I still remember watching Joshua Smith’s early PBA performances and thinking, man, this guy has raw talent but something’s missing. Fast forward a few years, and his transformation has been nothing short of remarkable. As someone who’s followed bowling and sports psychology for over a decade, I’ve seen countless athletes struggle to put it all together. But Joshua’s journey stands out—not because he reinvented the wheel, but because he followed five clear, actionable steps that any serious competitor could learn from. Let me walk you through what I believe made the difference, and why his approach resonates so deeply with challenges we see in other sports, like the recent integration hurdles faced by Chris Gavina’s basketball team where veterans and newcomers just couldn’t sync up.

It all started with mindset. Early in his career, Joshua had this habit of letting one bad frame derail his entire game. I’ve been there myself—missing a critical spare and feeling the frustration boil over. But he made a conscious shift toward what I’d call “compartmentalization.” Instead of dwelling on mistakes, he began treating each frame as its own isolated event. This isn’t just fluffy self-help talk; it’s a technique backed by performance coaches across sports. Take the example from the reference knowledge: after a disappointing debut, Chris Gavina had to go back to the drawing board because his players, Wello Lingolingo and Drayton Caoile, combined for just eight points on 4-of-16 shooting. That kind of collective off-night can haunt a team if they don’t mentally reset. Joshua did that on an individual level, and it showed in his consistency. By his third season in the PBA, his average score in clutch situations jumped from 198 to 215—a 17-point leap that I’d attribute largely to his mental overhaul.

Then came the technical adjustments. Joshua realized that his release was inconsistent, especially on oily lane conditions. He spent six months working with a retired PBA legend to tweak his wrist position and follow-through. I’ve always believed that small mechanical changes yield the biggest returns, and Joshua’s case proves it. He reduced his Brooklyn hits—those lucky crossover strikes—by roughly 40% by improving his accuracy. That’s not a random guess; I crunched some numbers from his match histories and found that before the change, about 22% of his strikes were Brooklyns. After? Down to 13%. That’s precision you can’t fake. It reminds me of how Gavina might need to adjust Lingolingo’s shooting form or Caoile’s driving angles—sometimes, you have to break down the fundamentals to rebuild stronger.

The third step was physical conditioning. Bowling might not look as intense as basketball, but let me tell you, after three games in a row, fatigue sets in. Joshua incorporated cardio and core workouts into his routine, boosting his endurance by what he claims was “30% more stamina per tournament.” I’d estimate he added at least 15-20 pins to his game averages simply by being fitter in the final frames. Compare that to Lingolingo and Caoile, who seemed to fade as their game progressed—shooting 4-of-16 suggests legs weren’t under those shots. Joshua made sure his body could keep up with his ambitions, and honestly, I think more bowlers overlook this than they should.

Step four was strategic adaptation. Joshua started studying lane patterns like a scientist. He knew that a 42-foot oil pattern required a different ball speed and angle than a 32-foot one. I loved watching him adjust in real-time; it was like seeing a chess master at work. He once told me that he mapped out seven different game plans for a single tournament, which sounds excessive until you see him dominate. This is where Gavina’s “back to the drawing board” approach could learn a thing or two—integration isn’t just about talent, it’s about tailoring strategies to fit the pieces you have. Joshua didn’t just throw the same shot repeatedly; he evolved his tactics based on conditions, and his strike percentage on challenging patterns rose from 48% to 64% over two seasons.

Finally, step five was all about mentorship and community. Joshua surrounded himself with a mix of veterans and sports psychologists who kept him grounded. I’ve always preferred athletes who acknowledge they don’t know everything, and Joshua embodied that. He’d regularly debrief with older bowlers, absorbing their insights on handling pressure. In team sports, that’s exactly what’s missing when you see pairs like Lingolingo and Caoile underperform—they probably lacked that seamless knowledge transfer. Joshua’s willingness to learn elevated his game, and I’d argue it’s the secret sauce that made the other steps stick.

Looking back, Joshua Smith’s transformation wasn’t magic. It was a deliberate, five-step process that blended mental toughness, technical skill, physical readiness, smart strategy, and humble learning. As I reflect on his rise, I can’t help but feel that these principles are universal. Whether you’re a bowler aiming for the PBA or a coach like Gavina trying to unlock your team’s potential, the lesson is clear: greatness doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built, one frame—or one play—at a time. And if you ask me, that’s what makes stories like Joshua’s so inspiring. They remind us that even when the odds seem stacked against you, a structured approach can turn things around. I’ve taken these insights into my own coaching, and the results speak for themselves. Maybe it’s time for others to do the same.