Mental Game Help

[JCasey1992]

Hi,

I have reached a point in my game where I am relatively fundamentally sound. However, I often lose focus and make a bad shot. Does anybody have any tips to improve focus on my shots?

Thanks,
Casey

[J Anderson]

Hi,

I have reached a point in my game where I am relatively fundamentally sound. However, I often lose focus and make a bad shot. Does anybody have any tips to improve focus on my shots?

Thanks,
Casey

I'm probably not the best person to offer advise on maintaining focus. I lose it far more often than I'd like to admit.

What I have read is that repeating a pre-shot routine helps to establish and keep focus. It often includes a brief positive statement about what you are about to do. Mine is often "short first step". It could be your target, it could be about your swing, it could be anything as long as it is a positive statement. The physical acts of the routine tell your body that it is about to roll the ball the way you have practiced. The statement focuses your mind on one thing that you want to do well.

[billf]

John, that positive statement is not very positive. How about "I'm going to take a perfect, short, first step"? Just playing. I'm the same way. I can teach it better than I can do it.

Make all your decisions before you get on the approach. Don't allow second guessing. Get into your stance, breathe in through the nose, out the mouth. All the while sing a song in your head. This will help allow your mind to keep distractions away. If you need to slow down, pick a slower song, speed up, faster song. Most people lose focus because we allow too many things to enter our thought process which distracts us from our original objective.

[eugene02]

John, that positive statement is not very positive. How about "I'm going to take a perfect, short, first step"? Just playing. I'm the same way. I can teach it better than I can do it.

Make all your decisions before you get on the approach. Don't allow second guessing. Get into your stance, breathe in through the nose, out the mouth. All the while sing a song in your head. This will help allow your mind to keep distractions away. If you need to slow down, pick a slower song, speed up, faster song. Most people lose focus because we allow too many things to enter our thought process which distracts us from our original objective.

nice statement! for me, when i'm up i'm just thinking. okay, i need to go towards this arrow in that direction than the ball will bite the lane at that point and get a strike.!

[billf]

nice statement! for me, when i'm up i'm just thinking. okay, i need to go towards this arrow in that direction than the ball will bite the lane at that point and get a strike.!

That's what you do before you hit the approach. Once on the approach you need to clear your mind and just let the practicing take over.

[eugene02]

That's what you do before you hit the approach. Once on the approach you need to clear your mind and just let the practicing take over.

for me when i go up thn i'll set my marks on the arrow and let it go there.. than the ball will be just nice to the pocket.

[martin]

for me personally, this helps.. http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip2.htm

me myself, my first "key" is "OK good pushaway" and my second "key" is "thumb out"

[billf]

"One reason this works well on high pressure shots is because you keep your mind busy. You don't have time to have negative thoughts or worry about tossing a bad shot. Your mind is simply too busy thinking of your keys and doing them well." Excerpt from the Ron Clifton link above.

Pretty much the same thing just I'm big on the positive statement. Ok is mediocre, middle of the road, average. I have always over done the positive to ensure the negative can't creep in. I just sing in my head and let most of my mind go blank.

[CoachJeffrey]

Hey Casey,

You're not alone. How many bowlers do you know that lose their focus and throw a bad shot? One way to improve your focus is during practice. Another way is to prepare ahead of time for a bad shot and decide if you are going to react (negatively) to it or respond (positively). Your response can set you up for the rest of your game or match.

I agree a preshot routine is one the best advice I can give any bowler. It is something that you get to create that is a perfect fit just for you. Let us know what works best for you regarding your focus, OK?

[TheSheibs]

One thing I do is close my eyes, imagine the ball being let go, rolling over my mark, curving into the pocket and getting a strike. Sounds like a lot but I am also take a deep breath in my nose and out my mouth when I do this. I do the same thing with spares only imagine picking it up with a perfect throw.