Need to get out of this mental downward spiral

**Blomer** · 12-01-2014, 10:16 PM

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** · 12-01-2014, 11:34 PM

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** · 12-02-2014, 01:13 AM

Are you related to Aslan????

**bubba809** · 12-02-2014, 06:36 AM

Originally Posted by 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?

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** · 12-02-2014, 09:10 AM

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** · 12-03-2014, 02:35 PM

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** · 12-04-2014, 03:30 PM

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** · 12-05-2014, 12:22 AM

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.