My Terrible Mental Game

[JerseyJim]

Why get angry? Was making that shot going to change your life or your family's life for the better? Did not making it change it for the worse? Control what you can and blow off those things that are beyond your control. IP use the 15 second rule. After 15 seconds all emotions are gone. Deal with it fast and move on.

+1, I stew over a bad shot for a few seconds, and then concentrate on what I need to do to improve on my next shot. Personally I find that it helps to concentrate on my execution. If my execution is good, then the results most of the time will be good.

[Tampabaybob]

To all that may be having metal struggles with their game.....check this link out. It may answer some questions and help out several of you.

http://wiki.bowlingchat.net/wiki/ind...l_Game_Toolbox

Bob

[Fatal]

Bill you are right. I need to quit focusing on the mistake I made and MOVE ON. Bob thanks for the link it was very informative. Jim I appreciate the input. Thanks fellas.

[Tampabaybob]

Here's an article from Susie Minshew in the September issue of Bowling this month that fits your question. It's long but the only way I could get it to you. Hope it helps.........Bob

SEPTEMBER 2012 BOWLING THIS MONTH
nuts & bolts
Susie Minshew

There will be times when you are confused by all you know. You've moved left. You've moved right. You've looked farther down the lane. You've targeted the dots. You've changed balls three times. You've tried forward roll. You've tried side roll. You've changed speeds. Nothing has worked. Now you are more confused and frustrated than you were before you started making all these adjustments.

The truth is that actually the more you know, the LESS likely you are to be confused. Here’s how that works from Silver Coach and BTM columnist, Steve Fuhrman.
“...the more you know and the better you are, the fewer choices you have to make because you will automatically avoid all but the best op- tions. So, in a way, the better you are, the fewer options you have because you don't need more of them to achieve your goals. I think that ‘Zen en- lightenment’ could be described as that rare state when you always have one and only one choice that is acceptable because you instantly see that every other choice would be worse.”

NOTHING WORKS
There has probably been a time in your bowling career you have been so frustrated you thought, "I've tried every- thing I know and nothing has worked." If you’ve been there, you know how to define the word panic. With all the things out there to contend with, (you, your opponents, lane conditions, where themoonis,etc),youneedeveryedgeyoucan get. If you think of all you know as a deck of cards or the neatly arranged tools in your nice big toolbox, you’ll know they will all be there when you need them.

The more you know about your game, the more weapons you have available. You know that practice is the best way to get intimate with your game. Practice is not two four-letter words! You can get to know your game in com- petition, but the price you pay is much higher. Don't just try something in practice once and blow it off. Try it again and again. Make sure you give it a fair chance.

Sometimes we define comfort as whatever it is we are used to doing. That doesn’t make it right; that just makes it comfortable. When you work with a change in your game and get comfortable with it, doing it the old way be- comes not just uncomfortable, but you wonder how (and why) you ever did it the old way!

Changes always feel differently before they feel better. If nothing changes, nothing chang- es. You will be the same player you are now. If you wanted to stay the same, why are you taking lessons, subscribing to this magazine, drilling new equipment, watching other bowl- ers, asking questions, and hanging around the pro shop? The change, regardless of how subtle, becomes another tool in your toolbox.

You may use it all the time or not have to use it often. Whichever it is, you only have to know two things about its impact on your game: what it will do and most importantly, when to do it.
When we try something in competition and it doesn't work, sometimes, in fact frequently, we tend to eliminate it from our bag of tricks. After all, if it didn't work, it didn’t work. Why try it again? The fact is that it didn't work AT THAT TIME. That doesn't mean it won't work now!
With modern lane conditions and equipment, there is constant transition on the lane. Whatever oiling pattern was put on the lane before anyone started bowling has nothing to do with now. All lane patterns are developed. Every ball thrown on a lane changes that lane. A ball that didn't work in practice may be just the thing by the middle of the second game.
Let's say a ball didn't get up to the headpin in practice. Back in the bag it goes and out comes a ball with a little more back end reac- tion. What are you going to do when it begins to finish sooner? How far left will you go? How hard will you throw it? How many splits are enough? Meanwhile that ball in the bag is gig- gling at not having to go to work. A day off, yea! You just shot 226, 180, 168...
What if you have decided, based on your reaction in practice, to use forward roll? When your shot starts going a bit longer, the 2 is a little slow to fall or a weak 10 stands, what will you do? Change balls? Change lines? Move your eyes? Move your feet? Both? How many frames will your opponents wait for you to re-find it?

MAKING A LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE

Since we seldom remember everything we know, one of the most beneficial things I have found that you can do for your game is to list every single adjustment you know - everything from moving your wrist 1⁄4 of an inch in the starting stance to moving three arrows with your feet and eyes; from targeting the reflection of the heads of the pins to targeting the foul line; from taking your thumb out 1⁄8 of an inch to changing equipment.

Instead of your knowledge helping you conquer the condition, sometimes you can just become more befuddled. In the heat of battle, it's sometimes difficult to remain clear-headed. Let’s make a list. All right, stop rolling your eyes. I feel sure you know too much to write it all on your shoe, so.... Knowing the names and purposes of all you know will actually help you stay focused since it provides an organized and comprehensive resource of all the arrows in your quiver.

You will actually make two lists. One will be every Adjustment you know and the other will be every lane Condition you have encoun- tered. When making either list, do two things: be specific and free associate. Just start writing stuff down - no particular order or organiza- tion, just anything you think of.

As for the being specific part, name all the things you know to do for No Back Ends, for example. You can tuck your pinky, spread your index finger, lay the ball down early, change to your Destructomatic ball, use more loft, look shorter, move outside, move inside, whatever, etc. Now all those things go on your Adjustments list.

Since most adjustments can be used to accomplish more than one thing, what other conditions might elicit the need for one of these adjustments? Well, you might need more loft if the heads are dry; you might want to get the ball down sooner if the front part of the lane is oily; tucking your pinky might help you stay behind the ball longer; spreading your index finger might give you more side roll; moving outside might be something you do when the midlane is giving you poor reac- tion; the good ol’ RC ball (Radar Controlled) is what you usually use on fresh conditions and although this is not fresh, it is acting like it...
Be careful when you list the issues or lane conditions you feel you might face. Saying “oily lanes” won’t help you. Where are they oily? The heads? The midlane? The back ends? Be specific. If the list is too general, you’ll find yourself looking up what to do about too much skid and weak back ends when you should be looking up what to when the ball you’re using is hooking too early and burning
up, giving the appearance of weak back ends.

We have all been on conditions where we struggled. Let’s say the heads were really flying and you can’t seem to get the ball far enough down the lane. You think you’ve tried everything you know and you’re still ineffec- tive and frustrated. When you look at your list under "dry heads", a revelation! You’ve forgotten some things (looking at the dots on the left side of the lane, for example) and overusing others.
Making the list is an interesting task and you might be surprised at all the things you know. Sometimes you don't know what you know. Writing everything down somehow seems to make it more real. It is quite a con- fidence-builder to see that long and detailed impressive list.

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
Don’t forget instinct moves. They are just as valuable and important as the “rut” moves.
“Rut” moves are those moves you always make – one right for a weak 10, one left for a 4 pin – the stuff you have always done.
Instinct moves are the “I have no idea why I feel I should do this since it makes no logical sense but I’m going to do it” and voila! It worked. If you list ALL you know, including instinct moves, you won't forget any of them when the heat is on and you're uptight or scattered. No more driving home thinking, "I should have tried..."

RECYCLING A MOVE
Elite players have hundreds of subtle adjust- ments they use constantly. Their inventory is huge but more importantly, it stays huge. If what they tried didn't work, it’s still available to them because they put it back in the deck, not in the discard pile. They don’t discard anything they try. That would give a huge advantage to their opponent. They would never do that. Neither should you. Adjustments aren’t disposables or one-time use things. They should always be recycled instantly!



[Tampabaybob]

PART TWO:


GETTING INTIMATE WITH ALL YOU KNOW
The elite player diligently and frequently practices adjustments so they'll know what each will do and when to use it. Therefore, their adjustments generally work because they are so familiar with what those adjustments will do on the lane. You can attain this same confidence in what to do and when to do it with practice - an exercise that will be worth it to you when it's showtime and you make the right move at the right time instead of a mindless “Let's try this and see if it works.” As a coach, I really hate to hear, “Since nothing was working, I tried the swirly green ball because the masking unit had green in it.” Ugh. In my experience, making a fashion statement like that seldom cashes.

THE LISTS
Free associate with both lists. Start writing with no organizational thoughts. Just let one thought lead to another. Use terms or ideas only you understand if you wish. After all, it’s your list.

Conditions
Write down every screwy, weird, difficult lane condition you’ve ever encountered or can imagine. Be specific about it.
If the state tournament last year in another town got your goat, write it down. I know if that happened to you, you have thought about it a lot and decided what you would do if you get another chance at that pattern and circumstance. So, the truth is, you have a plan about what you will do and how you will play when you face those conditions again. Name it something you understand and write it down.

Use Dry Heads, Need Speed, Delay Roll, Play Up the Boards, and anything else you can name and describe as something you have or will encounter. If you bowl on the animal patterns (Shark, Chameleon, etc) or the city patterns (Stockholm, London, etc), name them as Conditions. If you prefer to use Short, Medium, Long, do so.

ADJUSTMENTS
On another piece of paper write every trick and adjustment you know, even instinct moves.
Here are a few of mine: Untuck Pinky, Close Index Finger, Close Right Heel, Fudge Release, Fan Shot, Target at Sternum, Hand Cocked, you know! Ball Down Early, Thumb
Out 1⁄8 Inch, Harris Release, etc. You can see some are trigger words for me and others are stuff you know.

Now that you have your two lists, it's time to combine them.
Put the Conditions across the top of the page and your Adjustment arsenal down the left side. Check off which adjustment would work on which lane condition.
Try it for yourself. You’ll be stunned at how much you know.

Susie Minshew is a USBC Gold Coach, Master Silver Instructor, a regional PWBA champion, and past president of IBPSIA. Visit her online at www.strikeability.com.

[Fatal]

Bob very informative. Thanks for the read.

[Tampabaybob]

Glad you liked it. Anyone, and I emphasize ANYONE that is int this game, should get a subscription to Bowling This Month. This magazine is like a bowlers Bible. I read mine cover to cover 2 or 3 times and then share it with my team mates. You will get more info from that one source than you ever thought possible.

Their web site is: http://bowlingthismonth.com

You can sign up for a free issue. I know anybody that gets it will love it.

Bob