At my ropes end.

[sychamp]

I have been bowling on and off for many years. After a long layoff I will usually come back and establish a 150, 160 average. After I bowl a year or so I get my game back and carry a High 180 to mid 190 average and would maintain that. From my last layoff, things went according to plan and I improved to mid 190's to low 200's, and bowl like that for a couple of years.
Now I have fallen into a major slump that has lasted over a year and a half. I have spent thousands of dollars on lesson some from very well known bowlers and practice time but none seems to help. The game has stopped being fun and I'm at a point I just go out to throw up a score to keep my wife happy, since she is improving and enjoying the game. Every few dozen games I will roll a high 500 series but then 2 days later I'm struggling to roll a a 350. Yeah, that's how bad things have become. My current average is right at 145 for the leagues I bowl, all at the same house. My wife told me to try a new ball, I talked to my pro and that didn't help either. I know most people will say just keep trying, but none of them have gone through this. It's really hard to stay positive when you get kicked in the gut multiple times a week only to churn out a halfway respectable 500 series every 2 or 3 months. I'm at the point that I am seriously trying to get $50 bucks for $1200 worth of equipment and throwing a house ball, I really don't see how it could hurt.

[JasonNJ]

I guess I would ask you, what do you think is wrong with your game? Are you not striking, missing a lot of makeable spares? When you say you took lessons from well known bowlers, are any of them coaches? Also too many times, I hear bowlers from my league saying they are going to practice and when I see them at the lanes, all they are doing is throwing for score and doing the same thing wrong things they do in league. To me, that isn't practice, it's reinforcing bad habits. When you practice, work on one thing at a time. So it might be timing, then the next practice, spare shooting, then next practice you work on footwork or your release.


Anyway, I will say hang in there. If you need to vent, you can always come here to make a post. Also, there are a lot of helpful people on here and some of very knowledgeable coaches so maybe we can give you some advice.

[boatman37]

I know how it is. I had a 193 average when I quit 15 years ago and came back in January. I bought all new equipment and planned on it taking time to get back to my old self but with the advancements in equipment thought maybe I would be at around 210 or so. When I left 15 years ago there were only about 5 guys in my league with a higher average than me. That 193 in my current league would put me about 40th out of about 100.
So started the new league and I ended with a 173 average after about 40 games (highs were 256 and 244). Started getting better the last 2 weeks (190 or so average the last 2 weeks of league) so decided to join the summer league to keep the ball rolling (pun intended). Well after 12 games I am averaging 154 with a high of 180. There are only 2 in our summer league lower than me. Really regretting joining this league as I know it has rocked my confidence and unless I get it fixed my struggles will continue into the fall league. I am missing easy 1 pin spares, not hitting my mark consistently and just look like a rookie out there.

My plan is to just have fun and start to accept the fact that I'm not the bowler I used to be. I am only 49 but quite a bit heavier than I was 15 years ago and have a bad shoulder and elbow (the reason I quit back then). Not looking to spend money on coaching because I am in it for fun and don't care to be the best there is, just want to be my old self and be happy with how I am bowling.

Good luck!

[jaypeesmith]

In my experience, if something is causing you stress, take a break. Even a week or two away from something, can change your perspective. When you're stressed (and down on yourself), you can consciously and unconsciously talk yourself into performing badly. If you walk in with negative expectations, you generally achieve negative results.

Maybe find joy in helping your wife improve. Sometimes helping others can do wonders for helping improve one's own perspective, also. I suspect that when you relax and find the joy in what you are doing, things will turn around.

[bowl1820]

I would have said get a coach, but you say you've already done it. You said you got lessons from well known "Bowlers", How about well known "Coaches". being a good bowler doesn't necessarily make you a good coach.

In all these years of off and on bowling Have you been updating your grip? if you haven't, that can cause problems with your release which will affect your game. As we age our hands change and grip has a affect on your bowling.

My wife told me to try a new ball, I talked to my pro and that didn't help either.

Buying a new ball won't fix problems with your physical game.

I know most people will say just keep trying, but none of them have gone through this.

Every bowler has gone through this at some point.

It's really hard to stay positive when you get kicked in the gut multiple times a week only to churn out a halfway respectable 500 series every 2 or 3 months. I'm at the point that I am seriously trying to get $50 bucks for $1200 worth of equipment and throwing a house ball, I really don't see how it could hurt.

You should go back and find a "Coach" and work on fixing your physical game problems, get your grip checked, determine the proper equipment you should be using and when to use it, Practice properly etc. What you get out of coaching depends on the coach and just what you put into it. Also Change doesn't happen over night, so don't expect to average over 200 after just one lesson.

[Phonetek]

Using video is an excellent help. Have someone record you or use a tripod and do it at multiple angles. Watch yourself on your TV using slow motion. There are multiple apps for both IOS and Android to record and review. Seeing yourself on video can help. What you feel you are doing may not be what your actually doing. You may be surprised at what you see. Also don't hesitate to upload the video here or on a private account on Youtube and post the link to it. There are plenty on here that could help after seeing your video and are happy to critique for you, both coaches and otherwise. Hope this helps. Good luck to you.

[djp1080]

Sychamp,
Here are some quotes to ponder:
When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Franklin D. Roosevelt
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Thomas Edison

Some of the folks here have given you some things to consider. You've not given us anything to understand what's not going right for you except your score.
Is it your physical game? Is it the ball fit? Is it the ball weight? Is it your way of playing the game? Is it your balance at the line at release? Is it your backswing? Is it your ability to repeat the same cadence and direction of your footwork? What is it that's really messing things up for you?
A video certainly would help you or a coach to know what's not quite right.
Good luck.

Hope this helps...

[djp1080]

Sychamp,
Here's a recent article from Bowl Versity that may guide you, too:
https://www.bowlingball.com/BowlVers...wling-mind-now

Hope this helps...

[TCJ]

My dad went through a similar thing. He averaged a lifetime high of 185 for a year (179 and 181 before that) and then for about four years the average just kept going lower and lower. He hit bottom around 160 or so. A couple years more and he was up to 191. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with his bowling all that time but whatever it was, he unconsciously figured it out and got out of the slump.

One thing that seems to help me is to just forget about the high scoring and just throw the ball for recreation. If you enjoy it with your wife, all the better. Taking pressure off yourself will help you relax and that alone should improve your bowling.

[Dice]

A lot of different things to consider but I'd like to throw out a few more:

Age and physical fitness levels once we get to 40 and beyond can cause big changes in what "we used to do" vs reality. I've had two different buddies that played really good golf for many years and then suddenly their games went way south. In both cases it turned out that age and lack of exercise resulted in a drop of of their natural testosterone levels.

Another thing that I know as a avid golfer is that you can work your swing into a groove where what feels right is actually wrong. Sometimes going back to the basics can help you figure out what it is that's causing the problem.

Good luck with it. I can't say this about bowling....yet. But as a golfer I'll be playing with ladies super soft flex shafts shooting over 100 till the day I day if that's what golf has to be for me