Getting Mental

[Jim H]

Thanks Editor or Web Master or whoever for opening up this new topic.

I can recomment the book 'Focused on Bowling' by Dean Hinitz. I ordered it at my local book store. Just ask for ISBN 0-7360-3708-X

[kmitch200]

Deans articles are a must read for me when the mag comes to my mailbox.
I'll flip through the ball reviews just to see what's new but when I have time, I STUDY Dean, Susie and Rolf.
(I read BT this month....probably won't make that mistake for another 3 months...)

[bill_lish]

To me the Mental is part of your game, not another game. I started working on my mental game during a Dick Ritger camp. The way i started was the following, (it's just one way not the only way).

focus drill
1. set in a chair, in the tile area, feet flat on the floor.
2.while you are waiting to bowl, look down at the floor and select four tiles in front of you.
3. now select one tile in front of you.
4. then select one area in a single tile.
5. look deep into the area and see a single point.
6. look deeper into the single point, a swirl, a shape, etc.
7. go as deep into the shape as you can, relaxing as your breath is normal.
Let go of sounds, smells, and movement around you.

Do the following drill each time you set before your turn to bowl. When it is your turn to bowl, as you step on to the approach tell your self "time to go to work"

use this along with your preshot routine and developh a control for the outside world and its a quiter bowling world.

Bill

[KAJMK]

Bill Lish mentioned an excellent vehicle to develop concentration and focus. Don't limit your reading to bowling books per se. First of all, focus and concentration are essential to most sports, second, aside from the Dean Hinitz book, there's been precious little text devoted to this aspect in bowling text. Cruise through your local book store or used book store, spin through some martial arts books, some sports psychology books, coaching books (any sport). The Inner game of Tennis by W. Timothy Galwey (spelling) is a very good book to start with.
Here is a link to a few short articles on the mental side of sports.

http://www.pbs.org/saf/1206/resources/resources-2.htm

There are several articles that are worth your time,
none of them are long so don't worry about a time commitment. There's a bit on right brain/left brain processing.
Funny, I had two coaches ask me about one of the Professors, Rolf Gauger (during a personal lesson when he was trying to make a bowler out of me - finally he realized he was a coach and not an exorcist!!) and Susie Minshew via e-mail. If they were interested, you should be too.
Do not discount this aspect of your game no matter what level you are at!

If you are reading this during the holiday season, hope you're having a great one!

Have your best year yet in 2004!

Take care.

[Candleman]

I was absolutely terrible at the mental game.........everything distracted me, especially bad lane etiquette. I used to get upset with myself for missing shots and with the lanes for being in bad condition. I read the Dean Hinitz book and also Bowling Execution by John Jowdy and I realised why my average was so low, it was because I blamed everything except myself. Once I became self-critical, I realised where the main flaws in my game were and fixed them. Now I am not only a much better bowler, but a better person too.

[Spain]

I mentioned this once before, I dont remember what forum, maybe PBA. What I do at least once a month I bowl next to a kids birthday party, I dont know about the states but here in Spain they run in front of you, behind you, just about anywhere they wish, but my concentration is on my mark and I hit it just about all the time. One time on my second step on a five step approach I almost hit my bowling ball on this kids head, I didn´t stop and got a strike, I went over to the kid and told him to do it again and see how close can I come before I hit him. Of course the kid is smart, he told his buddy to try it.

[Jamie Bell]

Hiya i just played in 2nd scotish ranking tourament of year i average 180 i played 3 singeles then 3doubles games. Then went into four mn team i found it hard o concentrate as your going from taking regular shot to waiting a good while.IVe play games in four and it doesnt affect me but only when ive been used to play single or double prior to it. jamie

[KAJMK]

Jamie, changing the pace is a bit tough. You've gotten into a rhythm then changed it.
You might try keeping a particular song in your mind and playing it to yourself when you bowl.
That and using a preshot routine.

In practice, vary the pace between frames from game to game or in the same game. You can pick out a few other folks in the house.
Watch them as if you were bowling with them ...

Also good for concentration in practice - bring several balls that will make you play different lines to score.

Set up a game for each ball and bowl all of the games at the same time on the same pair ...

John K. in Glendale Az.

[MSC2471]

What John stated in the previous post is very true to working on your mental game with different balls and different lines on the same pair of lanes. Last week I went down to the center where I bowl my summer league with that specific purpose. I bowled 6 games playing 2 different lines with each of my 3 bowling balls- covering anywhere from the first board to 5th arrow.

As a result in league this past Tuesday I found my concentration level at an all time high and I shot 732 (279-208-245) with no opens for the first time all year.

Matt

[editor]

I have taught this for years as a practice method, but found very few takers. Bowlers just don't seem to want to use their imagination in practice. Conversely, it enables you to practice your imagination, which is sorely lacking in today's tournament bowlers. You should take it further, when possible, and do this on different patterns, then switch back and forth. Go from pattern 1, ball 3 to pattern 2, ball 4, etc. A real menntal workout and a good test for your fundamentals.

Jim King