Bowl Well When You Are Not Feeling Well

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 1/3/2014; Updated: 12/30/2022

We have all bowled when not feeling our best. Sometimes you get that seasonal cold which saps your strength, but you still manage to get out to the lanes and bowl in your league.
Perhaps you have the flu-like symptoms and have a slight fever, but not badly enough to miss your league night.
It is in these times when it is important to remember that you can bowl well even if you are not feeling well.
You do not have to be at 100% efficiency with your game to score well. In fact, you probably can count the number of times all season you are at your very best.
You must realize that if you can do a few key things while you are bowling under duress, you can still manage a decent performance, if not a very good one.
Because you may not feel as strong as usual, use a safe ball speed so you do not have to empty your strength chambers each and every shot.
The trick is to deliver your ball at the same speed each shot so you can make sensible alignment decisions and other adjustments as the lanes change or when you are shooting spares.
By controlling your ball speed, your ball reaction will be reliable enough for you to make alignment decisions to hit the pocket and make good adjustments when you are not hitting the pocket.
Make sure you reduce the amount of finger rotation as your thumb exits your bowling ball so you do not overturn the ball and cause an errant shot.
Get the ball the same distance over the foul line each shot.
Make a complete follow-through motion and avoid decelerating your forward swing.
Finally, have a bowling ball ready for use which reduces the chances of an over-reaction on the lane.

Use a ball which gives you sufficient skid length so you do not have to force your swing and release, trying to heave the ball to prevent it from hooking too soon.
Rely on modern bowling ball technology to get you through times when you are not feeling well. This includes using a ball which gives you the best chance at converting routine spares if you cannot generate a lot of ball speed due to illness.
The top pros on the PBA Tour can win a tournament without being at their best, but by being resourceful and using their skills and their equipment to an advantage.
You can do the same in your competitions when you are not “up to snuff” physically by using the “old noodle” and playing a strategic game.