In others sports I've been in, distractions didn't bother me much. I've been in bigger stages than bowling, but when I returned to bowling, I seemed to follow the actions of others. My mental game was somewhat weak believing in bowling voodoo.
Accepting distractions helps me in pressure situations and forget last frame mistakes.
I'm not sure I can call it superstition, but part of my pre-shot routine involves me holding my hand over the fan on the return. I like the dry, cool feeling it results in. There are several pairs in the house I bowl in where the fans aren't working right now, but I still hold my hand over it before every shot even though I know it isn't doing anything.
Don't confuse superstition vs pre shot....
Superstition is a belief of something with power or having unseen power, having lucky charm...on the flip side, something with unlucky outcome..splits for example....
Pre shot routine is a preparation to perform..
Last edited by fokai73; 04-17-2017 at 01:12 AM.
A couple of other superstitions that seem to be widely followed are not talking to the guy going for a 300 and clearing the pairs next to him as he goes to shoot the 10th
This one goes way back.....when hand scoring you were never supposed to fill in the scores of a guy with multiple strikes until he missed or finished out the game.
Another one that might be considered a superstition, if your lead off bowler doesn't go up to bowl until after your anchor has finished.
The not talking about a possible 300 in progress is definitely a superstition. The clearing of adjacent pairs is more of an exagerated lane courtesy, an "I don't want to do anything to mess this guy up." The not filling in the numbers on a string of strikes is a superstition that has been incorporated into at lt least some automated scorers.Originally Posted by Tony
I have never thought of having the lead off bowler waiting for the anchor to throw a ball as superstition. It has more to do with keeping the pace of the game steady or making it easier to compare how your team is doing to your opponent.
John
I wouldn't say superstitious, just like a routine. For instance, I wipe the ball off, make sure my hand is dry with rosen, make sure my sole doesn't stick when I step on the approach, and go. There are certain bowlers in my league that are a distraction if they are up on the approach a couple lanes over, so I will occasionally wait for them. I shoot a lot of tournaments and have grown accustomed to 2 lane courtesy, although it doesn't bother me as long as I have 1. There are just some people I don't mind waiting on lol
If your mom or dad nagged you about keeping your shirt tucked in, doing so before bowling is not a superstition.
I never used to worry about what was left standing on an adjacent lane until a couple years ago. I had thrown a split on an odd numbered lane. Afterward, a friend who happens to be a bronze level coach asked me why I had thrown my first ball when there was a split standing on the lane to my left. The truth was that I had not noticed because it wasn't on my pair of lanes. Until then I had never thought about the possibility that what was standing on the other lane could have an effect on what I'm doing. Now, when I happen to notice a split on the other lane, there's that little bit of doubt as to whether I should go or wait. Gee, thanks a lot Tim!
John
True, the automatic scoring does wait until the string ends.
On waiting until the anchor bowls and keeping pace, just keep in mind you can only get so far ahead unless you start skipping bowlers on the other team..lol
The way it was put to me was waiting will slow the game down, for the most part it really doesn't make much of a difference either way. When I bowl certain teams I'll keep the pace up or let it slow down depending upon how my team is doing, or theirs. If they are throwing all strikes and keeping the pace fast, after a couple frames of that I'll start to wait until my anchor is done and see if that throws them off......if they are bowling poorly with the pace as fast as it can go, I'll keep right about there.
We used to have a guy on our team who would wander off and not be ready for his turn, it drove one team crazy, they would yell and go look for the guy, it got them so flustered they could never beat us......so it became a regular event and the results were always the same, it got them so worked up they couldn't bowl .......
It's a superstition. Gotta have the shirt tucked in just right.
Almost forgot the high-five to the bowler before me if he marked, and a fist bump if he opened.
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