Keep Your Bowling Game Under Control

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 12/1/2013; Updated: 2/4/2023

If you are a good bowler averaging 180 or higher, then you will make slight adjustments to your game when you get into trouble or if you cannot seem to conquer the lane conditions.
No bowler has ever completely mastered every facet of the game. The most successful players, however, do not try to do more than they can effectively do because they know their own physical limitations.
Here are some areas of the game where you need to exercise caution and not overdo physical game adjustments during competition:
1. If you are trying to get more ball speed, be careful to not try and throw the bowling ball so hard that you lose balance and control.
2. If you are trying to pick up the speed of your steps to generate a faster swing and more ball speed, then avoid going so quickly and hurrying your steps where you lose balance in your sliding step and make an errant delivery.
3. If you are trying to hook the ball more, avoid over-rotating your bowling fingers where your bowling elbow pops out and you “top” the bowling ball. Keep your bowling hand behind the ball as long as possible until it is time to release the ball.
4. If you feel excited and nervous because you are in a pressure situation or because you are about to make an important shot in a critical situation, avoid getting overly “pumped up” and charge the foul line, shorten your backswing, and grab at the ball trying to put more on the ball than is needed.
Trying to do more than your game allows, particularly when bowling under pressure, can lead to making poor shots.
It is possible to improve with a good deal of practice, but until you increase your physical game efficiency range, it is likely best to stick to what you do best when facing stiff competition.

Most every accomplished player, amateur or professional players, have one or two features to their games which they rely on when they get into bowling trouble. During competition, these players understand how to use their skills to their advantage and resist the urge to try and do more than they have practiced.
Rely on your own skills in competition and get to know your strongest assets of your game.
Pressure has a way of making us want to take chances. Avoid the temptations of doing more than your proven physical game skills provide.
Trust your judgement and simply try to make one good shot at a time.