serious mental problem

[kitbash]

give you a bit of background before i ask my question....

i am what i would consider a tweener, bit heavier on the cranker side of the line than the stroker side.

currently throwing :
light oil= blue hammer ( not original )
med oil= motiv venom panic and motive blue ascent apex
heavy oil- have not found a house around here that uses what i would consider heavy oil so i havent bothered with a ball for it.

right foot on 30 target -15-17


here is where i am having an issue.

for the past 6 months this is my routine...
practice once or twice a week and consistently crack 190-230... sure i have off days and end up with the occasional 160-170
i split practice between 2 different local houses and do the same at each.

then come league night..this is where my mental problem comes in...
i am stuck averaging a 150 throughout the entire year.

its like when i am up there on league night my mind shuts off and i forget how to bowl all over again
i either pull the shot left or my arm drifts right and i am gutter bound
i cannot get any real consistency on league night


i need ideas for breaking a mental block
just doesnt really look or feel good when my bowling partners see me do so well when we practice and then it looks like i am throwing games when they count.

bout to take up drinking while bowling so atleast i have a reason for cleaning out the damned gutters


any advice i might be able to try?

[Sche3067]

give you a bit of background before i ask my question....

i am what i would consider a tweener, bit heavier on the cranker side of the line than the stroker side.

currently throwing :
light oil= blue hammer ( not original )
med oil= motiv venom panic and motive blue ascent apex
heavy oil- have not found a house around here that uses what i would consider heavy oil so i havent bothered with a ball for it.

right foot on 30 target -15-17


here is where i am having an issue.

for the past 6 months this is my routine...
practice once or twice a week and consistently crack 190-230... sure i have off days and end up with the occasional 160-170
i split practice between 2 different local houses and do the same at each.

then come league night..this is where my mental problem comes in...
i am stuck averaging a 150 throughout the entire year.

its like when i am up there on league night my mind shuts off and i forget how to bowl all over again
i either pull the shot left or my arm drifts right and i am gutter bound
i cannot get any real consistency on league night


i need ideas for breaking a mental block
just doesnt really look or feel good when my bowling partners see me do so well when we practice and then it looks like i am throwing games when they count.

bout to take up drinking while bowling so atleast i have a reason for cleaning out the damned gutters


any advice i might be able to try?

how do you you practice? if you practice shot after shot without waiting a few minuets you wont be simulating your league play.

[1VegasBowler]

You also have to consider what the oil patterns are when you practice and when you do league.

As you practice, you're only moving the oil by yourself for a more "personalized" track.

In league bowling, you have many more bowlers to change the tracks every time a ball is thrown and things will change rapidly and you have to adjust your positions and releases.

There are tines I have to change my ball speed or ball during a league night.

Ad don't forget that weather changes the conditions as well along with a host of other things.

[JasonNJ]

It's always much easier to stay in rhythm in practice because you're probably throwing shot after shot. Also, are you practicing on the same type of lane condition as your league?

My advice to you would be don't focus on scoring in practice and just focus on establishing a routine and developing good mechanics. Then in league pretty much do the same thing, don't focus on results, focus on repeating your routine and the mechanics you established in practice. Good luck and I hope this helps.

[kitbash]

how do you you practice? if you practice shot after shot without waiting a few minuets you wont be simulating your league play.

i always practice with atleast one other person with me so there is always a wait, even when 2 lane rotation. we also tend to take our time so its roughly 4-6 minutes between shots

[kitbash]

yea i understand lane breakdown and all that, my issue is the mental one with the wandering arm and the mental block i somehow get each time i league bowl

just have not figured out how to mentally get my game more on par with my practice rounds

[kitbash]

It's always much easier to stay in rhythm in practice because you're probably throwing shot after shot. Also, are you practicing on the same type of lane condition as your league?

My advice to you would be don't focus on scoring in practice and just focus on establishing a routine and developing good mechanics. Then in league pretty much do the same thing, don't focus on results, focus on repeating your routine and the mechanics you established in practice. Good luck and I hope this helps.

i dont actually worry about score when i practice, the scoreboard is always on and i use it as a gauge at the end of the session to see how i did. ie: statistics, spares, opens, strikes
mechanics are definitely better during practice and i get a more fluid ball roll, i think i am forcing too much on league night. just cant find a way to reset the mental block and sort it out

[Amyers]

Two things in practice the oil conditions are likely different than what you encounter during league ie. fresh shot this may be a small part of the issue. From the problem you are describing though it sounds like during league your timing is off. This happens as we tend to try harder and think more during league play which in bowling can be a bad thing. I would suggest in your next practice session figure out what your trigger for starting your swing is and concentrate on that and nothing else during league play for a while. Try to pay attention and make sure your not increasing your foot speed during league play also as that could be triggingering the probem.

[fokai73]

Expectation is the root of pain and suffering. Also, improper skills development leads consistent failures.

So, "practice" sessions when scores are counted "consistently crack 190-230" isn't practice, that's bowling outside of leagues. Real practice sessions are setting one or two goals for the day and working on them no matter how stupid you look to others at the alley. For 3 consecutive sessions, have you set goals for yourself? or did you just shoe up, and bowl for scores? Preparation before skills practice is also training the mind as well. It's like the pre shot routine. You mentally set a goal, a plan, and bowl that plan. Drills, drills, and more drills done properly with the help of a trained eye helps with muscle memory. This development rids the "thinking" on the approach and actual bowling. Thinking is done when I'm not bowling. Awareness carries me to the foul line.

For example: On wed. nights I'll set a goal to work on my foot work, push off foot and slide. Then on sunday with the guys, We bowl low ball, or I practice on my release from changing axis rotation/tilt or timing of my release. Basically, I never leave the house without a plan of action when I go practice. I bet a good percentage of bowlers on this site just leave the house without a plan and just shoe up, bowl, and waste their free/$2 bowling. lol but, for many, that's how they like it. and there are some who don't practice at all and still carry 220 ave....

[classygranny]

Pre-shot routine. Establish one, or change what you have now. Forces you to mentally process prior to your approach. There are lots of different things to use. One of the most common is wiping the ball off with a towel. Some of us understand we may not be taking any oil off, but it is something that while we do it, we are mentally preparing for the shot. Use it for every shot including spares. Find a pre-shot routine that fits you. Use it in practice as well, then all shots become more similar in the mental aspect of your shooting.