Bowling One-On-One with Matthew Wong: Smooth Competitor
Having the opportunity to compete against and with great bowlers and quality people is a big part of what makes bowling so much fun. Through tournament and league play there are many things to deal with such as lane conditions, transitions and equipment changes, let alone the mental and physical strength required to finish near or at the top. If you had to pick out a few names from participants at a local tournament in the East Bay of Northern California, someone who you thought would be in the mix of things at the end, Matthew Wong comes to mind every time. I had an opportunity to catch up with Matthew and I asked him about his bowling journey.
How did your journey with bowling begin and what captured your interest to keep going from that point?
“Growing up, bowling was not even a thought in my mind. I grew up playing basketball most of the time at school during lunch and recess breaks. When I reached my Senior year of high school, we were allowed to pick an elective for our physical education period. Bowling happened to be one of those electives. My first thought was ‘Bowling is an easy A.’ I decided to sign up for the bowling class and the rest was history.”
“The class was held at Diablo Lanes. As soon as my dad found out I was taking bowling as a class, he took me to get my first bowling ball and bowling shoes. Little did I know, my dad was a very avid bowler before he started our family. My uncles would bring my dad to the Japan Town bowling alley to practice and bowl pot games. He would go to school, then go to work at the family restaurant, then head to the bowling alley to bowl, then do it all over again the next day. I had no idea my dad bowled nor knew that he was a good bowler.”
In high school you were athletic, loved sports and competition, and you thought to yourself how difficult could this game of bowling be? And the challenge was on. Talk about how your game started to develop and about the learning process at this stage.
“I was not a naturally good bowler. I might have averaged around 120 in my bowling class. I wanted to get better at bowling because of my competitive nature and I found bowling to be fun. Seeing my classmates beat me and average higher helped fuel my drive for improvement. My dad would take me to practice on Sunday mornings at Paddock Bowl, in Martinez, CA. Paddock Bowl is close to our house and their prices were cheaper on Sunday mornings. He taught me the proper bowling form like where to stand, the proper steps, the proper arm swing, how to release the ball. From there, I continued to keep bowling and practicing.”
“When I finished high school, I wanted to bowl in a league with my dad. In order to do that, I had to forfeit my junior bowler status. At the time, I had no interest in bowling in any junior leagues nor any thoughts of bowling collegiately. I proceeded with forfeiting my junior status and bowled an adult league with my dad at Diablo Lanes.”
“Getting into bowling in my late teens is a regret I have. I wish I had started bowling when I was much younger. I can only imagine the development and experience I would have had bowling junior leagues, junior tournaments, and really developing my bowling game with coaches. Also, it could have led me down a path to try to bowl collegiately.”
Following high school your interest in bowling continued to grow and you became a student of the game. You absorbed everything you could, focused on the details, kept practicing, and really began to carve out your bowling style. Share your experiences during this stage of your bowling journey and how your development and progression continued as a young adult.
“After high school, I attended Diablo Valley College. While going to community college, I continued to bowl league with my dad at Diablo Lanes. I met a lot of bowlers and made friends with employees that worked there. I eventually started working there. I started off as a porter, then worked my way up to the front desk. I spent all my free time at the bowling alley. I would go to school, work the afternoon shift at the bowling alley, then bowl league or practice or hang out there. This was the case over the next 2-3 years. Bowling became a passion of mine because I was good at bowling, and I got to hang out with friends. I did not receive any formal coaching. The only coaching I received was from my dad when we would practice on Sundays at Paddock Bowl. Otherwise, I kept bowling and bowling. That is how I learned about all the ins and outs of bowling from the different types of bowling balls to oil patterns to ball reaction.”
“I would describe my bowling style as natural and smooth as I have a relaxed arm swing. My bowling form has been the same since the beginning. I have made changes here and there that have improved my game, but there is always room for improvement. I have a tendency to grab the ball which is the most difficult thing for me to not do. To this day, I go into bowling slumps because of grabbing the ball at the bottom of the swing. Doing that delays my release and decreases my ball rotation. When a slump occurs, I will practice my release and mentally remind myself to keep my thumb straight on every shot. I picked up the technical side of bowling quickly because I bowled so much and talked to bowlers about bowling. I would talk with my friends or my dad about the different bowling situations like why I am leaving 10 pins, why the ball is not reading in certain areas, is my timing messed up, what are you seeing on the lanes, and so on. Asking questions and discussing bowling helped my bowling knowledge grow. Since PBA bowlers started vlogging and creating tip videos on YouTube, I watch those for entertainment, and I pick up small tips and information from their videos which helps with my game.”
“Everyone that has seen me bowl tells me that I make bowling look effortless. I agree with that statement because my game is very smooth, but I know that my bowling style has been a product of some natural talent and many years of practice. I consider myself to be a tweener bowling style. I am not a pure stroker nor a power player. I am versatile enough to play straight and hook the ball, but my bread and butter is playing straighter. I give credit to my naturally smooth style and the hours of practice as to why I have been so successful and consistent. My style is simple and very repeatable. I try not to complicate things too much, but it does happen sometimes. That is usually a direct cause of hitting a tough oil pattern and I am trying to make the ball hook or being too mechanical. Otherwise, I am good at hitting an area on the lane and keeping it as simple as possible. Simple is always better.”
“I am currently averaging between 210 and 220 in league on a house shot. My sport average is probably around 190. I tend to struggle with heavier oil or longer oil patterns because my revolution rate is probably around 250 to 300 which is relatively low. I make my style work the best I can. I still can compete with some of the best bowlers in the area and I am respected in the community even though I do not consider myself on the level of a great bowler.”
What brands and types of bowling balls have you used and what is your current preference for arsenal in league and tournament play?
“I have used a lot of different brands of bowling balls. When I started bowling, my dad would just buy me different balls from different brands to try out. I tried everything from Columbia 300, Hammer, Ebonite, Storm, Lane 1, Track. At one time, I was using mostly Hammer balls. Then I switched to Storm for a while. Then I switched to DV8. Right now, I am rolling only Storm umbrella equipment (Storm, Global 300, Roto Grip). My current bowling balls in my rotation are the Proton Physix, RST-X3, The Summit, Virtual Energy Blackout, Zen, Fate, Phase V, Hyroad, and Pitch Purple. I like the way the Storm brand balls react and the variety they have. Storm has been producing a lot of good equipment lately and they work well with my game.”
So far you’ve rolled three 300 games and have three 800 series under your belt. Along with talent, you have great poise, controlled focus and a special competitiveness about your game. Talk about your competitive nature, where does that come from?
“I am a competitive person. I am competitive in that I want to win, but not overly competitive where I will do anything to win. Whatever sport I participate in, I want to do well and will always give it my best shot. I may not be the best, but I am going to do what I can. I believe this is why I am good at most things that I do. Whether I am an underdog or favored, I am going to do my best. I am not sure who I got my competitive nature from. My parents are both very nice and friendly. They do not do a lot of competitive things, but my dad does have that competitive nature. He wants to excel at whatever he does or end up with the best result he can. He used to bowl competitively, but now he bowls only for fun.”
What are some of your future goals and aspirations with your bowling journey as you look ahead?
“Right now, my goals are to continue to improve my game to compete in more scratch tournaments. I am trying to bowl smaller scratch tournaments or max handicap tournaments when able. The main reason for bowling tournaments is to prove to myself that I can compete with the good bowlers. I consider myself a fairly good bowler, but not good enough to compete at a high level. I want to reach a point in my bowling game where I can go into any tournament and not have to focus on making sure my release is correct and getting the proper rotation on the ball. Ideally, my release would be automatic with great ball rotation. Then, all I need to focus on is reading the lanes, hitting my target, and repeating shots.”
Aside from bowling, you love to play basketball and are a huge sports fan especially of local professional teams in the California Northern Bay Area. Talk about your passion for basketball and your favorite bay area sports teams.
“My first love has always been basketball. I started playing in elementary school during recess and lunch. I continued to play basketball during breaks and lunch during middle school and high school. I did not play any organized basketball growing up. I was usually one of the taller kids playing basketball. I would end up playing as the center, but I did develop other skills of dribbling, shooting, and passing the more I played. I would not consider myself a great scorer, but I am great at passing, rebounding, and playing defense. This is due to my athleticism, basketball IQ, and my competitive nature. My basketball game mirrors Draymond Green’s play style.”
“On that note, I am a Golden State Warriors fan. I grew up and still live in the East Bay of Northern California. I became a fan of the Warriors when I was a teenager. Those were the years when the Warriors were not good. They were at the bottom of the NBA. Even though they were not good, it was still enjoyable to watch the games and cheer them on when they were doing well. The ‘We Believe’ era was awesome because it shifted the team’s culture from a boring and losing team to an exciting team. I did not even imagine the Warriors getting to where they are now. This dynasty run has been incredible. The core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green is always fun to watch. It is amazing that they created this dynasty through those three draft picks that they developed. Also, those three players are very likable (mostly Klay and Steph) and the faces of the franchise now. I will always be a Warriors fan and watch their games when I can.”
“I enjoy watching Niner games. I sometimes watch Giants games. Otherwise, I usually do not watch any other sports games. I do understand most of the rules for football and baseball.”
It seems that more professional bowlers these days are connecting with the bowling community through social media and sharing tips and offering coaching services. Who are some bowlers on tour that you might follow and admire?
“A bowler that I admire is Kris Prather (PBA Tour). I like his game, his demeanor on the lanes, and his personality. He has won on the biggest of stages and he is versatile. His game is very smooth as can be. He is not a two hander (I have nothing against two handed bowling, but it is changing the game from people bowling traditionally with the thumb) nor is he a power player, but he still rolls a great ball and competes with the best.”
“I am really enjoying watching the bowling vlogs from the PBA bowlers like Darren Tang (I’ve been told my game is similar to Darren’s game), Packy Hanrahan, Brad Miller, and Kyle Sherman. They provide very entertaining content and give the average bowler a behind the scenes of PBA tournaments. They are all great bowlers as well. The content they create also helps bring more people into the bowling scene by showing the fun side of bowling.”
The passion for bowling seems to have really taken off the last few years especially since the pandemic. People of all ages and experience levels are going to bowling centers to join leagues and enter tournaments. What advice or tips might you offer to those looking to improve their game?
“First, you have to put in the time and effort to improve. Practice as much as you can. Make sure your release, arm swing, footwork, and timing is solid. Once those things are solid, then the scores will come as you gain knowledge with oil patterns, oil break down, spare shooting, and bowling balls. Having a solid foundation is very important.”
“Second, enjoy the process. Improvement in bowling is a very slow process. A minor change will take weeks of practice to rewrite your muscle memory. You will be frustrated when things are not going well or when you start struggling with something. That is part of the process though. When that happens, you have to realize why you are doing what you are doing and realize you will be better once you get through the tough part. The process is going to have a lot of ups and downs. Enjoy the ride though. Remember it is a game and to have fun.”
“Thirdly, you need to have an A+ mental game if you want to compete competitively. If you are not mentally strong, then you will not go very far in this game. There are a lot of great bowlers out there, but they may not have the mental game to go with it. The mental game will get you through slumps, tough patterns, unlucky breaks, and whatever may come at you. You never know what will happen on the lanes, but a great mental game can get you through it. You may not have the best day, but you may be able to grind out a set or a tournament to place. Even if you have a horrible bowling day, then you will likely take something positive away that will help you improve and get better.”
Matthew, thank you for taking the time to share your insights about your game and bowling journey. You’re a student of the game who’s driven to succeed, but also one who keeps good perspective and balance in mind between competition and simply enjoying the game. I’ve always admired your game not just as a great bowler but also as a great example for others because of your positive approach and overall support and respect for the game. Best of luck to you in league play, tournament action and all your future endeavors ahead.
“Thank you for this opportunity to share my bowling journey. It’s been a journey of ups and downs, but it has allowed me to meet a lot of people and to make new friends. Bowling will always be a part of my life. As long as I can bowl, then you will find me on the lanes. I enjoy sharing my knowledge of the game to whoever is willing to listen. I want to thank my dad for teaching me how to bowl, supporting me through my journey, and sharing this passion for bowling together. I want to see bowling to continue to grow as a sport (maybe less two-handers and no string pins for league/tournament settings). I wish the best to everyone that goes out there and bowls. Let’s go bowling!”
