mental game is killing me

[coreyds012778]

I am starting to feel like that the mental game is killing me, I throw one bad ball. the rest of the game I end up bowling bad for the rest horrible. I am starting to realize that I am very competitive.

any suggestions on how to beat the mental game?

[RobLV1]

Put it in perspective. As much as we all love to do it, and love to do it well, it is, after all, just bowling. When the time comes to be standing at the pearly gates, is St. Peter going to ask you about your bowling average? I don't think so!

[bowl1820]

Norm Duke on the Mental Game


After physical abilities, the element that separates all great athletes is their ability to function mentally. Many people ask me, “What percentage of bowling is mental?” All of it! As soon as you can physically get the ball down there and knock ten pins over once, it’s conceivable to mentally do it every time.

Knowing how to play the game

For a long time, I had one of the worst mental games. At first, this was because I didn’t know enough about the game of bowling to separate myself in terms of the knowledge factor. I had to learn how to play the game properly and then apply that knowledge. It’s one thing to know something; it’s another thing to be able to apply it. Several of today’s top players are seemingly peaking in their late 30s, after their physical skills are actually starting to dwindle. What separates them is their ability to play the game on a higher level mentally and apply what they have learned from experience.

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses

Another part of developing my mental game was recognizing that I have weaknesses. I learned a long time ago that you can practice for two or three hours on something that you’re very good at, but you will improve very little. If you want to improve quicker, you should take something that you really stink at and dedicate resources to that weakness and make it your advantage. Keep an open mind so that you can actually recognize your weaknesses because sometimes they’re not easy to find unless you’re looking for them.

Confidence

Confidence is the hallmark of the mental game. It is what separates great players. But you don’t just dream up confidence or wake up confident. Confidence comes from knowledge, experience, and preparation. It is impossible for me to be confident unless I know I am physically capable of repeating shots. I have to be able to repeat many different types of shots and select the appropriate shot from many possible ones – and it has to be done on demand and without fear. Preparation is what makes this possible. If I put preparation off, what I’m doing is trading that time with someone else because somebody is preparing at that moment. You will lose a lot of battles if you make too many bad time trades.

Preparation also means that you’ve got to learn your body – what it is that makes you tick, mentally and physically. You have to know things like when to eat so you don’t get hungry in the middle of a round. You have to know when you need rest and when to work out. You also need to know how to relax and what level of nervousness you perform the best under. Learning and applying all of this knowledge is now part of my mental preparation, just like practice.

Controlling your thoughts

Another important part of the mental game is controlling your thoughts. No one or no thing controls your thoughts. You have the choice to be happy or sad. You have the choice to be smart or dumb. You have the choice to see yourself in a good light or a bad light. No matter what happens, your thoughts are still your choice. It really is a choice that you make, and a positive outlook will always beat a negative one.

You can’t keep stewing on past mistakes. If you’re going to get stewed up every time you make a mistake, then bowling for a living will be a long and miserable life! Mistakes will come in droves, but the great shots will come too, and my job is to minimize one and maximize the other. If all I think about is that I threw a bad shot, I’m maximizing the mistake portion and minimizing the successful portion in my head. Everything is a weighted measure – what you’re not putting on the positive side, you’re packing on the negative. Sure, you have to find out what your problems are, but you do this to learn, not to fuel the negative. Quickly determine what is happening and why you’re not enjoying success, and then decide what you need to do to get the job done. After that, you can just discard the shot in your mind.

Controlling your behavior

One big difference between great players and good players is behavior, especially in adverse situations. Some players can leave a solid 8 or a solid 9, and it’s like it doesn’t faze them. That sort of behavior is what I think all of us need to strive for. It’s not that I want everybody to go out there and be mechanical or not be emotional. I’m a very emotional person, but I require a certain type of behavior from myself because staying composed brings many benefits. It allows me to keep my heart rate and blood pressure down, which allows me to stay under control. It also shows my competitor that I can handle the situation – and not only can I handle it, but I can handle it and still be a threat, which can scare the heck out of them.

You see players sometimes who look like they’re about to pop. We call them “hot heads.” They’re just trying to get it out – that’s all they want to do; they just want to get all that “stuff” out. Well, the reason they need to get it out is because it’s in there in the first place – that is the problem! What I’ve learned to do is try to control what is allowed to enter my head – that is the key.

You can’t let it show when you’re nervous. You know other players get nervous, but some just don’t show it. Walter Ray doesn’t sweat profusely or do some of those physical things that make it obvious that he’s nervous. So, when I look at him and he looks like he’s about to go get the paper, he hasn’t given me anything and, in my mind, I haven’t rattled him. I need my opponent to be in trouble. I would like to see sweat, shortness of breath, and all the other physical changes associated with nervousness. If I don’t get any of that – but I feel it myself – the advantage will be with my opponent.

Set yourself apart!

These are just some of the elements of my mental game, but the development of the mental game is really never ending – and the more you learn about it, the more you learn you don’t know. Don’t get discouraged because it can be overwhelming, especially to younger players. I think everybody can use help. If you can acknowledge the importance of the mental game and get the help you need to develop yours, it will give you the ability to set yourself apart from the good bowlers and help you become a great bowler.


Norm Duke
USBC Hall of Famer

[foreverincamo]

Bowling is 90% mental. The other half is physical -- Yogi Berra.

[vdubtx]

The mental game is something that I have been coming to terms with of late. I am very competitive as well and beat myself up when missing an easy spare or not finishing out a game well enough to help the team win. It happens and we have to learn from the mistakes.

I had a coaching session with Susie Minshew over the summer and she gave me a good book to help put your mind in the correct context for "winning". In a very small nutshell, positive thinking is a huge benefit to how you do in competition. I have put this into practice and sometimes get frustrated at myself, but I think it is getting better.

[J Anderson]

Bowling is 90% mental. The other half is physical -- Yogi Berra.

The exact quote is "90% of this game is half mental."

[foreverincamo]

Just making a joke, Mr Anderson.

[coreyds012778]

thanks for the suggestions. just wondering at times it is partly working that day and at my job if something upsets me. it ends up bleeding into my game. I am off next thursday from work. should be pretty rested. maybe I should go target shooting to get some extra frustrations worked out.

[dnhoffman]

You watch baseball?

Be a closer.

[coreyds012778]

have not watched much baseball lately,

[Blomer]

Yeah, when I bowl. Ad, I can't just forget it. It continues. I'll switch balls bac and forth, move my target and feet all over, etc.

[coreyds012778]

I was not feeling good, had a don't give you know what mood. just need to do that when I feel good.

[Aslan]

To play Devil's advocate; it IS much easier to be confident and have a positive mindset when you're Norm Duke and you haven't missed a single-pin spare in 3 years and are considered one of the top 10 bowlers in the world.

The key, from what I got from it, of what Norm said is; you can't be confident unless you know you can repeat shots. If you can't repeat shots, confidence is a bit sketchy. Not that some folks don't have it. I've seen some horrible bowlers that get upset after every missed shot as if they feel like they should make the shot regardless…but I've never figured that out.

[coreyds012778]

If I can keep a positive mind frame. Even a gutter ball gets laughed off. When I don't get upsets, I can recover a game quickly. Still working on keeping cool.

[bubba809]

Try this..next time in league, don't look at your score. Now just relax and don't think as much. Remember, no peeking at score!

[coreyds012778]

bubba, like would not able not too,

[Aslan]

bubba, like would not able not too,

Also, using that technique, you're liable to bowl on the wrong lane or out of turn at some point. And then ya gotta call the front desk and it takes forwever and everyone will hate you.

[mc_runner]

LOL... or ask your teammates what lane you're on constantly and have them all think you're on drugs

[Amyers]

Wow that explains my youngest daughter I'll have to let her know that not knowing when your up and what lane to bowl on is actually a technique.

[bubba809]

All you have to do is just see what person you follow, then bowl after they do. It's not really that hard.

[MICHAEL]

Put it in perspective. As much as we all love to do it, and love to do it well, it is, after all, just bowling. When the time comes to be standing at the pearly gates, is St. Peter going to ask you about your bowling average? I don't think so!

I KNOW for a FACT that St Peter takes Bowing VERY seriously!!! Get a lobotomy if your thinking too much!! It has a way of making small things like bowling averages seem not that important in the grand scheme of things... :rolleyes:

[MICHAEL]

Norm Duke on the Mental Game


After physical abilities, the element that separates all great athletes is their ability to function mentally. Many people ask me, “What percentage of bowling is mental?” All of it! As soon as you can physically get the ball down there and knock ten pins over once, it’s conceivable to mentally do it every time.

Knowing how to play the game

For a long time, I had one of the worst mental games. At first, this was because I didn’t know enough about the game of bowling to separate myself in terms of the knowledge factor. I had to learn how to play the game properly and then apply that knowledge. It’s one thing to know something; it’s another thing to be able to apply it. Several of today’s top players are seemingly peaking in their late 30s, after their physical skills are actually starting to dwindle. What separates them is their ability to play the game on a higher level mentally and apply what they have learned from experience.

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses


Another part of developing my mental game was recognizing that I have weaknesses. I learned a long time ago that you can practice for two or three hours on something that you’re very good at, but you will improve very little. If you want to improve quicker, you should take something that you really stink at and dedicate resources to that weakness and make it your advantage. Keep an open mind so that you can actually recognize your weaknesses because sometimes they’re not easy to find unless you’re looking for them.

Confidence

Confidence is the hallmark of the mental game. It is what separates great players. But you don’t just dream up confidence or wake up confident. Confidence comes from knowledge, experience, and preparation. It is impossible for me to be confident unless I know I am physically capable of repeating shots. I have to be able to repeat many different types of shots and select the appropriate shot from many possible ones – and it has to be done on demand and without fear. Preparation is what makes this possible. If I put preparation off, what I’m doing is trading that time with someone else because somebody is preparing at that moment. You will lose a lot of battles if you make too many bad time trades.

Preparation also means that you’ve got to learn your body – what it is that makes you tick, mentally and physically. You have to know things like when to eat so you don’t get hungry in the middle of a round. You have to know when you need rest and when to work out. You also need to know how to relax and what level of nervousness you perform the best under. Learning and applying all of this knowledge is now part of my mental preparation, just like practice.

Controlling your thoughts

Another important part of the mental game is controlling your thoughts. No one or no thing controls your thoughts. You have the choice to be happy or sad. You have the choice to be smart or dumb. You have the choice to see yourself in a good light or a bad light. No matter what happens, your thoughts are still your choice. It really is a choice that you make, and a positive outlook will always beat a negative one.

You can’t keep stewing on past mistakes. If you’re going to get stewed up every time you make a mistake, then bowling for a living will be a long and miserable life! Mistakes will come in droves, but the great shots will come too, and my job is to minimize one and maximize the other. If all I think about is that I threw a bad shot, I’m maximizing the mistake portion and minimizing the successful portion in my head. Everything is a weighted measure – what you’re not putting on the positive side, you’re packing on the negative. Sure, you have to find out what your problems are, but you do this to learn, not to fuel the negative. Quickly determine what is happening and why you’re not enjoying success, and then decide what you need to do to get the job done. After that, you can just discard the shot in your mind.

Controlling your behavior

One big difference between great players and good players is behavior, especially in adverse situations. Some players can leave a solid 8 or a solid 9, and it’s like it doesn’t faze them. That sort of behavior is what I think all of us need to strive for. It’s not that I want everybody to go out there and be mechanical or not be emotional. I’m a very emotional person, but I require a certain type of behavior from myself because staying composed brings many benefits. It allows me to keep my heart rate and blood pressure down, which allows me to stay under control. It also shows my competitor that I can handle the situation – and not only can I handle it, but I can handle it and still be a threat, which can scare the heck out of them.

You see players sometimes who look like they’re about to pop. We call them “hot heads.” They’re just trying to get it out – that’s all they want to do; they just want to get all that “stuff” out. Well, the reason they need to get it out is because it’s in there in the first place – that is the problem! What I’ve learned to do is try to control what is allowed to enter my head – that is the key.

You can’t let it show when you’re nervous. You know other players get nervous, but some just don’t show it. Walter Ray doesn’t sweat profusely or do some of those physical things that make it obvious that he’s nervous. So, when I look at him and he looks like he’s about to go get the paper, he hasn’t given me anything and, in my mind, I haven’t rattled him. I need my opponent to be in trouble. I would like to see sweat, shortness of breath, and all the other physical changes associated with nervousness. If I don’t get any of that – but I feel it myself – the advantage will be with my opponent.

Set yourself apart!

These are just some of the elements of my mental game, but the development of the mental game is really never ending – and the more you learn about it, the more you learn you don’t know. Don’t get discouraged because it can be overwhelming, especially to younger players. I think everybody can use help. If you can acknowledge the importance of the mental game and get the help you need to develop yours, it will give you the ability to set yourself apart from the good bowlers and help you become a great bowler.


Norm Duke
USBC Hall of Famer


GOOD POST in regards to the mental! thanks! Not that I needed it, but I am sure Aslan might find something in the above that might,, MIGHT help his scores?

[Aslan]

GOOD POST in regards to the mental! thanks! Not that I needed it, but I am sure Aslan might find something in the above that might,, MIGHT help his scores?

Figures a thread about being mental and Iceman comes running!!

[Blacksox1]

Just remember a bad day at the bowling center is better than................. Fill in the blank. You will feel better.

[coreyds012778]

as long as I stay focused and calm, I do good. if I throw a good game, I get over confident, same affected. I gotta find my mid point and stay there for 3 games.

[rico]

There are so many books about mental game strategies that one could spend a great deal of time reading....some people do not enjoy reading books so maybe a few short articles such as the one posted in BowlVersity can be of some use? Click on the BowlVersity button near the top-left of this page and check some of the categories for articles which may be of some interest to you...

Also, you can use the professional services of a very experienced bowling coach, take a lesson, and discuss your specific issues with the instructor and learn what he or she might share?...

No one can give a brief tip which answers all the questions.....just take it one shot at a time and think about what you have to do to deliver your ball accurately at a given time and do the best you can....

I like the books and videos which are out there discussing strategies and focusing on what you must to improve your game but it would take forever to find and read all of them...wish you the very best!

[Hammer]

Some people put way too much importance on a shot or a game. If you don't take any bowling lessons and then put in some good practice time every now and then you shouldn't be getting upset about how you are bowling. You are not going to bowl good magically. When I bowl and have a bad game I just shrug it off. I don't go around kicking the ball return and throwing my ball on the floor. We actually had a guy on our league that did this. Doing that will just ruin the rest of your night. You will only bowl as good as the preparation you put into it. You will only be as good as the work and time you put into it.

Because of old age-soon to be 68-and hip and knee arthritis I can't practice like I used to. The only thing that I rely on now is my 28 years of experience on this league and all of the stuff I learned about bowling in that time. You have to take one frame at a time and not get angry about any of them. I have had games that I started with two open frames and then strung some strikes and the rest were spares and ended with a good game. You will have nights like that where one night you will do nothing wrong and then on another night you would think you never bowled before. Don't make what you do in bowling on a night more important then it has to be. You are not bowling for a living. Just
do the best you can that day.

[coreyds012778]

I am getting better about staying calm after a gutter, more often after I throw a gutter then the next ball is either a spare or 8 or 9 count. frame after I buckle down and try to keep clean.