My Terrible Mental Game
Hey guys, I'm preparing for the upcoming high school bowling season and I really want to fix something that killed my hopes of succeeding last year: my mental game. So here's how things go... I do really well at practices and even during USBC leagues. My physical game is good and I throw the ball pretty well, but for some reason I can never do well in my high school matches. I would have a lot of trouble hitting my mark, missed very easy spares, and bowled miserably. I just felt so much pressure in matches and I couldn't focus. I was named captain this year and I really want to redeem myself. A few months ago I started using a pre-shot routine which has helped me somewhat, but I still feel as though my mind is working against me. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions for me to fix this? Any help would be appreciated and I would like to thank you all in advance.
Keep reminding yourself it's just a game and to have fun. Another thing that I heard to try a while back is to sing a song in your head. Have it match the tempo you need. Also, read Joe Slowinski's article about fear of success.
I have the total opposite problem; when the game doesn't matter or is out of reach I lose focus. The pressure shots, I love them but I have always thrived under pressure.
www.bowlingknowledge.info
USBC SILVER CERTIFIED COACH
Gold Coach Candidate
Owner/Operator of Bowlerz Score Coaching
Tweener Rev Rate of 420, Speed 19 mph
Key Bowling Staff Member
Key Bowling Coaching Staff
IBPSIA member
Former Staff Bowler at www.BowlerX.com
Thanks for the tips Bill. Also, the article was very interesting. I will try incorporating those elements into my mental game.
Minnesota. I understand what you are talking about. During tournaments or those high stress games I would have problems. Now I have gotten over that because I lock on to one target. Its all about.muscle memory. Clear your mind, if you start thinking about something on the approach just stop. Take a deep breath and bowl. You can do it man. And btw your lucky you have a high school with a bowling team. Something I wish I had. Good luck!
Pressure wise just bowl your game and not worry with the scores. When it comes down to crunch time at the end of the game take your time and dont over think it.
If you're shooting well in the leagues you should also be able to shoot as well in your matches. Think about what you do in your league matches that you are not doing in your other matches. The pre shot routine is VERY IMPORTANT and this is your "on-deck" circle. This is the spot (the only spot) where you want to think. Once you're on the approach the mind has to go blank and your muscle memory takes over. Another words relax. Kegel did a study a while back with the kids from Webber University, on breathing. They had them take a deep breath before taking their first step, and start to exhale as they start their approach. The results were pretty significant as the accuracy of all the bowlers increased. The study was in one of the Bowling this month magazines. I'll look for it and post it for you.
Bob
Thanks for all of the tips everybody! I will try to work on clearing my mind of any outside or negative thoughts. Also, I guess I never really tried taking deep breaths during my pre-shot routine. I will start working on doing that before every shot!
Seriously? I would have thought your coach would have helped the team develop a pre-shot routine of wiping the ball and taking a deep breath AT A MINIMUM. Videos showed me that after that deep breath, I didn't blink or breathe again until after the ball cleared the deck. I never even realized it and don't even know if I still do it.
USBC SILVER CERTIFIED COACH
Gold Coach Candidate
Owner/Operator of Bowlerz Score Coaching
Tweener Rev Rate of 420, Speed 19 mph
Key Bowling Staff Member
Key Bowling Coaching Staff
IBPSIA member
Former Staff Bowler at www.BowlerX.com
Bill, lets just say my coach isn't the most technical personOriginally Posted by billf
Bill, you know it's funny that you say that you're not sure if you still do that. You probably do 'still do it' because it becomes a natural part of your routine. And that's what you want. You want to do these things very mechanically, so you 'don't have to think' about every shot. Every once in a while during practice, just be sure you run thru 'all' of those things to be sure you are still doing what you want to accomplish.
Bob
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks