DO NOT be surprised if you spot Ryan Wee donning sunglasses during bowling competitions.

The 14-year-old Singapore Sports School student is not trying to look cool. Instead, he wears them to mimic conditions during training sessions - some of which are held in the dark.

Since February, the Sports School's keglers have taken a leaf out of the national team's book: They bowl with all the lights switched off and only the pin area lit.

The national team first employed this method over two years ago as a peaking programme before major competitions.

Its aim is to wean the bowlers off their reliance on the lanes' target arrows and also to build confidence and hone instinct.

Said the Sports School's head coach of bowling, Thomas Fox: 'When the lights are off, there's no more visual feedback, so they have to go by feeling and all their focus is on their swing.'

The former national bowler, who took charge of the team in September, added that the results were immediate.

'Usually, their ball speed averages 24kmh. But, in the dark, it instantly goes up by 2-3kmh as they are less distracted by the surroundings,' he said.

'This gives them belief and confidence as they realise they can do more than they thought they were capable of.

'In fact, when we turn the lights back on, some of them complain that their ball speed has slowed down again.'

Read the full story in The Straits Times today.