS frame. It is an important point for all bowlers to absorb into their game - last, next, and this, frames - which one can you do something about? I give you three guesses but only the first guess counts.

Hey, that wasn't a bad series at the end of the night - 249 - 150 - 255 for a 654. What would have happened if I had let the middle game bother me to the extent that I would have lost my concentration? Well, who knows, but it might not have been as good a result in the third game. "If we could knock all the pins down on the first ball every time, this game would be known as 'Striking,' rather than "Bowling." It also might be a bit boring, don't you think?

And so here's this week's "Choc-List" for continuing to hone your skills in the sport of bowling:

1) Assurance - you have confidence in your ability to bowl well. You accept that you may not score high all the time; but, you know that overall, you will do well. You have developed your skills to a point that your self-confidence and positive attitude are a cut above everyone else's.

2) Technique & Action - your fundamentals are sound. Your system, procedure, and methodology are such that you seem "automatic" in your execution of the game. You perform well. You know when you need help and assistance. You don't just sit back and talk about things, you take action and do something about them.

3) Coach - you know that you not only have to train, but you also need someone to watch you and tell you if you're doing things correctly (or incorrectly). Training is one thing, coaching is another.

4) Knowledge - you keep improving your knowledge of the sport of bowling. You fully understand that the sport is continually changing and you must continue to learn or you will not keep advancing.

A - T - A - C - K … no, not the little nail-like thing. Think more aggressively - ATTACK - so what if it's misspelled, you can garner the same meaning from it. To get your game on a more even and substantial keel, A-T-A-C-K!!!

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)