I need to relax during league play any tips?

[p0ppyman]

Any tips on how to stay relaxed during league play? When I'm practicing by myself I'm pretty relaxed, no pressure. During league it seems I tense up.

I just started bowling on two leagues after 45 years of not bowling. The feedback I'm getting is I need to relax. But I can't seem to find the switch within me to get myself to relax during league play. My arm is very tense it seems and I'm not following through properly after release.

All that said and done I'm having a blast learning to bowl again! My new balls roll a lot differently then my old Black Diamond which has been relegated to the garage shelf. Also retired my single ball Columbia bag in favor of a two ball roller. Life is good!

[boatman37]

I have a routine when I get up to the line. I swipe my hand across the fan, grab my towel, pick up my ball and wipe it, set the ball back down, set the towel down, then fingers in ball, thumb in ball, and walk to my starting spot. Sounds simplistic but I do it the same way every time and even set the ball back down every time with the finger holes up and thumb hole towards me. I also try to sing a song in my head that is upbeat and that I like.

[classygranny]

A good pre-shot routine is good for "getting out of your head" so to speak. In mine part is to shake my right arm and flex my fingers, making my brain consciously think about relaxing the throwing arm.

Also, don't watch the scores if it makes you press. I never really look at my own score, I just throw every frame the best I can - like I need a strike. I will on occasion look at the team score to see if we are ahead or behind, but I don't let it pressure me if I do. Eventually, you will be able to look more, but not "take on" the pressure and tense up. Watch a few pro bowlers...it will be very obvious.

And perhaps consider NOT watching the mechanics of any other bowler unless they have something positive to pick up. Your brain will subconsciously copy what you see and if that is a tense throw, then you will more than likely have a tense arm. You can tell how tense the throwing arm is by the way it swings after your release. If you look like the statue of liberty you have a very tense swing. If your arm swings back and forth a few times like a pendulum then it is relaxed.

[p0ppyman]

Thank you both for sharing your thoughts! They were helpful. Today I did a practice session with my Friday morning league teammate where he had me focus on relaxing at the release. He worked with me on the first three practice games and left me on my own for game #4 & #5.

Game #1 - 119, Game #2 - 121, Game #3 - 128, Game #4 - 158, Game #5 - 198

He says I'm relaxed in my approach but tense up at release. I was also yanking the ball across my body to the left. We made a few changes, moved my target from the 10 board to the 8th, and had me project my ball more to my new target where before my release was before the foul line. I still have more work to do but I'm trending in the right direction.

[J Daisy]

Any tips on how to stay relaxed during league play? When I'm practicing by myself I'm pretty relaxed, no pressure. During league it seems I tense up.

I just started bowling on two leagues after 45 years of not bowling. The feedback I'm getting is I need to relax. But I can't seem to find the switch within me to get myself to relax during league play. My arm is very tense it seems and I'm not following through properly after release.

All that said and done I'm having a blast learning to bowl again! My new balls roll a lot differently then my old Black Diamond which has been relegated to the garage shelf. Also retired my single ball Columbia bag in favor of a two ball roller. Life is good!

If your league allows it, you might try listening to music you like through earbuds or headphones. I know several bowlers who do this. It helps you tune out any distractions and focus on your game.

Also, what I do is make a couple fake shots first without releasing the ball. It helps me relax and get in the groove of things. Not sure if it would work the same for you or not, but it may be worth a try.

[J Daisy]

As an afterthought, I'd like to comment on how sometimes a little pressure is a good thing, and it effects people differently. I know that it was when I had three young guys standing there watching me bowl, that I struck out in the tenth frame and got my high score. Just sayin', haha.