Playing Mind Games

[Greenday]

Had the first night of my Tuesday Trios league tonight. It has some ridiculous scoring format, but you get a point for beating your opponent with your handicap score each game (So I'm the third bowler, I have to beat the third bowler on the opposing team each game for a total of four points). Somehow the point total ends up at 26. I have no idea. But we won all four games, I won three of four vs. my opponent, my friend won 3 of his four, and his friend who joined with us won all four of his.

1. Our third bowler has a book average of 156. He's been bowling on terrible, super-dry lanes. He averaged a 192.5 tonight.The other team was super pissed off about it.
2. I started running my mouth a little in the third game and it really seemed to get to my opponent. All of a sudden he stopped striking and missed a spare here and there. It came down to the tenth frame in the third game and my friend and I were talking about how if he doesn't strike out, I'm going to win. He cracked and threw a 9. I struck out to win.
3. Our third guy got a ton of bad strikes (Head pins, Brooklyn) in the last game and it just made the other team give up.

We are 24-2 after this week so I'm told. I feel like we have a good shot at first place for Week 1.

[Mike White]

Had the first night of my Tuesday Trios league tonight. It has some ridiculous scoring format, but you get a point for beating your opponent with your handicap score each game (So I'm the third bowler, I have to beat the third bowler on the opposing team each game for a total of four points). Somehow the point total ends up at 26. I have no idea. But we won all four games, I won three of four vs. my opponent, my friend won 3 of his four, and his friend who joined with us won all four of his.

1. Our third bowler has a book average of 156. He's been bowling on terrible, super-dry lanes. He averaged a 192.5 tonight.The other team was super pissed off about it.
2. I started running my mouth a little in the third game and it really seemed to get to my opponent. All of a sudden he stopped striking and missed a spare here and there. It came down to the tenth frame in the third game and my friend and I were talking about how if he doesn't strike out, I'm going to win. He cracked and threw a 9. I struck out to win.
3. Our third guy got a ton of bad strikes (Head pins, Brooklyn) in the last game and it just made the other team give up.

We are 24-2 after this week so I'm told. I feel like we have a good shot at first place for Week 1.


Now that takes referring to yourself in the third person to a new level.

[Greenday]

Now that takes referring to yourself in the third person to a new level.

Third guy on the team. Not necessarily the third in the order. My book average is 177. I averaged 182.25 on Tuesday night.

[billf]

So the third guy in question is your friend's friend?

I like mind games. It's part of the game.

[Greenday]

So the third guy in question is your friend's friend?

I like mind games. It's part of the game.

Yes, there's me, my friend, and my friend's friend. But our bowling order is:

My Friend
My Friend's Friend
Me

My friend tends to be more consistent each game so we put him first. I seem to strike out in the tenth no matter what kind of game I'm having so I'm anchor.

[Bunny]

My partner and I played one of the top teams last week. It's a father and son pair, Jr. and Sr. They are both very good bowlers and really belong in a scratch leauge. Our leauge is El Cheapo and is a "for fun" leauge. Another team that bowled them last week let them bowl first then bowled after them because they are obnoxious. I can hardly stand to bowl next to them because they are so hyper and impatient. (Don't be bowling on the right of Sr. he'll side step into your lane after he finishes every shot.) So, I messed with them a bit, not much, ("bush leauge psych out stuff") and it worked. Jr. was pacing back and forth like a caged animal. That's crazy! They bowled way below their averages and we won all 3 games and got all 4 points.

It was freakin' awesome! I just want to bowl my best, but some people are sooooo much fun to beat!!

[JPbowl]

You bowl 4 games on your league?

[Greenday]

You bowl 4 games on your league?

On Tuesday nights, yes. It's exhausting.

[billf]

To keep the lineage fees within reason a lot of 3 person leagues will bowl four games. If it's sanctioned then for honor scores they take three consecutive games (first 3 or last 3).

[scottymoney]

I would love to bowl 4. After the third game I am usually ready to bowl another. Most everyone else is ready to pack it up and go home.


I don't understand people getting worked up over trash talking in bowling. If you can't mentally block out what people say you have more problems than not being able to bowl.

[got_a_300]

If you can't mentally block out what people say you have more problems than not being able to bowl.

There's one good thing about my game and that is I've always
been able to block out anyone trying to get into my head when
it comes to bowling as I have never let anyone get to me when
I'm on the lanes.

I've also never had any fear of bowling anyone no matter who
or how good they are as everyone can be beat.

I love to mess with other people's minds though when I can
if they really do deserve it by trying to trash talk me or one
of my team mates.

If they just come in to bowl and not try to talk down to me or
my team mates then I'll just bowl and not try to get into their
heads.

[classygranny]

I've never really had a problem with "trash talking" as I tend to use it to make myself focus more and bowl better. The problem I seem to have the last few years is bowling with my husband. He is one of these that gets easily frustrated and makes remarks, albeit to himself-outloud, and sometimes jerks chair, hits table, or storms off. When this happens, my game just seems to fall off. I can't seem to keep my head in my own game as this happens. I have tried and tried to talk to him, but he's right-usually after a small outburst he bowls a bit better. I just don't recover as quickly. Anyone experience this type of "mind game"? Suggestions? - and not earplugs or music, both destroy my bowling.

[JPbowl]

Doesn't really bother me, joke around with a few people anyway.
One person gets into another bowlers head by complimenting them. " Wow, you are unstoppable today. You don't miss do you. you are awesome!"
Next thing you know hes throwing splits, lol.

[GoodGravy]

I always thought the physiological aspect of any sporting event to be very interesting. The best players (college/pro) deal with pressure and, for the lack of a better phrase, 'outside stimulation' (read trash talking) in a far better way then most other players. They use it as a motivation to push their game up another level.

Another way to look at it: When you let somebody 'get under your skin' you have just given them authority over you and handed them control of you.....why would you do that??? Let your score do the talking and crush them with your pin count!

[billf]

Hell, I trash talk my teammates more than my opponents. It's a team thing. Let's us trash talk without motivating the other team.

[J Anderson]

Hell, I trash talk my teammates more than my opponents. It's a team thing. Let's us trash talk without motivating the other team.

My wife always thought that my dad and I were more concerned about beating each other than we were about winning the game;)

[billf]

John, three of my teammates from Monday also bowl other leagues together. We are fairly close and were all brothers-in-laws by marriage once upon a time. I've been bowling with Derrick since the beginning. He use to get so mad so easily. He was a better bowler until his temper kicked in. It started as fun trash talking him until his game fell apart. Now his mental game is on par with his physical game.
Derrick now wants to bowl on another team in our men's scratch league so we can bowl against each other for once. That came about after we finished fourth in the City tournament in doubles this year while I also finished in first with Chris. Chris is a large guy with horrible form. Some how he still scores well. This year my trash talking him turned into his new nickname: Kool-aid It was going to be that or felony because showing that much crack bowling is definitely more than a misdemeanor!

Needless to say, all the talking we do to each other usually has the place in stitches and has helped all of us in tournaments where our opponents didn't know us and would waste their time and energy trying to get in our heads.

One thing I have noticed I do that does irritate the opposing team and I do it without realizing it: as the ball goes down the lane and I know it's a great shot I call the strikes out, "there's number four", "that's a five bagger", etc. Turns out my thoughts aren't always just in my head lol

[Greenday]

My teammate on my Wednesday night league last week took a frame off in the 10th of our first game since we were up 80 pins. It really pissed off the other team and motivated them to do better. They had great second and third games. I thought we were set because they looked really dejected after I bowled my 211 (177 average) and they were down bad. But my teammate just pissed them off and gave them fuel to improve.