The Way To A Super Bowl

"When Don Johnson's legs start to tremble," said an old rival who no doubt felt that he had followed in Johnson's quake once too often, "I don't like to bowl against him. I know he's got that winning feeling." Since mid-1969 very few people have enjoyed competing against the Akron professional. In that time he has won 13 PBA championships and nearly $200,000 in prize money. His career totals are 19 wins and $318.149. second only to Dick Weber on the alltime lists. Last December and January Johnson was nearly the perfect kegler. He won four PBA events, was named 1971 Bowler of the Year and, at 32, was easily the best bowler of his generation.

Johnson began serious bowling at 14 in his hometown of Kokomo, Ind. when he realized that he never would be tall enough to play basketball or big enough for football. Nine years later he was a regular on the PBA tour. He is at his best when the pressure is greatest and he attributes much of his success to instinct. "It's no accident that Weber and I are one-two," he says. "We both have the ability to make those last-second corrections that are the difference between strikes and disaster. That is something you can't learn. If you read a bowling book and then watched me, sometimes you wouldn't think I was a pro."

Don't believe it. By watching Johnson you can learn plenty. On the following pages he describes the perfect delivery, tells how to convert four of the most common spares—though each bowler must adjust for his own delivery—and discloses the seven-point checklist that helped make him a consummate bowler and, with plenty of practice and concentration, will make a better one of you.

"Be a spot bowler. It is easier to hit a spot that has been put there for you 15 feet away than to focus on pins 60 feet down the lane. But concentrate hard on it—miss the spot and your error will be quadrupled by the time the ball reaches the pocket—and learn to repeat your delivery exactly. Only your position at the start and the spot you are aiming at change. Your delivery does not. I check myself after each release against the following list:

"1) Was my left foot pointed at the head pin? If so, I know my steps were straight and the ball was delivered with balance.

"2) Was my left leg bent and supporting my weight? This tells me if I released the ball smoothly and close to the lane.

"3) Were my hips square to the foul line at the release?

"4) And were my shoulders square to the foul line? If the hips and shoulders are square. I know I have used my full body strength.

"5) Was my follow-through at least shoulder-high? If so, I know the ball will not drift.

"6) Was my left arm kept well out from the body? This is the counterweight against the ball.