Trying Hard To Bowl Well
bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 11/20/2020; Updated: 4/26/2023If you want to get the best out of your game over the long haul, learn to keep your composure under pressure, maintain an even keel avoiding highs and lows of emotions, and don’t try to force things to happen. A tempered and consistent disposition will serve you well in the long run as opposed to getting too “amped up” in preparation for competition.
The players who are able to remain calm and retain composure in the heat of battle have the best chances at success.
Not only is it important to not lose your temper when you make an errant shot or get a bad break, it is important to not allow a surge in emotions to affect your next shot.
Bowlers are known to give up trying to bowl well after starting a competitive session with a bad game or without much in the way of positive results.
Never quit on yourself. Never give up.
Bowling is a fickle game and things can turn suddenly. You can “catch fire” and string strikes with perhaps one simple change in technique.
On the other hand, avoid trying so hard that you get yourself so tense and emotional thereby losing your ability to make consistently smooth
bowling ball deliveries. It is important to maintain good tempo and good pace throughout your competitive sessions.
Avoid trying so hard that you actually force yourself into fitting your ball into the pocket or hitting your mark. In doing so, you invite other things to begin to go wrong with your game such as turning the ball too early or pulling your swing inside your intended target path.
It is certainly possible to be as ineffective when you try too hard as when you do not try hard enough. You can, therefore, be as ineffective by working too hard as when not working hard enough!
Once you realize maintaining an even keel on the lanes is your best bet over the long run, you will begin to see the benefits in doing so will work to your advantage.
Every athlete, every bowler, loses confidence now and again. Getting emotional is a human trait. Trying to overcome bad sessions by trying so hard that you lose your ability to make good bowling decisions and effective shots, can be counter-productive.
Controlling your emotions so they do not change your physical game even though you are “pumped up” on the inside will help you retain good tempo on the lanes. It will also help you think clearly and can help you sustain making a series of good deliveries during competition.
