frustration

[Gordon325]

I'm sure this has come up before but I need some serious help.....last season my goal each and every night was to hit 600 I constantly would hit 580 , 590 etc....until I finally did it and was estatic. My average shot up to 185+ that season it was great.

This season which is coming to a close soon was different. It started out okay. 180ish average and even my career high was thrown second week of the season 268. About 1/4 way thru the season my average began to drop drastically. What used to be the goal of 600 has now become a goal of just hitting my average which has dropped to 171....I rarely hit 500 anymore and my average is still dropping (460 tonight).

In practice I can easily thow a 550 atleast one 200+ game no problem..... But here is what I have noticed.....

This long string of bad series and games gets me more frustrated each week...thus lowering my score more as my head gets clouded with anger and regret. I really need a way to not get frusterated as I am 90% sure this is the main issue with my current game....please help. Thanks.

[resstealth]

Dude you don't have it bad, I have to bowl left handed for the next 6 weeks because I badly pulled a muscle in my forearm. Suck it up and get out of your head, you are your own worst enemy.

[Gordon325]

Wow.....not the least bit helpful at all..... Not ever have a seen someone from the bowling community act so rudely to someone else....I'm disgusted really.

[got_a_300]

You just have to put all those bad nights out of your head and think
positive thoughts. The main thing in bowling is to not dwell on the
bad nights of the game and just let them go as there is nothing you
can do about them now. I have bad nights myself but I just do not
let myself dwell on them because if you do then you already know
what happens to your games and series because they will suffer from
then on. I think I heard Randy Peterson say bowling was something
like 90% mental and 10% talent so if you let the mental part of your
game suffer then you will have a hard time to getting back to bowling
good again.

[Gordon325]

Thank you much more useful than the earlier comment any suggestions on how to let go of a past game? I played competitive tennis for years and struggled with frustration in that as well as I could never just "forget" about it.

[striker12]

another thing that can help you out if not to think of what u want to get but further ahead cause when i was trying to get 650 series that was in my head and i always ended up with 649 soo then i thought what if i push my target alittle further soo i put 700 in my head, and i shot a 699 highest series yet but know im heads at 750 not any luck yet but lanes condtions are changing majorly for me,

but the thing i do to pervent bowling bad and staying focused is lissen to music while your going to the bowling allie clear your mind and while u bowl keep your mp3 players or ipod out and have it on soo when your not bowling lissen to it keeps your mind clear and all you have to do is focus on your line.

[billf]

This seems to be part of your mental make up. I'm not trying to be a jerk just stating what I see from your post. If possible, seeing a sports psychologist could possibly be a huge help. This is actually a common problem for competitive people but especially athletes. The reality is we, as human beings, are not perfect. I have never heard of anyone always bowling 3 game 900 series. Are you bowling to your potential? No you are not. Does performing in this manner really affect any other part of your life? I would hope not because in the big picture of things, it's still a game. As such we need to find ways to relieve to pressure we apply to ourselves, relax and enjoy the sport. Each of us being different will require a different way to reach the area to "let it go".
Not being completely mentally stable, I have always been able to just mentally leave and go some place else. I just zone out. Not sure how as I've been this way my whole life. Good luck to you and please keep u s updated.

[resstealth]

Im not being rude, im giving you tough love. If you keep over analyzing everything, you're problems won't go away. Take it from a guy who played college baseball, you ARE your own worse enemy when you keep over thinking everything. When you step up to the foul line, take a deep breath, don't think, and just let muscle memory and the ball take over.

[JaMau24]

I've struggled with this before, but have drastically improved. I mean, if you miss your mark badly, or miss a 10 pin, sure, its a little frustrating at first, but what can you do?! Its over, its done with, all you can do is do the best you can do from that point forward. The thought that helped me the most was, What would I rather do, miss badly, get pissed off, and keep missing badly, keep getting pissed off, and the series is over and I bowl a 540.. Or would I rather throw a bad shot, relax, talk to your teammates as you would normally, DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE SHOT YOU MESSED UP, just completely forget about it, and go out there and focus harder for the rest of the time, then instead of leaving with a 540, I'll leave with a 610 or something.. Sure, its not a fantastic series that I've overly happy about, but I'm content with it considering the circumstances.

I'm very proud and happy with myself when I shoot a series I'm satisfied with after I regroup, relax, and focus after being pissed about something else.

[Gordon325]

Thanks everyone for the input, I will try some of the advice given to me. Especially the music and talking to my teamates imidiately after about something other than the shot.

And yes being over competitive in competition has always been a part of me whether it was tennis, or bowling.....BUT I also play ice hockey and not once in the 2 years that ive been playing ice hockey have I gotten frustrated I don't know if it is because it is immensly physically demanding and i have no time to think or if its because i have a group of 20+ people there with me.

And no it does not affect my life outside of the alley for the most part. sometimes if my fiance comes and I get upset she will try to "talk to me" about it but sometimes that just upsets me more. But as soon as we leave the parking lot we talk about other things

[striker12]

yeah music is a good thing helps your relax but dont lissen to no hard music like heavy metal or rap thats sjut messes wiht your mind, lissen to something smooth idk i lissen to my gf ipod and not sure what songs are on there i jsut lissen to them and i go out and do my shot and back to lissening even if i have a spare shot i get back into my stead form cause i might or mgiht not get the pin/pins but i can get it latter if i leave it up again cause i will know wher to adjsut too.

also thats good how when u leave the parking lot u talk about something else another thing that helps is think in your mind what are you going to eat for supper tonight but do that after your done bowling soo your not distracted from bowling on food and get hungery while you bowl but it takes your mind off how you bowled today unless you bowled good that u can remember but any bad games get them out of your mind.

[resstealth]

Thanks everyone for the input, I will try some of the advice given to me. Especially the music and talking to my teamates imidiately after about something other than the shot.

And yes being over competitive in competition has always been a part of me whether it was tennis, or bowling.....BUT I also play ice hockey and not once in the 2 years that ive been playing ice hockey have I gotten frustrated I don't know if it is because it is immensly physically demanding and i have no time to think or if its because i have a group of 20+ people there with me.

And no it does not affect my life outside of the alley for the most part. sometimes if my fiance comes and I get upset she will try to "talk to me" about it but sometimes that just upsets me more. But as soon as we leave the parking lot we talk about other things

You have to understand, bowling is truly a finesse sport, whereas hockey is more physical. Its like when I was playing college ball, I pitched and played left field. I was always spot on in the outfield, but I would get in my head at times pitching and my game would fall apart.

[JerseyJim]

I have a 10 second rule, I give myself 10 seconds to vent over a bad frame, and then I just put it out of my head. I'll move on to concentrating on my next shot.

[JaMau24]

I play ice hockey as well, and don't get mad like I do or have gotten in bowling. I think the reason is, the concept of bowling seems so easy. What I mean is, you know HOW to throw a strike, & you know WHERE you need to throw it. Its so freaking simple in your head, and it's frustrating when you don't execute what your mind thinks is so easy. In reality, its not as easy as our minds believe.

Hockey is much more of a team sport than bowling in my opinion, not to say that bowling isn't a team sport, but I just think its more a team sport. There is always something going on, so you don't have a lot of time to think about what you did bad. They really just don't compare at all.

[billf]

Bowling is a sport where no matter how it's scored or what type of match, it really is just you bowling against yourself. Your opponent doesn't try to block you, no teammate giving you a handoff, just you, the ball and the lane.

[striker12]

billf has a good one bowl agenst yourself.

just think your the only one bowling and all you have to do is beat your avg which is a simple goal too do but think i want to beat my avg by like 10 pins dont go too high or you wont get it, but just think of your avg ause if you cna get your avg then your not letting your team down at all.

another thing is if you make a open just keep it in mind of where you where standing and where you finished at the foul line and how many boards did u miss by cause then u jsut think for that second where to go too just in case you end up leaving the same pin/pins.

[vgw]

Frustration is obviously not easy to deal with. When I bowl bad, it can go worse if I dwell on it. If the game is going so bad, I would try more drastic different shots/balls to find a new line or see what works if my normal adjustments no longer work. When the new game starts, I try to do a reset and clear my mind to start fresh. I would suggest trying to **** focus to figure why you are bowling bad. Are you missing easy spares, and if so, why, maybe you are not hitting the proper mark, using the wrong ball, angle or line, not making the correct type of adjustment? Your teammates or other people you trust can probably provide you with suggestions. Plus, if they pick you up and you win the game, that's even better.

And like how others are stating, it's helpful to have a regular pre-shot routine to keep you grounded. Focus on the game and fundamentals, rather than focusing on the negative aspects.

[martin]

i think this should help.. http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip2.htm

[JerseyJim]

Something from one of the great bowling coaches in the US, Susie Minshew. You can find a number of her tips on her website http://www.strikeability.com.

"Your game is constantly evolving. It will not stay the same and it won't always be sharp. Just when you think you don't have another 134 game left in you, out it comes. Peak performance levels are cyclical. That's what causes slumps. Bowling great doesn't last forever and neither does a slump."

[Gordon325]

Thanks again I will check out that site in more detail tomorrow! Thanks again. I'm gunna try making a throne to take a deep breathe and imagine something unrelated to bowling just before I begin my approach.

[travkoiboi]

over thinking. Just try and bowl work on one thing... something as simple as just hitting your mark everything else will eventually follow. Overthinking shots or mechanics can really make everything else out of sync.

[10-in-the-pit]

I wouldn't think about something non-bowling right before you bowl. Maybe just concentrate on your target.

[Gordon325]

okay, consistently hitting my mark is something I tend to fall away from, as well as watching the mark till the ball rolls over (what I call peaking) I think these two go hand in hand... so I will try to just stare the crap out of my mark and hit it every time... I will be practicing this Saturday and this is the only thing i will work on the whole time,

Thanks

[J Anderson]

The paradox of bowling: If you don't think about bad shots, you can not make a correction. If you think about the bad shot on the next one you will generally repeat the mistake or over correct it.

You do have to analyze after a bad result, whether it was only a flat ten pin or a big nasty split. Did you hit your target? Were you balanced at the line? Did you release properly? etc. If you determine that it was a good delivery, then its a simple matter of making an adjustment to get back in the pocket.

If you determine that you threw the ball poorly, then you need to come up with a positive focus to counteract the mistake and use it when you get back up. You just need one or two words , like "follow though", "focus" or "slow steps" to make the correction.

I'm in the habit of taking a sip of water after every open frame. If it was really bad I'll walk partway down the concourse and back. Really bad games require ice cream!

[billf]

Ice cream?! Wish I had thought of that. Thanks for a tip I will actually enjoy using :)

[striker12]

thats one dose sound good ice cream thats something i have not had in a long time someone should send me some ice cream

[Gordon325]

Ice cream it is.

[billf]

I just had me a bowl of ice cream. My wife was surprised and just shook her head when I told her it was in preparation for tomorrow's tourney

[Gordon325]

Lol love it.

[peterfa]

I believe you answered this problem in your opening statements. You say you are perfectly fine shooting 550 in practice, but are failing during league. Do you set goals in practice or are you just doing it as it comes naturally? If so, then stop forcing yourself to shoot a specific goal and just concentrate on each shot as it comes up. Treat each frame as the first frame of a new game. No pressure to throw a double, triple etc. Just throw the ball as you naturally would to start a game.

[edpup316]

When I was younger and my early adult years I would get so angry when would start bowling bad(kicking ball returns, yelling, slamming balls down) After just a terrible year of bowling, avg only 190 which is bad for me, I told myself I had to start growing up. I tried a lot of ways such as listening to music, drinking while bowling, breathing exercises hell even reading. Finally I figured it out. I started looking at things such as leaving a solid 10 as a chance to improve my spare game instead of thinking "dammit I didn't get a strike!". So my suggestion is to look at the things that go wrong as an opportunity to work on your game instead of a failure.

[edpup316]

Bowling can be a very difficult game. We don't have a team, in the sense of like baseball, or coach to tell you what are your doing wrong. Even golfers have there caddies who spend day after day practicing together. When your in league all you have its a lot of people in the same situation as you and the advice they have usually pertains to adjustments that worked fire them and won't necessarily work for or even make it worse. Stick to what you know unless the person giving advice is actually a coach. you've got a lot of good tips on here that answer question. Look forward to hearing what worked for you.

[Hampe]

The best tip I can give for your situation is to stop focusing so much on numbers. Try to set performance goals for yourself each bowling night instead of shooting for a number; instead of shooting for 600, try to get a certain % of pocket hits, or pick up a certain % of a certain spare (I'm looking at you, 10 pin).

Also, don't beat yourself up or get discouraged if you make a bad shot. Instead, concentrate on what you have to do to correct it for the next frame, and just take it one shot at a time. Once you start thinking about how you MUST get a strike this frame, or you SHOULD have gotten a strike last frame, you stop concentrating on executing the shot your taking.

A really good book for this topic that has helped me a lot is "Focused for Bowling" by Dean Hinitz. I recommend it to anyone who is currently struggling with the mental part of bowling.

[ehanlon717]

I agree with the whole frustration thing. This is my first season back after almost 20 years off of the lanes. I love the game, but as a lefty, I'm extremely frustrated with my (lack of) performance. I'm having trouble consistently lining myself up in the same areas every time it's my turn, and I have noticed that I seem to lock my elbow while throwing across myself. Consequently, my average has only been at a 60 this year. Before this year, I recall being able to get my average up to 100. Does anyone have any tips for a struggling lefty who loves her game? BTW....my teammates are all consistently over 60 a game.

[bowl1820]

Ehanlon717 from looking at your profile, Your throwing a Zoom predrilled 6 pound plastic ball!

First thing go to the pro shop and get a properly fitted, heavier ball. Unless your a child 6 lbs is way to light for a adult.

That alone would improve your swing and double your carry.

[got_a_300]

I have to agree 100% with bowl1820 a 6lb. ball is way to light for an adult
to be throwing you should at the least be throwing maybe a 8 - 10lb. ball
as a 6lb. ball will have so much deflection when it hits the pins. Its like this
a 6lb. object vs. 30+lbs. of pins so which one is going to win..........well I'll
just tell you the pins are going to win this battle when it comes to knocking
down all 10 of them.

A 6lb. ball is alright for a very small child bowling on the youth bowling
league(s) on Saturday mornings but not for an adult. As bowl1820 said
talk to your Pro Shop operator and see what they recommend for you.

[ehanlon717]

I have to agree 100% with bowl1820 a 6lb. ball is way to light for an adult
to be throwing you should at the least be throwing maybe a 8 - 10lb. ball
as a 6lb. ball will have so much deflection when it hits the pins. Its like this
a 6lb. object vs. 30+lbs. of pins so which one is going to win..........well I'll
just tell you the pins are going to win this battle when it comes to knocking
down all 10 of them.

A 6lb. ball is alright for a very small child bowling on the youth bowling
league(s) on Saturday mornings but not for an adult. As bowl1820 said
talk to your Pro Shop operator and see what they recommend for you.

Thanks for all your helpful tips, everyone! I have thrown an 8 pounder before, and have had mixed, though somewhat better, results. To answer bowl1820's question...they're right. I bought a pre-drilled, Zoom 6 pounder. I started out bowling at 6 pounds when I first began bowling, so I naturally thought that I still should start out there. One other question I have is: when I visit the pro shop to get fitted for a new ball, are the holes for a lefty drilled in a different position than for right handers? Thanks for all your help, and I look forward to more input soon!

[bowl1820]

A 8lb is light also so unless there's some physical limitation, then you should be looking at least around a 14 lb ball. if you are an average guy with average speed and revs, .

Here's a quote I found:

The next item of interest to the testers was the predictability of leaving splits according to ball weight. It was difficult to come to any overall conclusion because of the various factors that can enter into bowling during league or tournament play.

The ramp test did show, however, that a bowler is at a definite disadvantage when using an 8-pound ball. The 10 and 12- pound balls caused a lower percentage of splits, whilst the 14, 15 and 16-pound balls were fairly even and less still.

In the simplest terms a ball layout for a lefty is a mirror image of how a ball is layed out for a righty.

[resstealth]

6 pounds is way too light. You're trying to take down 30 something pounds of pins. Try moving up to a 14 and see how you do.

[ehanlon717]

Thanks everyone for your helpful posts. I guess I'd consider my lack of height a limitation. I'm a 5', 37 year old female. Guess I never realized that the pins weigh about 30 pounds; I still have a lot to learn. I tried picking up a 10-pounder, but since I'm fairly new to the game, it's too heavy. I will see the pro shop about an 8, though. How much more do balls from the pro shop run, versus ones from the sporting goods stores?

[resstealth]

It really depends. Sporting goods stores like Dicks have really cheap stuff. You can go the online route and get the ball cheaper, but with drilling, its probably around the same cost as getting it from your local pro shop.

[bowl1820]

Thanks everyone for your helpful posts. I guess I'd consider my lack of height a limitation. I'm a 5', 37 year old female. Guess I never realized that the pins weigh about 30 pounds; I still have a lot to learn. I tried picking up a 10-pounder, but since I'm fairly new to the game, it's too heavy. I will see the pro shop about an 8, though. How much more do balls from the pro shop run, versus ones from the sporting goods stores?

Okay we have more information.

First the pins don't weigh 30lbs each,

Balls from sporting goods places in the long run will be the same or more than the pro shop. Also most are just plastic balls, though you can find some low end urethane,reactive and I have seen a cheap particle ball. Once you figure in the cost of the ball, the drilling etc. .

Most pro shops offer Ball and bag deals, you get a Ball (usually plastic) and a bag (sometimes even shoes). Most of time it includes drilling too. This would be the most cost effective option. Plus you start a relationship with the pro shop which can offer other benefit down the road, that you won't get with a sporting goods store.

As far as weight goes, IMO a 10lb would be better (not more than 14) but talk to the pro shop they can tell you better.

Here's what Ron Clifton say's:

The first thing I check when trying to pick a ball weight is the persons wrist strength. I have them hold the ball down by their side with their wrist relaxed. Then I ask them to cup their wrist forward. They should be able to hold that position for a slow count to 10 or the ball is too heavy. This goes for men and women. I have seen a lot of men and women that could fire a 15 or even 16LB ball down the lane but can not pass my wrist test with them. If you can't pass the wrist test, then you can't have a good strong release or much versatility in releases.

[CoachJeffrey]

Gordon,

I know how you feel. It can be so frustrating when you have lofty goals and know you are more than capable of reaching them and don't come close to them. My recommendation is that you evaluate your expectations. Many times bowlers set goals that don't line up with their goals and visa versa.

When you expect not to hit 500, your mind responds to it and so does your body. When you are frustrated it really is revealing to you your expectations. When you change them, you'll see your frustration level drop way down.