When I practice I bowl great but in Leagues I can not anything

[mjvideo]

I have been seeing that in the past 2 years I bowl great when I practice but most of the time when I get into a league I do not do very well. Trying to find ways to just throw the ball like I do in practice. What ideas might you have to help me? I can pick my game apart with problems and sometimes I think that gets me into trouble as well.

[panbanger]

One thing I've done is that now when I practice I take more time between frames. When I have amazing games in practice it's usually because I roll one after another boom boom boom. League isn't like that. There's 3 or 4 other people that have to bowl before I take my next frame. So maybe in practice slow it down and try to make it more like a league setting.

[AZBowla]

One of the things that always threw me when bowling leagues was the fact that they oiled the lanes right before we started. I wasn't used to that at first so it affected my game pretty badly. Unfortunately I'm not a good enough bowler to tell you exactly how to deal with that, but the key I think would be to use the practice time you have to try and find a good line and then adjust as you need to throughout the night to keep hitting the pocket. Also, stick to the basics which is to wipe the ball down before every shot, keep calm and focused and don't worry about the previous frame or the one after it or how well the other guys are doing, etc. Just focus on that one shot and make it the best you can. Bowling is a game of skill but there is also some luck involved too. You may find yourself on that one particular lane that you just can't get a strike on no matter what you do, but if you can keep calm and convert your spares, you'll still do well. Good luck!

[75lockwood]

The other thing you need to take into account here is the oil condition's in league vs practice, in a league setting the oil pattern breaks down a lot faster than if just you are bowling. Also, part of your league problems may have a lot to do with the mental game, league situations often have a lot more pressure than practice, just go out and have fun on league, don't worry about changing things during league, that is what practice is for.

Good luck!

O, and welcome to the boards!!!

[mjvideo]

I should have put on there when I do practice I practice on fresh conditions the same conditions that are on league play. Also I should have said I am a left hander. Im my center I do not get much trafic on the left side. Lucky me.

[Zothen]

In practice I take it you bowl quickly? I know I can bowl 3 games in about 1-1/2 hrs,so in leagues you have to slow your game down. Now the question is are you on a 3,4 or 5 person team? 3 or 4 person you should have a decent pace unless everyone is slow. 5 person and you really have to slow down!

As a left hander you have an advantage in that you will most likely(Unless you have other lefthanders bowling on your lane)have oil through out the 3 or 4 games you bowl. Treat this like practice! I have found that if I take a deep breath in/out,push ball straight out as I breath in,walk to the line,keep my eye on the board i'm putting ball on and have a nice even arm swing,I can usually hit the pocket consitantly.

As I have told my teammate,get your ball,set your feet,look at mark and bowl. No thinking,just bowl! Kay sa rah sa rah(sp) whatever happens happens,just pick up your spares and you will have a good game.

Zothen

[GeoLes]

Don't forget the focus factor. When you bowl alone, you are very focused on some aspect of your game. You make certain the release is right, the swing arm free, etc. When you bowl league, you are distracted by performance expectations, (peer and self inflicted). You HAVE to make close this frame, etc. It shows up in overly focusing on technique for me. I focus on the correct release and overcompenate by pitching the ball out and to the left of mark. I also start looking up at the pins just prior to release as well.

I fix this by going into "Zen mode" during league play. I block out the noise, focus on what i want my shot to feel like. Rehearse it in my head. Grab a ball, step up to the approach, throw to my mark and focus only on my mark until I see the ball pass it. then I look up to see the effect. After the shot, I take inventory of what I did wrong, how to fix it. then I focus on the feeling of a good shot and do it all over again. That works for me. It may work for you too.

[Hammer]

You probably have the same problem as me. In practice the shot doesn't really mean much so you have a more natural swing. A more natural swing usually equates to better pin action. By that I mean when you swing right the pins explode like you threw a hand grenade down there instead of a bowling ball. I don't know how many times I go through warmup before league bowling starts and I am striking as easy as pie. When practice ends and now the shots count I think unconsciously I start muscling and grabbing the ball on the way down and I can't buy a strike. Sometimes when it is my turn to bowl I have to tell myself before my approach to let the ball come down naturally as I slide and not grab or muscle it. When I hit it right the pins explode when the ball hits the pocket. Talk to yourself before you start your approach and see how that works and don't forget to concentrate on your target arrow you want to hit and see if the ball keeps going over it. Good luck.

[billf]

Seeing as it's a fresh shot and the same shot as your league, it's mental. You're letting your head affect your physical game. Stop worrying about hitting average, getting a 300, winning, etc. Stay calm, just tell yourself "quality shot" and let the pins fall where they may. Stress to do well, fear of success, there are many reasons that can affect your game. Only you know the real reason and only you can do what it takes to change it.

BTW, this past Tuesday I bowled 8 times during warm ups. 8 strikes, nice, solid, pin crushers. Game started, I yanked the first one and fought myself the entire night. Not sure what happened but my game totally left me.

[Hammer]

The thing I do when the game starts and it counts is I don't keep looking up at my score or to see how the other team is doing. Plus I tell my team members not to tell me what we need to win or tell me to get a strike. Whenever it is my turn I am always trying to strike on my first ball. I also try not to let an open frame bother me. You have to take it one frame at a time. You might have an open but then throw 4 strikes in a row. If the other team is beating us and we don't have a chance anymore in that game I will concentrate on technique to set myself up for the next game. The only time I want to know anything is at the end of that game I ask if we won or the other team won.

[Doghouse Reilly]

When I practize I get going too fast, you get in a groove at that speed. the pace in the league is different slower you don't get in that groove.Try to match the pace of league bowlingg set down between shots.

[Tampabaybob]

MJ....First of all welcome to bowling boards. You'll enjoy the information and camaraderie we have here, all intended to promote the sport and help one another to improve.

With that said, and having read several of the previous threads, there are several good ideas presented. I too, have seen many times during league practice, guys throwing nothing but strikes, but when the lights come on for the first frame, they turn to mush. This is a mental thing that happens to everyone and sometimes can be categorized as over-thinking. When you practice on your own, you're probably much more relaxed, and aware of what you're doing with your footwork, hand position and focus on your target. In the league, it's as though you will tighten up and feel the pressure to excel. We've all experienced this and in many cases continue on a week to week basis to overcome doing that. Relaxation on the approach is one of the hardest things to do under pressure. Clearing your mind of "any" thoughts and just focusing on your target should be the number one thing you try. It should be just 'you, the ball, and the target'.

Between frames you have plenty of time to analyze that last shot and consider changes, or if you threw a great shot compliment yourself to do it again. Always give yourself "positive reinforcement" when you're throwing good shots. Several things you can do prior to making shots will help, especially taking a couple of deep breaths, holding it for a second and then releasing will help calm you down. If you practice well alone, you surely have the ability to repeat those shots during the league. Let us know how you do this week.

Bob

[willard46]

I had trouble with this too.
But, I Finally Found a System That Worked For Me and My Son.
I have Free Info. About This At InsiderBowlingTips.com (http://InsiderBowlingTips.com)
They Have Really Great Bowling Tips and Articles For Practicing On The Site.

Hope This Helps You Like It Has Us!

[billf]

I had trouble with this too.
But, I Finally Found a System That Worked For Me and My Son.
I have Free Info. About This At InsiderBowlingTips.com (http://InsiderBowlingTips.com)
They Have Really Great Bowling Tips and Articles For Practicing On The Site.

Hope This Helps You Like It Has Us!

Hmm, all I saw was page after page trying to get me to buy the book. Free info; you get what you pay for I guess.

[Tampabaybob]

The one point I haven't seen mentioned here is, in your league you need to pace yourself. I shoot a 5 man team league and sometimes it feels like an eternity before the next shot. It's particularly hard if you have a "wanderer" on the team.

In practice, practicing fast won't hurt you, in fact it can help you by repeating quickly. That's also assuming you're not making some bad mistakes during practice, because you'll be repeating those quickly as well. But if you're focusing on fixing a particular point in your approach or release, bowling quickly shouldn't hurt.

Bob