It is a common impulse to want to skip the beginning of a story and jump straight to the climax. When we start a new project, a new job, or even a new hobby, we have a tendency to look at the experts and wonder why we aren’t there yet. We want the results, the accolades, and the mastery, but we often forget that expertise is built on a foundation of very quiet, very repetitive, and often very boring basic movements.
In the world of competitive bowling, this rush to the finish line usually results in a gutter ball. Gary Yamasaki’s journey in the sport was defined by a specific mantra given to him by a mentor named John: “Walk before you run.” While it sounds like a simple piece of advice for a bowling approach, it became a survival strategy for navigating the frustrations of the “long game.”
Resisting the Urge to Sprint
When you are stuck at a plateau—like the 172-average mark that Gary faced—your instinct is to change everything at once. You want to throw harder, spin the ball more aggressively, and force a result through sheer willpower. But John’s advice was a call to do the opposite. It was an instruction to slow down, focus on the feet, and master the walk before attempting a high-speed strike.
Staying grounded means acknowledging that you cannot bypass the learning curve. In the story, this patience was a physical requirement. If your footwork isn’t stable, your release will never be consistent. By focusing on the “walk,” the author was able to turn a period of stagnation into a period of preparation.
Applying the Slow-Down to Life
This philosophy isn’t limited to the bowling alley. We all face moments where we feel “behind” where we think we should be. The pressure to “run” before we are ready leads to burnout and mistakes that are hard to fix later. Being grounded means having the discipline to say, “I am not ready for the next step yet, and that is okay.”
It’s about finding value in the practice itself rather than just the score at the end of the frame. When Gary embraced this, the sport stopped being a source of stress and started becoming a source of connection. Eventually, that steady, patient approach didn’t just improve his game; it opened the door for his wife and children to join him, turning a solo pursuit into a family legacy.
If you are currently feeling the pressure to move faster than your foundation allows, you might find some much-needed perspective in “Walk Before You Run” by Gary Yamasaki. It is a reminder that the best way to reach the finish line is to make sure your first few steps are solid. Whether it is bowling and other aspects of life or overcoming everyday challenges, reading this book will give you the strength to move forward without the urge to reach a point too quickly, only to find no results.
A Bowling Journey (3 book series) Available on Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZJD5LRV