Tournament play

[tigerbait6]

I have never played, in a tournament before. Do you approach, it the same way, that you would in league play? Is there anything, that you can do, to prepare for, other than practice. I would assmue that the mental game is pretty important. Ed

[striker12]

well the thing i did when i first went to a turnny was i watched a few videos on youtube too see how other people are in them but when you get to a turnny its different then wathcing it but you are less nerves but when it comes too the practice time when you throw your ball down thast when you have to get all that nervesness out of your body and you will beable to get a few shots in there with out it really counting to your score but when its time to score you just clar your mind and dont think about anything just your target jsut like if you where in league

[billf]

If your usual center is small, there will be an optical illusion with the lanes. They will appear narrower and longer. This past year we bowled at the tourney houses the night/day before. It helped quite a bit with feeling more "natural". If you can find out the pattern before hand do so. Look it up on the net (here, kegel) so that won't be a surprise. Most of all, just try to have fun. Good luck!

[J Anderson]

I have never played, in a tournament before. Do you approach, it the same way, that you would in league play? Is there anything, that you can do, to prepare for, other than practice. I would assmue that the mental game is pretty important. Ed

The main difference for me is that league is spread out over 12 to 36 weeks depending on the type of league. Things average out and one bad game will be offset by a really good game later. In tournaments you have a very limited number of games so good and bad games seem to be amplified.
My suggestions for preparing for a tournament:
1. Read and make sure you understand the rules. You don't want to lose out because you wore the wrong kind of shirt, or didn't fill out the entry form correctly.
2. Try to find out everything you can about the pattern and the bowling center. This will give you an idea how to play the lanes.
3. Practice shooting spares. You can not afford a bunch of "9 -"s while trying to find your line.
4. Relax. Tournaments, especially handicap tournaments, require a certain amount of luck to do well in. In other words there's a whole lot of stuff you have no control over. Worrying will not help!!!
5. Focus on the positive. Expect that you will hit your mark, release the ball smoothly. etc. Don't focus on your score.
6. Breathe. Yes, I know its an automatic reflex, but under pressure some people tense up and take shallow rapid breaths instead of breathing normally. A good deep breath before stepping on the approach can help loosen things up.

[got_a_300]

J Anderson has just given you some of the best advice you can get
and above all just be yourself and bowl as you normally would and
don't let the nerves take over. You'll just have to let yourself relax
and most of all don't focus on your or the other players scores just
focus on hitting your mark consistently and making those corner pins
and other spares and you'll do just fine.

[JaMau24]

Just bowled in my first tourney a little over a month ago since I've been back to bowling. The first thing I did was study the oil pattern online after I found out what it was going to be. Read up on it, looked at an illustration of the pattern, read how other bowlers have bowled on the pattern, and where I'm going to stand and what mark (board) I'm going to aim at BEFORE I even got to the alley. I gotta say, I think it helped tremendously. Instead of going out there and trying to figure out a line in about 6 balls I get to throw in the 10 minute practice, I had already had a great idea where my line would be and that's where I started and adjusted from as the lanes broke down.

I felt a little nervous before it started, but more than anything, excited. It can be a little intimidating watching some of the guys walk in there with their sponsors on their shirt, especially if you have any realistic expectation for yourself that you wanna place and get some money. Other than that, as soon as we started, I wasn't nervous at all.

It was an 8 game sweeper tourney with a handicap of 80% of 220 (I think). I think the top 9 or 10 bowlers got paid based on a 60 bowler entry. I started with a 203 average I think, and bowled a 188, 193 the first two games. Which I was ok with, because from reading the pattern, I read it would be a difficult pattern to start with, but would break down very well. Next I bowled a 216, 169, and 191. At this point, I feel a little pressure to pull a great game out, because I know I'm not doing well enough to place, but still know there is plenty of time. Then, I bowled a nice 245, and I'm right in the money, and I'm just hoping I can bowl a couple 210-220+ games for the next two. Didn't happen though. Ended with a 186, and a 155! I just couldn't hit my mark during the 155 game. I was all over the place.

The most frustrating part of the day was after I threw my third ball of the tourney, my thumb broke open again (I had been having trouble with my ball cutting open the top of my thumb, since been fixed), so I had to bowl the whole tourney with a band-aid on my thumb.

It was incredibly fun though, even though I didn't place. I can't wait to do another tourney, and hopefully perform better now that I have a little experience.

Also, when you bowl in a tourney, (at least in the ones I have bowled in), you will probably move lanes after every game. After each game we bowled, we'd move to our right to the next two lanes, everyone would. Other than that, just focus on your target, relax, and have fun.

[TheJourney]

Everything that has been said thus far is great! I read all of it for advice to being more prepared the next time I have a tournament. The only extra piece I'd add is believe in yourself. You obviously felt good enough to try the tournament so believe in your abilities and trust yourself. You wouldn't be there if you didn't think you could compete. Take your time, breathe and have fun. Good luck and thanks everyone for the advice. I didn't ask the question but gained a lot of knowledge!

[jaydee]

JAnderson has a good list, but all but one of those really apply for both league and tournament (for me). In league though, I'm use to the lanes and know what to expect as far the oil pattern and how it's going to break down. So the most important thing is #2 on his list in my situation.

For me, or anyone else that has 5+ bowling balls, it's very important to find out what type of oil pattern you're going to be facing so that you can narrow down your choice of balls to bring and have a gameplan ready to go when you get there. If I know it's going to be a (fresh) drier pattern, with only a few games, I leave my heavy oil and my driest balls at home, if it's going to be wet, I'll leave my dry stuff at home. If it's going to be a "marathon" (8+games), I'll bring a little bit of everything. I've got a 2 ball roller and a 3 ball roller, so I'm not going to bring more than 5 balls. Besides, if I bring more than 5 balls (incl spare ball) I have a good chance of confusing myself and causing indecision once I need to make a ball change.

Have a game plan. Know which ball you are going to start with, know how long you are going to stick with it, and know which ball to switch to when you deem it necessary. In practice, make sure all of your balls feel good coming off your hand, add or subtract thumb tape as necessary.

[Stormed1]

#1 rule . Have Fun!! When you have fun you will tend to have a free arm swing and as a result tend to bowl better