Need to get out of this mental downward spiral

[Blomer]

Been struggling to say the least. I would throw my ball, hit my mark, hit the pocket and strike. But then I would throw the ball and then it won't hook. I'm sure it's mental. My first game was the worst I threw since I started last year. Throughout the remaining games, I would try everything going back and forth from my normal shot to other things. Someone suggested moving back 6 inches. It worked. Why? More speed? But then I will lose focus of my target, 15th board from the right. I can count on my hand how many connecting frames that I marked. Missed spares I usually pick up. Each time I went to bowl, I tried to forget what I did the frame before. No luck. I bowl in two leagues. At the start of the season, Monday's I was doing very poorly while Wednesday's I bowled much better. The last 4 weeks, it switched till tonight. I don't get it. When I go practice, I practice my spares, usually shoot a game of two going for the cornea and do alright. But then in games, nada. I know the conditions are usually different from practice lanes bein burned to fresh oil on league, but is that a big enough reason? Any help would be great. I am even getting the ball baked to get the oil out even though it might not be needed. What do you do when your struggling?

[RobLV1]

Don't move up. Don't move back. Don't do anything. Most importantly, don't think! It's not your ball. It's not the lanes. It's your brain. Just knock the pins down. I don't say this as a coach. I say this as the greatest over-thinker of all time! Just let go and bowl. When I can do it occasionally, teammates come up to me and say, "Who are you, really?" Honest.

[MICHAEL]

Are you related to Aslan????

[bubba809]

Been struggling to say the least. I would throw my ball, hit my mark, hit the pocket and strike. But then I would throw the ball and then it won't hook. I'm sure it's mental. My first game was the worst I threw since I started last year. Throughout the remaining games, I would try everything going back and forth from my normal shot to other things. Someone suggested moving back 6 inches. It worked. Why? More speed? But then I will lose focus of my target, 15th board from the right. I can count on my hand how many connecting frames that I marked. Missed spares I usually pick up. Each time I went to bowl, I tried to forget what I did the frame before. No luck. I bowl in two leagues. At the start of the season, Monday's I was doing very poorly while Wednesday's I bowled much better. The last 4 weeks, it switched till tonight. I don't get it. When I go practice, I practice my spares, usually shoot a game of two going for the cornea and do alright. But then in games, nada. I know the conditions are usually different from practice lanes bein burned to fresh oil on league, but is that a big enough reason? Any help would be great. I am even getting the ball baked to get the oil out even though it might not be needed. What do you do when your struggling?

Wait...didn't you say you just got the Optimus and Hy-Road a few months ago?? They are brand new balls, they certainly don't need to be "baked" already. Hell, I never "bake" a ball. A surface change (or resurface) sounds more likely. Out of curiousity, which ball is it that has stopped hooking for you? This is an important question....

[Amyers]

Bloomer we all go through periods like this I know for myself I catch myself trying to hard and making mistakes. If you can have someone watch you bowl who knows your game and see if its a simple error. Usually for me its in the footwork. Other times I just need to take a step back quit trying and bowl a few games just for fun don't think about it just let it happen and usually my game snaps back in a week or so. It's easy to get caught in your own head and be thinking so much about what your doing you end up throwing everything else off. happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

[Blomer]

The ball Im having problems with is my hair-road solid.someone who practiced with me said he thinks I might be reaching, making the ball go longer. I have taken a few days off bowling and will see how it goes tonight. Hopefully things will be like they were.

[Konvict1982]

As a newer bowler also I know what you mean all too well. I will go a couple of weeks shooting the best games of my life then go weeks shooting mid 400s. The best advice I have gotten recently is this ... "Stop trying to hit your mark perfectly and just throw towards your mark. The ball can miss by 10 boards on a relaxed shot and still manage to come back but when you force the ball at your mark and miss by 1 board it won't come back." Now I know this sounds like BS cause that's what I thought too, but I have seen it work. When I am relaxed and just rolling the ball towards my mark I will miss my mark a lot but still get nice clean pocket shots that look like I hit my mark perfectly but when I am tense and trying my hardest to hit my mark I will miss by a single board and end up with a big split or the ball never hooks back and just slides straight into the 3-6.

[rv driver]

Sounds to me like you're overthinking and psyching yourself out. I tend to do that, myself. Get out of your head and get into the emotion of your game, and zone on the feeling. Once you're not overconcentrating on Every. Single. Detail of your body and movements, your muscle memory ought to take over.

[Blacksox1]

Are you related to Aslan????
I'm sure this was not to offend Blomer, but Aslan is the master of overthinking.

[Aslan]

I'm sure this was not to offend Blomer, but Aslan is the master of overthinking.

Sometimes I over-think over-thinking.

[bubba809]

The ball Im having problems with is my hair-road solid.someone who practiced with me said he thinks I might be reaching, making the ball go longer. I have taken a few days off bowling and will see how it goes tonight. Hopefully things will be like they were.

Try using the Optimus then. Or, try a surface change. When I have a rough spell, I will put the ball on the spinner if for nothing else but a clean and polish. You'll be surprised how much this will help.

[rv driver]

I'm sure this was not to offend Blomer, but Aslan is the master of overthinking.
No he's not. He's just more verbose about it than I am.

[rv driver]

Sometimes I over-think over-thinking.
Now there's an afterthought!

[fortheloveofbowling]

Sometimes I over-think over-thinking.

That is the most accurate statement you have ever made about anything bowling or otherwise in your life.

[rv driver]

That is the most accurate statement you have ever made about anything bowling or otherwise in your life.
Sometimes, even the blind mouse finds the cheese...

(Sorry, Aslan -- couldn't help the joke at your expense [You know I love ya!])

[dnhoffman]

Sometimes working with a coach just once can really help you get out of a rut.

[rv driver]

Sometimes working with a coach just once can really help you get out of a rut.
Here's the thing about practicing:
My high school band director always said, "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect." A coach can tell you what you're doing wrong and make a suggestion how to fix it, so you don't end up perfecting all your mistakes.

[Aslan]

That is the most accurate statement you have ever made about anything bowling or otherwise in your life.

With that logic, that fact that I've really over-thought how much I over-think over-thinking....is now even more accuracte a statement I've ever made.

This can continue endlessly...

[J Anderson]

With that logic, that fact that I've really over-thought how much I over-think over-thinking....is now even more accuracte a statement I've ever made.

This can continue endlessly...

Not if Bowl1820 locks the tread!

[rv driver]

With that logic, that fact that I've really over-thought how much I over-think over-thinking....is now even more accuracte a statement I've ever made.

This can continue endlessly...
Only if you overthink it. ;-)

[fortheloveofbowling]

With that logic, that fact that I've really over-thought how much I over-think over-thinking....is now even more accuracte a statement I've ever made.

This can continue endlessly...

Having your intelligence and in relation to your bowling studies i think the phrase " A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS THING " applies well to you. Sometimes you have to just play the game and not look at it so analytical.

[rv driver]

Having your intelligence and in relation to your bowling studies i think the phrase " A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS THING " applies well to you. Sometimes you have to just play the game and not look at it so analytical.
Sometimes the phrase, "It just does, m'kay?" is therapeutic.

[Aslan]

Not if Bowl1820 locks the tread!

True. Pretty soon I'll be over-thinking another infraction. Dammit.


Only if you overthink it. ;-)
Well played.


Having your intelligence and in relation to your bowling studies i think the phrase " A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A DANGEROUS THING " applies well to you. Sometimes you have to just play the game and not look at it so analytical.

But FTLOB, isn't THAT what separates the millions of casual and league bowlers...from the best? Anyone can roll a bowling ball. Rolling a ball is so basic a concept...hamsters can do it. Isn't part of what makes a guy like WRW, or Norm Duke, or Chris Barnes...isn't part of what makes them as good as they are....that they DIDN'T stop over-thinking it? That when they were told, "just have fun and throw the ball" they thought, "no....anybody can do that...and I want to be more than "anybody."??

Not sure. But to take the kind of steps necessary to truly be a competitive bowler...not just some "house league all-star"...I think you have to take things well beyond what most people think of. They practice once a month...you practice twice a week. They read an article online about bowling technique...you read 3. They rely on their pro shop guy to pick out the best ball for them...you already know that before the ball is even designed.

Is "over-thinking" just one of those small steps towards what separates the men from the boyz (per se)?? I don't know....but I'll over-think about it on the way home.

[Blomer]

Went n for some practice today. Got the ball to move like it used to for me. Didn't let anything get stuck in my head. Had little expectations and it worked. I think my timing was just off. I'll see on Monday at league if it continues.

[rv driver]

True. Pretty soon I'll be over-thinking another infraction. Dammit.


Well played.



But FTLOB, isn't THAT what separates the millions of casual and league bowlers...from the best? Anyone can roll a bowling ball. Rolling a ball is so basic a concept...hamsters can do it. Isn't part of what makes a guy like WRW, or Norm Duke, or Chris Barnes...isn't part of what makes them as good as they are....that they DIDN'T stop over-thinking it? That when they were told, "just have fun and throw the ball" they thought, "no....anybody can do that...and I want to be more than "anybody."??

Not sure. But to take the kind of steps necessary to truly be a competitive bowler...not just some "house league all-star"...I think you have to take things well beyond what most people think of. They practice once a month...you practice twice a week. They read an article online about bowling technique...you read 3. They rely on their pro shop guy to pick out the best ball for them...you already know that before the ball is even designed.

Is "over-thinking" just one of those small steps towards what separates the men from the boyz (per se)?? I don't know....but I'll over-think about it on the way home.
There's a difference between thinking the game through and beating an analysis to death. The pros you mention don't "overthink." They think. A professional race driver has his head in the race -- he's not just "driving the car." But if a non-professional was in a race, they'd have to think about Every. Little. Detail. that are all automatic for the pro.

[Blacksox1]

There's a difference between thinking the game through and beating an analysis to death. The pros you mention don't "overthink." They think. A professional race driver has his head in the race -- he's not just "driving the car." But if a non-professional was in a race, they'd have to think about Every. Little. Detail. that are all automatic for the pro.

Paralysis by analysis. Anyone come to mind?:)

[MICHAEL]

Paralysis by analysis. Anyone come to mind?:)

I have someone in mind,,, I am not lion!!!!! LOL

[rv driver]

Paralysis by analysis. Anyone come to mind?:)
Ooh! Me! Pick Me!

[Blomer]

Well last night in leagues I bowled a 545 series which is good for me, 181 average. I think it was just my timing. Hopefully my slump is over. Can't make it to league tomorrow due to wok reasons, but practicing today I continued to do well. Fingers crossed!