Recovering Mentally after Injury

[TCJ]

I was curious to see how other people deal with this.

This season I was having the best season of my life all the way through December. I was rolling a 224 average and everything seemed really, really easy. I made my spares when I needed to, but usually I was just striking so I didn't have to bother much. The spares I left were easy one pins leaves. Then in late December I pinched a nerve (or something like it) in my neck. I bowled two days later, but I couldn't do much and I wasn't surprised. Should have stayed home. I still had occasional twinges of pain with the wrong movements for about three weeks after that but I could certainly go through bowling motions much better. At least I could get the ball on the lane and to my target. A couple weeks after that my neck was pain free and I could move it just fine. Bowling caused no discomfort. However, ever since that incident my bowling has hit rock bottom. I went from 224 at the midpoint to 208 at the end of the season. To me it's mind boggling because I feel just fine, but I have no consistency in anything I do, I am missing my spares, and I can't string strikes.

So the question is...

Is it just a mental thing that developed during the injury which has persisted? Did I subconsciously change something physical to adapt (and make the neck hurt less) which has resulted in poor bowling? Or am I just in what people call a slump and there's nothing really wrong? I know, you can't really answer it but... at the moment I can't either.

Has anyone else had something like this happen?

[Dice]

I'm just getting back into bowling but thought I'd share. So my son gets the bowling bug which is really cool to me as I love bowling. We go out and bowl a handful of times and I'm trying to knock the rust off. About 5 weeks ago I'm waiting for both my boys to get to the alley, and rolling away (all you can bowl special). I went after a spare hard and pulled the heck out of my upper bicep. I'm talking it hurt bad enough that I went and asked for a bag of ice. I spent the rest of that round, and the additional next 4 weeks, rolling left handed.

So now I'm healed and getting back out there. I'll bowl a few frames and then feel that little tiny twinge in my bicep. From that point on I can't really bowl freely because I'm worried I'm going to re-injure it. I feel like until I get past that, I won't really have any good rounds.

[LowDown]

Not in bowling but in golf I herniated by L5 Vertebrae. Even after it had healed I was having problems on the golf course because I was expecting a jolt of pain every time I really drove down through the ball. My unconscious solution was to start standing up in my backswing to reduce the torque on my back. I finally just started practicing the elements of the swing that I used to find painful until my mind was convinced I was healed and my body had relearned the muscle memory of a proper swing.

[Phonetek]

I'll be able to answer pretty soon after I heal up to see how I do. Although our injuries are different I'm curious to see how I do after. I was just starting to get better with knee continuation too. Of course the last ball I threw my knee continued but forgot to bring the rest of my leg with it LOL It's getting better already though. We'll see i guess

[boatman37]

Mine was probably a little more serious and a much longer layoff but I tore tendons in my elbow in 2002 at work and had surgery a year later. The Dr. said I would never be 100%. I ended up with bursistis in my shoulder and impingement. If I do anything strenuous my arm is sore the next day. I quit bowling in 2002 and threw my bowling equipment away. About 5 years ago a friend said they needed another bowler and I told him I can't do it. In the last few years we went to bowling parties and I tried a few games and felt pretty good so a few months ago I went back. I am about 25 pins below my average now but it's probably due more to the absence than the injury but I know I take ibuprofen before I bowl and still sore the next day. I don't think I could bowl 2 nights in a row and probably not even every other night.

All that said, when I first started back a few months ago I was throwing different to try to 'protect' my elbow but as I got more comfortable I think I am back to my normal release. It wouldn't surprise me if you are subconsciously doing something slightly different or at least thinking about it.

[TCJ]

I really do have a feeling it was something physical. Last night was the final night of league and everything finally started to feel right again. I was stringing strikes and when I hit the pocket the pins would scatter. During my slump when I would hit the pocket in the same spot with the same ball the pins might fall, but they didn't fly much. Also last night I was carrying heavy and light hits and the past eight weeks the same hits would leave splits and other weird pin combinations. There was definitely something different about how I was throwing the ball. Do I know exactly what it was? No. But I think I have a good idea.

[Dice]

I'm still having trouble with my spares. In the past, I would fire a lighter house ball down the lane, no problem. Now, because that's how I hurt my arm, I'm scared to do it. The first twinge of pain in my arm and I'm changing my normal routine.

The good news is, each time I go it's getting better.

[J Anderson]

I'm still having trouble with my spares. In the past, I would fire a lighter house ball down the lane, no problem. Now, because that's how I hurt my arm, I'm scared to do it. The first twinge of pain in my arm and I'm changing my normal routine.

The good news is, each time I go it's getting better.

One thing that almost all coaches agree on is that if you use a different ball to shoot spares, (and most of us think everyone should use a polyester spare ball for corner pins), that ball should be thesame weight andfit as your strike ball.

[Phonetek]

Although my injury was to my knee and face I seem to be just fine. It was only 3 or 4 days and I hit the lanes. My knee isn't bothering a bit on the lanes. I still hobble around the house in the morning and after work if I've been sitting on the couch for more than a half hour. On the lanes it's just fine, bending it well and in no pain at all. As far as the face the glue has pushed it's way out and I have a scar on my eyebrow. It looks to be okay, although my left eyebrow will be a bit thinner than the right probably forever. Meh, it's not like I was going to win a beauty contest anyway.

Either way my bowling hasn't been negatively effected in any way. If anything it's better. I slowed things down a bit, I'm having no problems bending and my release has not been an issue getting out of the ball. I think the face plant hurt my ego more than my body now that all has been said and done

[Dice]

One thing that almost all coaches agree on is that if you use a different ball to shoot spares, (and most of us think everyone should use a polyester spare ball for corner pins), that ball should be thesame weight andfit as your strike ball.

This is making more and more sense to me every time I play. The reason why I use a lighter ball is that, due to the way I bowl, I get high revs on house balls. So a lighter ball stays on it's line easier.

[Phonetek]

This is making more and more sense to me every time I play. The reason why I use a lighter ball is that, due to the way I bowl, I get high revs on house balls. So a lighter ball stays on it's line easier.

I echo what J said, it's tempting to use two different weight balls even if they are a pound difference but it's a bad idea. Also yes to the polyester ball. They all seem pretty much the same today so you can get a pretty one if you like or just a plain jane it doesn't matter. However the pretty OTB (On the ball) kind generally run $150 bucks which is what a regular good ball costs. Unless you have the extra dough to be flashy, plain jane will serve the same purpose.